Gifts/cards etc to thank clinical instructor & site?

Quapla' · Nov 14, 2004

I'm a clinical instructor - and I'd like to weigh in and say "no" to gifts for instructors. I would be really uncomfortable if I thought my students felt obligated to do this. It's also a professional boundary issue and could be a $$ hardship that students don't need. The idea of a card or note or something like that is perfect. Besides, I've already had the gift of knowing my students and the privilege of being part of their nursing education!

NewEnglandRN, RN · Nov 14, 2004

Feel free to disagree, but I really resent buying gifts for every person I come in contact with just because they are doing their job. A card is fine though. I think a nice handwritten Thank You note speaks more volumes than a gift.

I completey agree that a nice Thank you note means so much. At the end of the school year, I send a handwritten letter to my children's teachers & support staff. I have had several people tell me over the years that it meant so much to them. Some staff have included the letters in their teaching file (with my permission.)

For our Clinical Instructor, we are going to get her an American Express gift card. There are 10 students in her group, so if we each give $10, that will be a nice gift. I do not know what we will do for the LTC facility staff.

Mandylpn · Nov 20, 2004

I'm a clinical instructor - and I'd like to weigh in and say "no" to gifts for instructors. I would be really uncomfortable if I thought my students felt obligated to do this. It's also a professional boundary issue and could be a $$ hardship that students don't need. The idea of a card or note or something like that is perfect. Besides I've already had the gift of knowing my students and the privilege of being part of their nursing education![/quote']
We really need more teachers like you in the profession!

truern · Nov 20, 2004

For the clinical sites we bring homemade goodies and the nurses always gobble them up

Some ideas for instructors: have someone take a group shot of the clinical group in uniform with the instructor, frame it in a coordinating frame with a mat, and let everyone sign the mat with a gold or silver ink pen...a small "memory" album of special things that happened during that clinical...something specific to the instructor's hobby, for example, one semester we gave our instructor special bird seed for her many feeders...this semester we gave our peds instructor the "tools" to bake cookies (a cookie scoop from a restaurant supply store, cooling racks, hard-to-find finely chopped pecans, a little recipe easel, etc...the whole gift bag cost about $25)

dosamigos76, RN · Nov 20, 2004

I've usually done a thank you card for the staff at the site. Our clinical instructors are our regular instructors, so a gift is a no-no. I did order like 10 pizzas one time for our last day of our last clinical that semester for us and staff.

not now, RN · Nov 22, 2004

A think you card for the unit and homemade cookis, brownies, ect.

Tradition holds that the clinical group goes to lunch with it's instructor. Last semester everyone paid for themselves at a popular Mexican restaurant. This semester (a different instructor) shocked us all by picking up the tab. :eek:

We gave him a big package of homemade baked goods and his wife (who came along since she's one of the house supervisors of that particular hospital) said "Oh my God he's gonna go through that thing in a day." He loved it.

Aneroo, LPN · Nov 22, 2004

We usually do a brunch type deal on the floor as a treat. We also usually get a thank you note for professor, and we pitch in for a gift...$5 each, 8 students= $40 gift card and a passing clinical grade! (Just kidding on grade!)

acgemt · Nov 22, 2004

My clinical groups usually bring in breakfast for ourselves and the staff members. For our instructor, a card and a giftbasket/gift certificate works just fine. A couple dollars from everyone will be fine