Giving Thank you gifts

[Hopeful3]

I am really bothered by how students want to purchase gifts for a teacher - especially giving it before the final grades are in. I think this puts some of us in an uncomfortable position that are worried we could be with this instructor again, or who didn't care for the teacher!

Do others have this same problem? I felt the most professional thing would be to fill out my course evaluation.

Thanks!

[soushee]

A girl in my class was passing out xmas cards to our instructors last week... thought it was odd, especially since it was taking up office time for all of us with questions about our grades/finals (we don't take our final until tomorrow). Reminded me of 7th grade when I gave gifts to my teachers... then again, I've decided nursing school IS junior high all over again, so maybe I need to get to writing out some cards as well...

[serenity1]

When I went to EMCC, it was in our handbook that gifts were not allowed under any circumstances. That may have changed. Be careful.

[healthstar, BSN, RN]

I only buy gifts for my fav instructors and I give them the gift after the final. Most of the time we buy gifts as a clinical group. There is nothing unprofessional about it. People don't buy gifts for a better grade, no one will risk their job to do that. I got A's and I got gifts for my instructor at the end of the semester...so no, I don't expect a better grade. I do it because my instructors have helped me so much and they tell me to never give up ( they are like a parent to me)

[CrazierThanYou]

I'm sorry, but I'm not buying any gifts for my instructors. It's not like they are there out of the kindness of their hearts or anything. That is their job.

I apologize if that sounds callus or whatever but that's how I feel.

A lot of people send a thank you card after graduation and I'm cool with that.

[ErinRN2B]

Our class made a really great gift for our instructor this semester. We got a big, fancy-looking shadow box on sale at a craft store and decorated the inside of it with a picture of all of is and some other little mementos. It looked really professional and well-made when we were done, but it hardly cost anything. We all signed the back in metallic marker, too. She loved it!

[CaptScrubs13]

At the end of our clinical rotations, we always get a gift for our instructor. They really appreciate it. As far as lecture, I don't think any of the students brought gifts for the teachers, instead we may have students or even the teachers bring goodies for the whole class. Maybe it would be uncomfortable for the teacher to receive a gift from a student that is failing. That could be viewed as a bribe.

This is what we do too, a small gift for clinical instructors (there's usually only 5-8 of us) but the class never does anything for lecture professors. Previous clinical instructor gifts were a Nurse christmas ornament; a charm bracelet with an RN charm and a Vera Bradley wristlet (she loved vera!); a photo of the group and a nurse build-a-bear that said her favorite phrase: "what happens in clinical stays in clinical" :) she LOVED it! Some of my rotations we've done things for the floor - last year we each pitched in and bought munchkins, fruit, bagels and juice and put it out in one of the nurses' break rooms because they were truly WONDERFUL to us.

[twois]

Our clinical group all chipped in for a GC to a restaurant for our CI... I don't think it was that weird, considering the semester was over, grades were in, and it's really something to take a group of complete newbies under your wing in a patient care setting. Sure, it's her job, but what a job, you know?

We also baked a gigantic batch of cookies for the staff at our clinical site, because heck, dealing with us wasn't even really PART of their job, and they were truly amazing to us.

Definitely no gifts for lecture instructors. Cards I think are fine, once the semester's over - I'm waiting for grades to be finalized and posted then I'm going to email some of my lecture instructors to thank them for their support and help. Some of them really went above and beyond and made a big difference.

That said, my program is an ABSN program at a well-known school and we're a surprisingly tight-knit group in a VERY supportive environment. It's the polar opposite of what so many people here describe their NS as.

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

My clinical group has pitched in and gotten gifts for our last 2 instructors. They were WONDERFUL teachers and we really wanted to show our appreciation. We also get something for the nurses and aides on the floors we are at for a few weeks and cards. We haven't done it at our school, I think for graduation something is planned.

[CrazierThanYou]

Our class instructors ARE our clinical instructors.

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

Only a couple of ours have been, and I am not sure if they received gifts as I wasn't in their clinical group. But if I had been and it had been a great clinical experience, I would have helped with a gift as well. I would have looked at them in the clinical setting different than their role in the classroom setting though.