Tis the season of gift-giving! Below is my list of nurse-gift suggestions from the lesser expensive to expensive. I’m not a big quote person or someone who enjoys novelty items.. I’m a super practical person! Therefore, I always think practical with gifts. Keep in mind, scrubs and shoes are always a little hit or miss unless you know exactly what size and color to get for someone. If you’re interested in getting someone scrubs, my current fav scrubs are Infinity by Cherokee with Certainty technology and Code Happy with fluid barrier / Certainty Plus. The fluid barrier feature is brand new, so that may be something your nurse would love!
Compression socks
Cherokee has come out with some cute, lightweight affordable compression socks! They offer 12 mmHg compression. The price may vary depending on where you get them, but they’re about $13.99 and come in a bunch of styles and colors. I like that they’re lightweight, so they’re easy to put on and take off and still offer great support throughout a 12 hour shift. Being pregnant, I just wear them for normal life now! Here’s a link to buy! You can also find these at many scrubs shops that sell Cherokee.
Pen light
Believe it or not, my favorite pen light comes from Office Depot. It’s an Energizer Pen Light in Silver and it only costs about $7! When I got mine, I made sure mark it so I knew it was mine and no one would take it! I took some bright nail polish and put a mark on it. People steal awesome pen lights all the time! Here’s a link to purchase.
Relaxing items
Something that’s awesome after a tough shift is a relaxing hot shower. I absolutely love some good aromatherapy during a post-shift shower. My personal favorite is the Eucalyptus Spearmint Stress Relief Aromatherapy line from Bath and Body works. You 
can get a gift set of lotion, sugar scrub, bath/shower gel, and body cream for $55. My absolute favorite is the sugar scrub though, which is only $16 when bought alone. I really like their aromatherapy lines a lot.. especially the sleep and sensual scents. You can’t go wrong! However, that stress relief is the best after a stinky, sweaty, poopy shift. Here’s a link!
Another way to enjoy aromatherapy is with a diffuser. I recently bought one from Amazon for only about $27 called the InnoGear Aromatherapy Essential Oil Diffuser. I put a few drops of a lavender essential oil in it (I personally prefer the Doterra brand of oils) and put it on my nightstand before bed. It is so nice and relaxing to fall asleep to after a long shift. Here’s a link!
Stethoscopes
I would only buy this for someone else if you knew what kind they needed for their job. Meaning, if they work with babies, adults, or are a respiratory therapist they may need a different kind of scope. Littmann scopes are always a good way to go. If you’re getting one for someone as a gift, take my advice and do NOT get the cheapest ones. They don’t last as long and just aren’t as good. I’ve tried the Classic III (about $125) and the Master Cardiology SF (about $290) and love them both. I like the SF version better because I never use the small size of the diaphragm so I liked the grip on the back of the SF better than another listening piece. Again, this depends on what kind of scope they need, as some nurses find this very useful for their patients.
I highly recommend getting it engraved for them. People won’t always splurge on that for themselves but it really helps because people borrow scopes all the time and have very similar ones. Here’s a link for some options (go under brands -> then Littmann Stethoscopes).
Jewelry
I’m not a big jewelry gal but I recently found something I love. It’s called the Heart and Stethoscope necklace. Here’s an explanation of their mission from their site:
The first objective of Heart a Nurse was clear, to increase awareness and support of the nursing profession. The Heart and Stethoscope necklace portrays this brilliantly by exhibiting two things that nurses use most; their heart and their stethoscope. However as many of the nurses who wear our product would agree, we couldn’t stop there.
The second intent of our brand was conceived almost simultaneously with our first. It would be to assist the vulnerable populations that nurses care for world wide. We decided that once the Heart a Nurse brand is launched online and in retail, sales will include a charitable donation with every purchase to support healthcare improvements in areas of need.
So it’s a kick starter campaign. You order now (for $20 off!) and the necklaces will be ready to ship for Valentine’s Day 2016. It is a sterling silver gold plated heart and stethoscope necklace. You can even get a super fancy one with diamonds (definitely the most expensive option!)
Here’s more information on the product.
If you order now, it will only be $75 dollars or $100 Canadian and you will be one of the backers of the campaign! Please, remember that they will be ready to ship for Valentine’s Day 2016!
I got my initials engraved!
Organization
The RN Purse! I love this thing! I reviewed this item a while back on the blog (here’s a link to the original post and video review). I’ve used it every shift since I originally reviewed it. It has really come in handy with my pregnancy because I can keep extra snacks, meds and whatnot in it and nearby for easy access. I also love it when I float to another unit. It allows me to have a place to store my stuff and keep what’s in my pockets to a minimum.
They’re $30 and $5 from each purchase is donated to the March of Dimes. Here’s where you can buy one!
Reading Material
Okay so I couldn’t do a gift post without mentioning my book! My book, Becoming Nursey: From Code Blues to Code Browns, How to Care for Your Patients and Yourselves is a great gift idea! It’s available on Amazon for $11.69 and you can use Amazon Prime for free two day shipping! You can also get the e-version for a cool $7.99. Out of 120 customer reviews, it has 4.5 / 5.0 stars and has sold over 10,000 copies since it was published one year ago. It was positively reviewed by the American Association of Critical Care Nurses! Woot woot!
It’s a great and affordable gift for nursing students and new nurses – and makes a great graduation gift for December nursing school grads! Here’s a link to purchase the book on Amazon.
What are some gifts you recommend for nurses?