Great Gift for Nursing Student (2nd career)?

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Hello all! Thanks first of all for your hard work. My wife, after a decade as a biologist / lab monkey, is currently back in school to become a nurse. Never seen her so passionate about something and she's doing great in classes and clinicals, so I'd say the move was the right one for her.

I'm looking to get a list of small gifts I could get her as she goes along that would leave a nurse / nursing student saying "AWESOME" :) I got her a few "bigger" items already based on other feedback (Danskos shoes, lapel nurses' watch, etc.), but is there any other secret little things that might be good for occasions? Pedicures (given the time on the feet), etc?

Anyway, thanks for your input in advance!

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Specializes in Nursing Education, CVICU, Float Pool.

Kindle Fire!

Tarascan Pharmacopiea classic for nurses.

Random Trips to the Movies!

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Why not a year-long subscription to one of the online Continuing Education sites - like CE Direct? The gift that keeps on giving - LOL

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Or one of the many nursing magazines. I LOVE getting mine in the mail every month!

A case of pens. :)

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Specializes in Cardiac/Neuro Stepdown.

finger pulse oximeter

stethoscope belt clip

rubber watches in different colors

"click" pen that writes in 3-4 ink colors

fancy scub top

pocket organizer

nursing pocket reference book/cards

medical smartphone apps

hand lotion/hand repair cream

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Specializes in ER, ICU.

A good stethoscope is something she will use everyday. I like the Littmann classic 2.

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Specializes in Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC.

One cute gift I was given by a coworker when I finished nursing school was a retractable pen that looked like a syringe. They aren't very expensive.

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Specializes in Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC.
A good stethoscope is something she will use everyday. I like the Littmann classic 2.

Great idea. IMO the best combination of price and performance. I still have my original Classic II.

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Specializes in CMSRN.

An iTunes giftcard for nursing apps that she might not buy for herself (assuming she has an iPhone/iPod/iPad available!).

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Well, I'm still a nursing student and I've gotten some really cool stuff. My dad bought me a Littman 2 stethoscope and had my name engraved in the bell since those things tend to walk away. You can also custom order the color of the tubing for that with the order, get something bright & off the wall so it'll be hard to lose or ask her what color she would want. My mom got me this beautiful silver pendant with a nurses cap on it and an inscription around the outside "May God bless the Hands of the Nurse." A nice leather bound schedule planner is always good and needed, but if she has a smart phone there are numerous study apps that she can install on her phone to study on the go for the NCLEX. I'm a visual learner so I like to teach myself on a board the material, pbteen.com has a giant dry erase notepad that you can stick up on a wall or door and write to your hearts content.

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Hello all! Thanks first of all for your hard work. My wife, after a decade as a biologist / lab monkey, is currently back in school to become a nurse. Never seen her so passionate about something and she's doing great in classes and clinicals, so I'd say the move was the right one for her.

I'm looking to get a list of small gifts I could get her as she goes along that would leave a nurse / nursing student saying "AWESOME" :) I got her a few "bigger" items already based on other feedback (Danskos shoes, lapel nurses' watch, etc.), but is there any other secret little things that might be good for occasions? Pedicures (given the time on the feet), etc?

Anyway, thanks for your input in advance!

It's not very romantic, but maybe some good support socks. Goldtoe has some nice ones.

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I am a single student so I don't really have anyone but myself to worry about. All my married classmates complain, they wish their husbands really understood how tough nursing school is and would help out more with the day to day household stuff. That said, if you have kids, do everything you can to take them out of the way so she can study quietly a few hours a day or each weekend. If no kids, maybe just making sure the shopping, laundry, cooking and cleaning are done as much as you can help her with these tasks. I know when my mom cooks me dinner once a week, it is the best meal I'm going to eat all week. I usually prefer to have dinner with her after I have clinicals once a week. The night before clinicals would be nice too, but I have too much to do from going to the hospital to review charts and preparing med cards for the next morning that I can't count on being able to sit down and eat a meal with mom. Keep lots of snack size packages on hand - baby carrots, granola/cereal bars, nuts, dried fruit or trail mix is always nice to have when studying.

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