Graduation Gifts: Nurse’s Edition

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Saige O’Rourke
A graphic with a blue background and 3 images related to nursing: a stethoscope, a nurse’s cap and clipboard, and a medical jacket.

With a nursing major roommate, I cannot count the number of times I have heard how expensive the profession is. Schooling in itself is a pricey commitment, but that is just the beginning. On a whim, I decided to look further into what a nursing major might enjoy receiving as a graduation gift and how much I should start to save. After talking with my roommate, I can confirm that a new stethoscope, scrubs, badge reels, pens, and a customized zip-up jacket with credentials are all much-needed wants. Although these items might seem either simple, known, or confusing to understand, there is a method to the madness of a Nursing student’s wish-list.

New Stethoscope

$350. That is the highest amount paid on a select website for a Littman’s Stethoscope without counting shipping and taxes. With a starting price of $100 for a necessity, I personally would not want to add that to my bank statement straight out of college. This product, however, is used daily by all nurses & nursing students. If you have ever visited a doctor’s office, it is common knowledge of how important these are in their daily practices. Naturally, this would be the perfect starter gift for a fresh out of college nurse.

New Scrubs

After a 12-hour shift, the last thing my roommate wants to do is laundry. Scrubs are a nurse’s uniform and working with sick patients for a long period of time daily can cause them to feel disheveled after a long day. Avoiding the inconvenience of either wearing dirty scrubs or losing sleep over a washer cycle, nurses need to fill their closet with multiple sets of scrubs.

Badge Reels and Pens

Hospitals are meant to be secure as lives are on the line. Scanning into rooms, departments, and time clocks are a part of the daily routine. To make this process easier, nurses attach badge reels to their identification then attach this to their scrubs; this also makes their uniform feel more personalized and complete in the autonomous field they work in. Alongside this, filling out charts is a valid part of taking care of patients. We can all attest to the annoyance of bad pens and the importance of investing in good ones. Both of these items may seem very simple, but they are very necessary in the daily activities of those in this profession.

They Need to Dress the Part

A customized zip-up jacket may seem unnecessary, but would you say the same about a customized lab coat for a doctor? Regardless of the brand of choice, nurses are able to wear jackets or hoodies while on the clock. Sometimes, their badges may be out of sight which makes it important to have another piece of clothing to identify who they are in a hall full of the same color.

Whether your budget starts at $5 or extends to $400, there is always a gift a new nurse could use. Personally, I will need to start saving now to afford that customized zip-up jacket, but maybe someone else can pitch in for the stethoscope!

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