If you are struggling with what to give the medical student or resident in your life as a holiday present, here’s a list of suggestions that might help.
Expensive – but they will be eternally thankful
- A maid or housecleaning service once a week. No one in medical school or residency has time to clean (or likes it)! This will be one of the most appreciated gifts you’ve ever given someone.
- A smart phone (if they don’t have one). Not only for the usual reasons, but because of the apps available that can help students and residents.
- An iPad. There are a lot of uses for the iPad in the hospital… and even more personal uses! This is a great gift for any medical student or resident.
- A Kindle Fire. Not as many apps for medical uses as the iPad, but a wonderful gift if they are an avid reader.
- Membership to a gym for a year.
- A new bicycle to ride to class or the hospital.
- An iPod nano or other mp3 player to listen to music while studying Electronic speakers for their computer will also help provide music while studying.
- A good (large) computer screen for studying. Even better – two screens (or add a second screen to their system if they already have a good screen)
Not expensive – but very appreciated
- A year’s subscription to EverNote premium (to allow them to store notes on a cloud server)
- A really good alarm clock. This could also be an exceptional practical joke gift if you choose something like the world’s most diabolical alarm clock or the carpet alarm clock
- A gift certificate for yoga classes, spin classes or other exercise that they like.
- Exercise bands. There are a lot of companies, but many people think Bodylastics are the best buy.
- A subscription to Pandora One to create and listen to internet radio stations without commercials.
- A gift certificate to Whole Foods (or any grocery store that makes take out food), or a healthy prepared food service. In Houston, we have My Fit Foods, Snap Kitchen, Diet Gourmet, Real Meals 365 and several other services. These types of businesses exist in almost every major city and can be easily found with an internet search.
- A gift card from Starbucks. Along the same idea (if they drink coffee), they might like a personal coffee maker like the Black and Decker brew and go coffee maker, or the “k-cup” brewers like Keurig or Tassimo.
- How Doctors Think, by Jerome Groopman. This is a great read for anyone in medicine, but especially for students and residents.
- Any (or all) of Atul Gawande’s books
- Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese
- A gift certificate for cooking classes
- A gift certificate for a masseuse or a day at a spa (even the guys will like this if you pick the right one)
Variably expensive and not too serious…
- Silly mugs, t-shirts, etc like this one
Happy Holidays to everyone!!!
