want to do something nice for my baby's nurses

BellionRN · Jan 16, 2015

Nurses love food! :)

I don't work in NICU but work in critical care. We've received food with cards signed, sometimes naming specific nurses that really made an impact, sometimes not. Flowers. Generic landscape photos with personalized plaques (those are mostly "in memory of" so perhaps not in this case ). One family gave us a box of mugs for our staff lounge with a big box of tea and hot chocolate packets. We've received visits from recovered patients that had a verbal "thank you" for us (the best!). Donations to our hospital fund in our unit's name. Perhaps their unit has an education fund you could make a small donation to?

Bottom line is, it doesn't matter what you get... Its really the thought that you felt so well cared for and supported, and were so comforted and happy with the care your daughter received, that you wanted to let the nurses know. They will appreciate any gesture.

llg, PhD, RN · Jan 16, 2015

I think you should ask the manager of the unit for what would be helpful and appreciated. Some of the NICU's I have worked in previously had "wish lists" of stuff they needed, but that they couldn't get the money for. Choosing something from the list (in your price range) might be much more appreciated than bringing in food to a bunch of people trying to lose weight after the holidays. And "knick-knacks" like plaques, pictures, etc. usually end up being thrown away after a while because the pile of knick-knacks needs to be put somewhere.

Some of the units I know of maintained "gift funds" in which the donations were pooled to fund bigger projects and items. For example, we had an "education fund" designated to help people go to conferences.

Some of the types of things that were on the wish-lists of the units I worked in:

1. Money to fund an education program for the nurses -- or to sponsor a nurse to go to a conference -- or to get certified, etc.

2. Money to help fund a unit party or celebration of some sort (Maybe you could pay for pizzas ... or fried chicken ... or cupcakes ... etc. for a summer picnic or something)

3. A new piece of furniture or some decorations for the staff lounge (try to get THAT in the budget of a cost-cutting hospital)

4. A new coffee-maker or microwave for the lounge (make sure it is an approved brand)

5. I know one family bought a new rocking chair for the unit that could be used by family members or staff

Talk to the manager of the unit and see if he/she has suggestions for some things that might be of practical use. Please don't waste your money on things that will be appreciated at the time of receipt ... but not actually used.

You can thank individual nurses by naming them in a letter that accompanies your gift. You can also thank them (and help their careers) by writing a brief letter to each one separately and sending a copy to the manager to be placed in their personnel file. That may help them at evaluation time -- and/or if they ever apply for a promotion.

calicokittykat · Jan 16, 2015

Thank you, great advice. I will talk to the unit manager on Monday, she's off in weekends. I've already written out seversl letters for the manager to read about some of the nurses that really went way beyond the call of duty and were just awesome. All the nurses in this NICU have been great though, which is why I want to do something for them.

NicuGal, MSN, RN · Jan 17, 2015

You are so sweet! You don't have to do anything extravagant, a platter of cookies or a cake is simple and always appreciated!!!

Sometimes the thing with giving money is that it may get out into a general nursing fund and not used for what you want it tagged for.

And if you want to do something for a few individual nurses, one of my favorite gifts was a picture and footprint that 10 years later still hangs on my locker. Sometimes it just the simple things.

NICURN29 · Jan 17, 2015

We have had families send us those edible bouquets of fruit, which are nice because they are a healthier option. The best thing for me, however, is a holiday card every year with a picture of your NICU grad...we love to see how much progress they make!

TiffyRN, BSN, PhD · Jan 17, 2015

Your ideas are very sweet! Make sure that if you send any treats, that there is clear identification that they came from your family. We sometimes get treats and everyone is asking "Who sent these?".

One more thing that you could potentially do that would really benefit your nurses is to mention them on any survey. If your family receives a survey about the quality of care at the hospital, mentioning your primary nurses or the nurses that cared for your child most often could really benefit them. In my unit, a personal mention on the survey count for extra points on our yearly evaluations. There is no guarantee your family will get a survey so the letters you are composing are fantastic.

My personal vote: baked goods over flowers!

shermrn · Jan 18, 2015

I'm just happy to hear a parent say "Thank you".

NICU_Nightingale, BSN, RN · Jan 20, 2015

Yearly holiday cards with a note from you or baby are the absolute best, in my opinion.