Gifts for Special People.

[cougSN]

Okay, so I am nearing the end of my career at nursing school and there are a few (actually about four) instructors/teachers at my school who really made an impact on me, and one was even like a mentor to me. I wanted to get these people special gifts before I leave but I am having difficulty coming up with ideas or finding gifts that are nicer and not cheap (aka "world's best nurse t-shirts", hahaha). Have any of you gotten a gift as an instructor or as a nurse that you found to be a nice gift, rather than saying "gee I'll probably throw this away in a year"? One is an OB theory teacher, one an OB instructor, one a peds theory teacher and one a peds instructor (the mentor-like one, even though I won't be going in to peds). Any ideas? I could try and tailor something to each of them, but I really only know the OB theory and peds instructor well enough to do that. Thanks so much for any ideas you might have!!

[Flare, ASN, BSN]

Gift certificates to restaurants near the school or near their home if you know where that is, are always a good idea, but can get costly.

[dianah, ASN]

That would be my suggestion, too.

Something they will enjoy, and remember as a thoughtful gesture.

For stocking stuffers, I have sometimes given my kids gift certificates to the local movie theater.

For those who love books (or information about their hobby/ies): Barnes and Noble gift cert?

It's not the amount, it's the thought. :)

[llg, PhD, RN]

I agree that the gift certificates are generally a good idea -- and that little personal mementos or "knick-knacks" are usually bad ideas unless you know for a fact that the receiver actually collects that stuff. As you have recognized, you want to give them something they will actually USE rather than something that will clutter their shelves and need to be thrown away in an appropriate number of years.

As most faculty are underpaid, they'll appreciate a gift certificate at a store they will use. If you don't know of a "special interest" they have or particular store or entertainment place to choose ... I would recommend something very generic, such as the school bookstore, Barnes and Noble, or Amazon.com. The amount is not important -- it really is the thought that counts and you can take care of that with a nice note. Most people would rather receive a $5 gift card they will actually use than a $20 knick-knact they will eventually throw out.

[mamamerlee, LPN]

There are some beautiful art books with Nursing as the main subject. Do you have some discount bookstores nearby? There are also some crystal or porcelain pieces that depict nursing. I vote for something tangible unless you can get them all together and take them out for dinner with you!

[JB2007, ASN, RN]

I really like the idea of taking them all out to dinner or lunch with you. That would be something memorable for both your instructors and you.

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

Most anything would probably be perfect, so long as you include a hand written note about how they changed your nursing practice and what you learned from them. That's what they entered the job for, and we all know that they could be making twice the money as RNs or NPs but they picked teaching.