Congratulations… Doctors.
Wow, what a roller coaster of emotions at this time of year, huh? Finally finishing medical school – a little nostalgia, and lots of relief. For a few weeks being called “Doctor” is going to be pretty awesome. And a few weeks after that, well, it’s going to be pretty scary (and awesome at the same time).
Well, if any of you are looking for gifts medical students (or for yourself), here are some gift ideas for medical students and new interns:
(In the interest of full disclosure: these are affiliate links, meaning that I might get a small commission if you purchase them through my link. It will not affect your cost at all. Alternatively, you can search Amazon
, or something and order them directly. I still highly recommend these gifts.)
Gifts for Medical Students and Interns
Sapira’s Art and Science of Bedside Diagnosis
You go through all of this training to get where you are and then you find yourself in a situation where you are 100%, completely, and utterly dependent on technology to make a diagnosis… Well, Sapira’s Art and Science of Bedside Diagnosis can change all of that. And not only that… it can make you stand out as being light years ahead of your peers.
It’s not essential for “surviving” internship, but who is only interested in “surviving” anyway?
Marino’s The ICU Book
Too many people tell you which books to get… and too often (you know how it goes)… those books just end up on the shelf and you use them more like reference books. Well, this is the only textbook-sized book I actually carried with me while I was on-call. The ICU Book. It’s that good.
Seriously… this book is the real deal. It’s easy to read… not because it is dumbing-down the material, because it isn’t. It’s easy to read because it has just the right amount of information. Not too much and not too little.
Littmann Master Cardiology Stethoscopes
This is the line of stethoscope I use (and hey, I work primarily on cardiac floors): Littmann Master Cardiology. There’s a pretty good review of this stethoscope at HolterMonitor.org.
Some people prefer the amplifying stethoscopes. I do not. At this point they’re a little too bulky. Maybe as technology improves, so will the size and weight. But who needs more heavy stuff to carry around with them? Plus, you better learn on the standard stuff and only use the souped up technology to supplement. Too many people are already losing diagnostic skills and relying too much on technology (… but I digress).
Medical Humor Gifts from GiggleMed.com
You can get funny medical humor gifts like mugs, shirts, hats, bags, etc at the GiggleMed.com Store. There’s even a funny infection control humor book, Bugs on Scrubs, that pits a doctor and a nurse against each other -arguing over who is spreading infection – hilarious, evidence-based advice in rhyming Dr Seuss-style text.
Funny stuff. A great stress reliever… even if you don’t buy something… there are things to forward along, especially at high-stress times. You can really make someone’s day with appropriate humor.
RookieDoctor.com Resources
OK… shameless plug time… Of course, there are some awesome gifts from this very site. If you want to “Wow” your graduating medical student friend or family member, give them a RookieDoctor.com Membership or an Internship Survival Skills Audio CD. The timing couldn’t be better in light of that emotional roller coaster I mentioned above. These RookieDoc products are designed for the medical student from 3rd-to-4th year transitioning into internship.
If you have other ideas for gifts for medical students, post them in the comments below.
