Gifts for soon-to-be-nurses?

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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My little sister just completed the requirements to be accepted to nursing school. She has worked very hard and is one of only two people to be admitted this year. Of course, as one of two older brothers I am SOOPER proud and would like to get her a gift that relates to the field but I have no idea what to get a nurse (I'm merely a webmaster and know little about the medical field). What do you recommend as a good gift now and as a good gift for when she actually achieves RN in the winter? I found these hilarious soap dispensers from Germany or something that look like IV bags but I think I should get something more practical. Thanks all you Panama Reds! heh

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guess it depends on what your budget is on the gift... you could do a couple different things. if you are looking at more of a high end type thing you could go the pda route... or if she has one get one of the paid drug programs for it... still in the upper end of the budget (depending on which one) you could get her a stethescope or one of many different things they will require when she starts clinicals... you could get her a gift certificate to an uniform store (or a pair of scrubs) but most schools will require that she wear a certain uniform... shoes are a great gift... good comfortable nursing shoes seem to be expensive... a gift cert to one of the many places that has them would be nice... she could put it towards the finial cost....

or, of course, if you just want something simple that will mean a lot flowers with a card reassuring her that she can do it, has your support, and letting her know how proud you are of her is a great way to go... :) i know when a friend of mine got accepted to a very competitve physical therapy program i gave her a gift cert that i printed off my computer that was good for one night out when she had the time... dinner and whatever she wanted to do to escape school. she, using my idea, made a coupon book for her boyfriend who later got accepted to med school that had things like "good for one vent about your instructor that clearly knows nothing" and the like.

good luck!

alnee

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Great ideas, all of them--thanks very much for your reply. I love the stethoscope idea--how much do those suckers cost and are they something you can walk in and buy somewhere?

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the stethoscopes i have seen range from down right cheap (in quality and price!) to more than my car payment ;) littmann is "the name" from what i have heard for a good steth... a quick google shows some as cheap as the $40 range and the nicer ones seem to be around $75... if that is out of your budget perhaps thinking about one of the nifty personalized name tags they make for them. she will have to get the steth eventually... however the perosonalization is just an option. steths seem to have a way of "walking away" from their owner so having it personalized is a great way of helping her hold on to it. i would try to avoid getting the neat steth fabric covers just because they are becoming more and more of a no-no in hospital settings due to the fact they are often not washed and therefore great for spreading germs around. if you do go the steth route you may want to even contact the school and see if they have a policy on what ones they use (the nursing dept should be able to tell you over the phone) and also ask if they require them to be a certain color. littmanns (as well as other brands) do give you several color options so if they do not require the normal black steth then maybe a nice one in her favorite color would be great :)

i think that is awesome you are willing to do something for you sister... it is great to know that there is family support there... she will need it!

alnee

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Alnee you are awesome, of course I expect such great help from a nurse :)

I'm thinking about getting the family and some friends together to chip in. I've seen an entire student kit (as they call it on stethoscope.com) for around $800. Does this sound like a good plan or a waste of money--perhaps a lonely stethoscope is sufficient?

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Specializes in CCU (Coronary Care); Clinical Research.

I think getting her something for school is nice, a stethoscope is something she will definately need. Maybe a gift card to an office store too so she can buy her favorite pens/notebooks etc. stuff she will need for class. I also think that getting her something fun and for her would be nice. Tickets to a concert, a good massage, gift card for a good dinner (or even to the supermarket- sometimes cash gets tight in school), coffee money- whatever she likes and helps her relax if she is stressed out. Also a nice card letting her know how proud you are of her...support can really mean a lot.

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alnee you are awesome, of course i expect such great help from a nurse :)

i'm thinking about getting the family and some friends together to chip in. i've seen an entire student kit (as they call it on stethoscope.com) for around $800. does this sound like a good plan or a waste of money--perhaps a lonely stethoscope is sufficient?

not a nurse yet... but i will be one day :)

i, personally, would not go with the student set. it is actually a set for a med student. i think the stethoscope may be a little bit too much for a nursing student... unless your sister has a major interest in working in cardiology down the road. i also do not know many nurses that own their own otoscopes... a blood pressure cuff, yes... but otoscopes are not something i see many carrying around (unless they are a nurse practioner).

if you are willing to spend $800 on a gift i would recommend calling the school your sister is going to go to and see what they require for supplies. all will require certain things and some require a little more. put together a nice basket of the items she will need. i am finding that a lot of schools can not offer much assistance in purchasing these necessary tools... fin. aid covers your tuition and in some cases even all of your books... but seldom is it enough to cover the big supplies. the other thing that you might want to look into for the "basket" are things like the nclex review guides (the books used to review for the boards) that are supposed to be great to help you study as you go through each section of nursing school. one or two of those may be very helpful to her and if not during school they certainly will be after graduation as she prepares to take her boards. there are many other books that i have heard are great (but not required by the school) that you may want to look into for her. most of them can be found at barnes & nobles or other big book stores.

i am sure that you will come up with a great idea for her...

alnee

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i was just talking to a neighbor down the street online and asked about steths at the school she taught at... this is the link she sent me as to what they required the students to have. she said that they would make acceptions to other models if the student needed to (hearing problems, etc) but for the most part this is required. they do let students pick the color and highly recommend them getting it personalized. http://www.allheart.com/2200-16.html (there are other websites that sell the same model... dont know about price wise. i have heard some horror stories about dealing with allheart though!)

she also said that the students in her school were required to have their own bp cuff and she highly recommends that they have one even if it is not required to help students practice taking vital signs at home.

just thought that i would pass that tidbit on to you :)

alnee

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