Medical Student & Doctor Holiday Gift Guide

We have been working so hard all year round and definitely would appreciate a thoughtful year-end gift (or two, or three!). Since I’ve been receiving some awesome and supportive gifts  from family and friends through the years that have honestly gotten me through some of the toughest rotations, I thought I would share some of my picks, countdown style, for that special doctor / doctor-to-be in your life.

10. This [amazon text=Surgeon USB&asin=B00K50UKFK] is hands down the cutest one I’ve seen. Having a USB on hand in the hospital is more handy than you’d think; I can think of several times in which I needed a powerpoint or to transfer a talk and all the cloud websites were blocked on hospital computers. The little surgeon lego-like man can even sit!

9. Doctors are always in need of caffeine so a subscription tea service or a cute coffee mug would be much appreciated! I like how Teabox begins with a quiz to figure out your tea preferences and needs, and, if you are based out of Europe, London Tea Club sends out a beautifully packaged and specially curated set of teas each month that have recently received rave reviews on Refinery 29 and Harper’s Bazaar!

8. Practical gifts aren’t as exciting but as a medical student strapped for cash I really appreciated not having to purchase all of my expensive medical equipment. My aunt bought me a red [amazon text=Littman Cardiology Stethoscope&asin=B004QEZ2U4] when I was admitted to Stanford Medical School and it was by my side all four years.

 

7. Doctors could do with less physical clutter in their lives; we have so many loose leaf papers and scraps that we jot notes on and we’re getting neverending lecture notes and scientific papers to read. A gift to a cloud storage subscription such as Dropbox would be fantastic, helping your special doctor make room for more important things … like knowledge.

6. I know I’ve written about Rifle Paper Co products before but I think their accessories are SO adorable and work-appropriate too that I have to put them on this gift guide. These pocket notebooks fit perfectly into white coat pockets and I’ve always been one to take notes during morning report or make to-do boxes during rounds, so why not make mundane tasks more exciting by jotting them down in beautiful notebooks? Same goes for planners too!

5. Going back to the practical vein of gift giving, I have to say, the following books were game changers in medical school. They’re expensive too, so getting these as a gift would have been really pretty sweet.

4. I think it’s an understatement to say that medical students, residents, and attendings operate on a pretty high level of stress on the daily. I would love to receive a “destressing” present like a massage package or a spa day or a trip to a relaxing tropical island (St. Thomas is coming up in a month!). If that is a bit out of your budget, you could opt to get some DIY spa-at-home materials like the ones below. I personally have the Clarisonic Mia2 and love it for getting a deep cleanse on my pores.

3. This is extremely nerdy but how cute are these plush organs?! There’s an organ for everyone (I’m obviously coveting the skin plushie) and you can show some extra love for your favorite body part even if you don’t know what field you want to end up in yet. The descriptions for each organ is on point too — “I lung you,” “Urine good hands” (bladder), “Rock Your Antibody” (Lymph node). So so good.

2. When my head is buried deep into the books for too long I start to go a little crazy. A great gift would be an activity that would get your doc or doc-to-be out of the house and experience something totally new. I’m a big fan of gifting experiences such as a cooking class or a new exercise class (full disclosure: hubs works at Classpass, a monthly subscription service that gets you access to countless boutique fitness classes. Needless to say I’m a huge huge fan and would recommend everyone try it!). Exercising kills two birds with one stone; I get to take a study break and do something good for my body. Getting in better shape means being able to run to code blues faster. Everybody wins.

1. One of my most special and most cherished gifts of all time was one given to me by my best friend during a particularly rough two months on my surgery clerkship. After hearing me whine and cry more than once or twice, my BFF ordered a cute personalized doctor mug to be shipped to my apartment as a surprise. It definitely lifts my spirits everytime I see and use this cup; I even carefully wrapped it and brought it with me to New York! When I first posted it on social media I got so many questions about where it came from, so I’m sharing it with you today.

After finishing this gift guide I realized I pretty much just listed all the things that I would love to receive (you’re welcome hubby, just made your job easier!). What else would you add to the list?