Home » Culture & Society » Social Issues » Other Social Issues

Best Gifts For Medical Students

Ranked #639 in Culture & Society, #15,372 overall

'Tiss the Season

With the Holiday season upon many friends and family members are scratching their heads wondering what to give someone who spends the bulk of their day wearing scrubs with their nose in a book. However this dilemma presents itself throughout the year to family members of premed and medical students who are looking to give their loved one a birthday/graduation or mothers/fathers day gift.

The answer to this problem is simple, ask another medical student. Having received a variety of well intentioned gifts over the years that were of varying usefulness I've decided to spread the word about what we really want. Besides for a nap, here's the list of items that came up most when I asked around my medical school.

What NOT to Give

bad giftsLet's get this out of the way really quickly. There are a number of gifts that medical students will not find useful. While most gifts will vary based on the personality of the medical student, these gifts are a few non-negotiable bad gifts. Make sure yours is not one of them.

Stethoscope - This is a very common mistake for non-MD's to make. What says Dr. more than a stethoscope? Plus they are expensive and thus we are saving our students a lot of money by giving them one. Well, some schools require students to have a specific stethoscope. Plus not all stethoscopes are created equal. Do not throw out your money. If you have your heart set on this gift, make sure to get the inside scoop from a medical student enrolled at the same school as your loved one.

Long White Coat - Another iconic MD image. However students are given a white coat when they enter medical school. And they wear a coat of shorter length than regular white coats. A spare short white coat may be appreciated but a long white coat is not usable by most medical students (the exception being Prtizker School of medicine students, who wear full length white coats).

Pens/Highlighters/Notebooks - This is something everyone gets and has more than enough of. There isn't much thought put into it and most students are surprisingly picky about their pen brands.

All Med and Premed Students

There are certain gifts that everyone finds useful, either because they make our studies easier or because they make FORGETTING our studies easier. These are usually tech related, and run the gamut of prices. We need to get out of bed in the morning, access information quickly from various locations, find quiet places to study and manage to exercise and take care of ourselves in the midst of all that. Below are links to some products on Amazon that most students would love. However gift certificates to amazon, Barnes and Noble, grocery delivery stores like freshdirect.com and clothing stores are also great gifts. Students are on a limited budget and often have limited time to go shopping. The internet and a gift certificate is all a med student needs to get into the Holiday Spirit.
Loading

Gifts for Premeds Before They Have an Acceptance

Premed students skate the line between loving science and hating studying for it. Therefore gifts for those who have not yet taken the MCAT or received an acceptance usually flirt with both of these ideas. Study aids are expensive and students love them, but a little motivation in the form of an inspirational book or toy is sometimes just what the Dr. ordered.
Loading

The Premed with an Acceptance

Premeds who have received an acceptance sometimes exhibit monomania. They love gifts for that relate to medicine/will help set up their dorm room/allow them to think even more about the fact that they have been accepted to medical school. Many of these gifts are useful for current medical students as well. Just make sure they don't all ready have them!
Loading

For the Student With Kids

Sometimes you need a gift that will please both parent and child. Having a child is a huge expense for a medical student and the best baby gear often costs more than the average medical student can afford. The following gifts usually go over very well with medical student with children. Of course, make sure the gift is age appropriate for the child.
Loading

Funny Personalized GIfts

Atlas of Medical Student Brain shirtReal men marry doctors. shirtStudyThem Bones... mugWILL OPERATE FOR FOOD shirt

The Best Gifts Money Can't Buy

Sometimes what a medical student or premed needs is something money can't buy. These gifts let them know you care and that you understand their schedule. Medicine can often be a lonely, pressured profession. Time with family and friends reminds students of why they are doing this in the first place.
  • Homemade Meals: This Doesn't have to be fancy. Students have a trouble finding time to cook and often end up scrounging conference rooms for leftover pizza. A fresh non-frozen meal can seem like heaven.
  • Laundry: Spending the few spare hours a week you have on washing clothes so that you have underwear to wear the next day can be demoralizing.
  • A Good Night's Sleep: For students with kids, hiring a sitter for a night can mean a few extra hours of blissful sleep.
  • Distraction: A night out on the town, dinner at a nice place, a walk in the park with a loved one can all recharge a tired students batteries.
  • Support: Sure you have all ready bought a card. But what did you write in it? An encouraging message letting your friend know how much you support them can really make a difference.

Have a Great Gift Idea?

Share it with the rest of the class!

  • transcriptioncity Feb 18, 2012 @ 7:19 pm | delete
    Thanks for the lens. I think I might go and buy Operation!
  • freepsptheme Oct 22, 2011 @ 10:43 pm | delete
    Well i am a medical officer, what u've said is absolutely right! ;) by the way, pen is defintely useful as we do write a lot, probably enough to publish a book every year. ;)
  • catherinenbrooks Sep 1, 2011 @ 2:48 am | delete
    Exclusive lens.Well done...
Show All

Visit My Other Lenses!

Medical School Admissions Guide
All About Getting into Medical School. A great read for Premeds of all levels.
Ace The MCAT
TIme honored advice for doing your best on this most crucial of tests.
Ace USMLE Step One
Tips and tricks for getting a superb Step One score.
What is an MD-PhD Program?
Curious about dual degree programs? This website is full of helpful information, admissions tips and the pros and cons of dual degree programs.

Love this Lens?

Then Vote for it!

Please rate this lens to let me know if you liked it. Positive ratings also help the lens move up in the rankings.

This module only appears with actual data when viewed on a live lens. The favorite and lensroll options will appear on a live lens if the viewer is a member of Squidoo and logged in.

Add this to your lens »

by

MiriamS

I am a native NYer, and a MaCaulay Honors college alum. Currently, I am pursuing my MD-PhD degree at one of the top programs in the country. I am also... more »

Feeling creative? Create a Lens!

Explore related pages

Related Tags