A Nursing Student’s Holiday Wish List

All semester long, nursing students are constantly giving: giving their time to help their patients, giving a smile on their patients face when they ask how their day went, and giving their all on studying for exams. Why not give a nursing student something for all their hard work? As student nurses, we love all things scrubs and stethoscope related, but after the scrubs and stethoscope come off, were just like any other person. So, here is a list of must-haves that any nursing student would have heart palpitations for!

1. A Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts Gift Card. Student nurses run on coffee, without a doubt. It’s the backbone of late night study sessions spent memorizing lab values, care plans, and all kinds of diseases. It’s the gift that keeps on giving, and will definitely make any nursing student a happy and energetic student for next semester.

2.A North Face Backpack. Nursing students carry around a ton of stuff. Stuff you need, stuff you think you will need, and extra stuff just in case. North Face makes great backpacks that have many compartments to fit your highlighters, pens, post its, calculators, stethoscope, ID badge, notebooks, binders, textbooks, and anything else you would need for your day. These backpacks are durable and can withstand rain, snow, and coffee spills. They also come in fun colors to fit your nursing personality.

 3.A Movie Theater Gift Card. Help remind us nursing students what it’s like to have a normal social life again. Going to the movies is a great way to catch up on new movies coming out just in time for the holidays, and to catch up with friends.

 4.A Manicure and Pedicure Gift Certificate. There is nothing like a fresh coat of nail polish that is in any color other than clear. Nursing students are prohibited from wearing nail polish in the hospital setting during clinical. A manicure is a great way to relax and have some pampering done during the holidays.

5.Comfortable Sneakers. Nursing students are on their feet for hours at a time during clinical, and often only get short breaks. This helps prepare nursing students for what it’s like to work a full nursing shift. I personally prefer Nike’s and if you can find them in the required white with minimal color on them, you will be walking on pillows during your long days in clinical.

Show your favorite nursing students that you care this holiday season. Any of the gifts on the list will show that you support your student nurse during this intense time of schooling! Any nursing student would be thrilled to have these gifts this holiday season. If you are a nursing student or a nurse, comment below with your own ideas for great holiday gifts for those in the nursing field!

Jacqueline Molina

Jacqueline Molina is currently a junior in the nursing program at SUNY Morrisville. She has recently relocated from her native Long Island to Syracuse, New York, to embark on her nursing career. She attended SUNY Albany from 2004 to 2008, majoring in English with a double minor in Education and Spanish. From there, she attended CUNY Queens College and earned two master’s degrees—one in English and one in Education. She was a New York City high school English teacher for three years before making the decision to change careers and follow in the footsteps of her grandmother, a nurse manager in a leading Long Island hospital. Long term, Jacqueline hopes to become a successful oncology nurse and nurse educator. She enjoys rollerblading, bacon, traveling, and exploring the outdoors with her boyfriend and three dogs.