At this time of year, so many nursing students are achieving that huge milestone in their academic careers: Graduation. Congratulations to all the nursing students out there who have completed this very important step in your nursing career!
With so many nursing students graduating from nursing school, family and friends often ask, “What are some gift ideas for nursing school graduates?” Well, if you are looking for some nursing school graduation gifts, this article will give you a few ideas.
Nursing School Graduate Gift Ideas
Nursing Graduation Gift #1: Cash or Check
Cash may seem like a no-brainer, but with all of the time spent in nursing school, a new graduate will likely appreciate any money they can get their hands on. Plus, cash can buy anything, so no one will ever be disappointed with money–you’re guaranteed to get them exactly what they want. I know I was most happy with all the cash I got! Also, this is by far the easiest gift to give too.
After 2-4 years of tuition, textbooks, little to no income, and potential debt, cash is always great. Besides, cash (or check), is often a standard for most graduates. How much cash should you give? That completely depends on your relationship with the person, and your own financial means. If they are a son/daughter or best friend, you’ll probably give more. If they are a distant relative or acquaintance, probably less. $20-50 is usually acceptable for distant relationships, while $50-100 is usually a good range if you are closer. For very special people, there is no limit.
Nurse Graduation Gift Idea #2: Gift Cards
While cash is often king, what’s the next best thing other than cash? Gift cards. A great idea for a recent nursing graduate is to get them a gift card to a local nursing or uniform shop. Most healthcare organizations have strict clothing requirements (such as scrub colors, shoe colors, etc.)–so it would be best to allow the graduate to pick out their own clothing once hired. Plus, clothing is always a tricky gift idea, because you never know if it will fit. It’s best to let them try it on.
Aside from a local nurse/uniform store, you could also get a gift card to their favorite stores, or to their favorite restaurants. There’s a gift card for everything these days, so you’ll have unlimited options to buy them the perfect card.
Nursing School Graduation Gift #3: A Vacation
After all of those years in school, what better to prepare for a new job than a quick getaway to some vacation spot? Some people like to get their recent graduate friends or family a quick vacation before they enter the workforce. You can pitch in with others, or simply buy a hotel room. Of course, it goes without saying that you’d better make sure they are interested in going, and will be able to do so.
Graduate Gift Idea # 4: Day of Relaxation
After taking finals and graduating, the recent grad will likely have a lot of stress and tension built up. You could always buy them a day of relaxation. You could contact local spas, or treat them to manicure or whatever else you think they’d enjoy. Also, since they may be doing a lot of job interviews, you could always schedule them to get their hair done, and other beauty pampering. Of course, this not only applies to female grads—males would still enjoy a nice massage.
Nursing School Graduation Gift # 5: Jewelry
A beautiful necklace with a nursing charm, or a bracelet, or even earrings always makes a great gift. Nurse graduates usually love anything “nursing,” so you have a lot of options to choose from when it comes to selecting jewelry. For a good selection, try Amazon.com, eBay.com, and your local nursing supply stores.
Recommended Nurse Jewelry from Amazon.com
Also, nurses generally need a watch, so if they don’t have one, you could get them a very nice watch. A digital one would probably be best, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be nursing themed.
Nurse Gift Idea #6: Nursing Goodies Grab Bag
Another idea is to simply create a “grab bag” of goodies for the nursing grad. There are so many nursing supplies you could possibly get for recent nurse graduates, and so I’ll just list some of the most common you may want to buy. Of course, it goes without saying that you’ll definitely want to make sure they don’t already have the item you want to buy.
- A nursing tote bag. There are lots of cute tote bags available, and nurses seem to love using them.
- Compression stockings. A new nurse will likely need a few good pairs of compression stockings to keep their legs from getting too sore, and to help prevent varicose veins.
- Stethoscope. Some nursing students may already have one, but you could always get them a second one, or more expensive one.
- Pen light. Pen lights always make a great little good bag stuffer. They are usually fairly cheap.
- Pens. Nurses need pens, and you can always get some nice pens for the job.
- Clip board. Not all nurses use them, but some love their clipboards.
- Cell phone. Many nurses use cell phones to text doctors, text other nurses, and more on the job. If they don’t have a cell phone, you could always get them a nifty prepaid smart-phone.
- Stethoscope name tag. They make these nifty name tags that attach to stethoscopes to prevent loss or confusion. This would be a great item to throw in a goody bag.
- Shoe inserts. Nurses are on their feet. A lot. So inserts are a life saver among most nurses. Even the most expensive or comfortable nursing shoes could probably benefit from a foam insert.
- Nursing apparel. While it’s probably a good idea to avoid scrubs and things like this (due to dress code requirements), you can always buy them cute t-shirts, shorts, hoodies, coats, and even underwear that are nursing themed that they can wear when not at work. Nurses tend to love a cute nursing shirt that has a funny saying on it.
- Nursing scissors. Most nurses will need, them, and an extra pair is always nice.
- Lotion
- Hand sanitizer
Gift Idea # 7: An Engraved/Embroidered Gift
A great gift that most people really tend to like is to get something and embroider their names, initials, etc. on it. What you can do is take any item already mentioned above (say, a bracelet or tote bag), and then get an engraving or embroidered initials or name on it. Say your grad’s name is Jane Smith. You can get a cute tote bag, take it to an embroidery shop, and get Jane Smith, RN on it. Most nurses LOVE this stuff, and it helps them keep track of their items (and prevents theft).
You can do this for jewelry (a simple bracelet with their name inscribed on it), clothing, a nursing tote bag, their scissors, and so many other things. Engraving is really inexpensive too. Often times, you can have it done for as little as $8-20. Put a nice saying, scripture, their name, initials, etc. on it.
Lastly, you can also order custom pens with their names on it too. Nurses tend to go through pens very quickly, and are always losing them or needing more.
Gift Idea # 8: A Car Accessory
Nurses love to show off their hard-earned work by using tags that say “LPN or RN, or Nurse.” Or you can get their name or something else on it. I’ve seen a lot of nurses with a personalized front tag. Some even have their license plates say something cute. You can also get nursing ornaments that hang from the rearview mirror. Just make sure the nurse is into that sort of thing first.
Gift Idea # 9: A Surprise Party
Another cool gift idea is to throw a big slamming party. You could have food, invite all of their friends and family, and have one big surprise event. You could make the entire thing nursing themed, or even have everyone dress like doctors/nurses. That would make a great memory that they’d likely carry with them for life.
You could do the entire thing at home, or just rent a local space in a local hotel, or recreation park. It would be a great way to celebrate the accomplishment and have a blast.
Gift Idea # 10: Flowers and Balloons
Lastly, you could always order flowers or balloons and send to your recent nursing school graduate as a gift, and this will be a great way to show them you care. I listed this one last because, although it is very thoughtful and creative, flowers quickly die and balloons deflate. But it is still a wonderful option if you can’t think of anything else, and some people LOVE flowers, while others are more practical and would prefer to have a gift that will last more than a day or so.
Either way, you can always combine this with other stuff too, if necessary.
Conclusion: Lots of Gift Ideas for Nursing School Graduates
Whew, I’ve covered some of the most popular gift ideas that you could get a new nursing school graduate. Always remember that it is the thought that counts, and anything you do will likely be greatly appreciated.
I’ve tried to order the list above with #1 being the most popular/wanted, and 10 being the least popular. Either way, I hope this article helped to generate some ideas for you. Now, get busy buying that grad something!