Nurse Appreciation Gifts | Celebrate Nurses All Year

At the beginning of every May, we celebrate a week of Nurse Appreciation. Created in honor of the nurses that help and inspire us every day, Nurses Week is May 6th to the 12th. That’s seven solid days of nurse appreciation! But our nurses deserve so much more than a week. Showing appreciation for nurses should be done year-round – it’s imperative for them to feel appreciated.

How did Nurses Week come to be? Learn more in this short video below: 

Long hours, time away from loved ones, and those bad days are when they need to feel appreciated the most. So – thank a nurse during Nurses Week, but remember to be thankful for the nurses in your life all year-long. You can also remind the nurses in your life that they are appreciated by giving them a gift! So, in honor of your week, we’ve compiled a list of delightful gift ideas.

1. A Personalized Travel Mug or Water Bottle

Whether the nurse in your life needs caffeination or hydration, a travel mug or water bottle can show how much you appreciate what they do! Having it engraved will ensure that the other nurses on the floor won’t mistake it for their own! This could also remind them to stay hydrated or get that extra boost of caffeine to get through that long shift. This is something that they can use all year, and remember how much you appreciate them.

2. New Scrubs

Whether your favorite nurses are preparing for their next travel assignment or just need some new ones, they are certain to love a new pair of scrubs! Search for the perfect pair that shows their personality. If they’re wearing these everyday, they should have pairs that show off how awesome they are! They will have a chance to get rid of the ones they haven’t liked for a while or keep adding to their collection of extra cozy scrubs.

3. A cozy gift for home

Candles, a soft blanket, a tea collection, a really luxurious pillow — these are all gifts that will nurture the nurturer in your life when things get stressful at work. Nurses work long shifts that can often be stressful and taxing; help them relax after work and fall asleep in a comforting environment. This weighted blanket, for example, uses the same comforting pressure of a loving hug to elicit sensations of calmness and relaxation. The weight is evenly distributed to relieve stress and anxiety or for when the day was a little too much.

4. Nurse-Friendly Subscription Boxes

Make relaxation a continuous gift with a subscription box! When time is limited, there’s a good chance that shopping is a low priority. Thankfully, there are several curated boxes that nurses would love! In addition to online shopping, subscription boxes are really taking off, so busy nurses can stay up to date with great finds without having to do any of the looking! Birchbox has quite the following and is perfect for the nurse that doesn’t give themselves the pampering they deserve. There is a box for men and women and each month they receive samples of beauty supplies, soaps and lotions. Graze is another box that would be great for nurses! Let them know their tastes and preferences and graze will send eight fun snacks that they can snack on during those long shifts!

5. Fashionable compression socks

Being on your feet all day is not only exhausting, it can also lead to swelling, pain and cause spider and varicose veins. A surefire way to alleviate these issues is to use compression socks. Why? They help increase circulation of blood flow and oxygen. This helps remove the lactic acid from building up in the muscles. And, fashionable nurses need not worry! Compression socks come in many fun and funky colors and patterns. Even the most strict hospital uniform policy is probably not going to have any rules when it comes to the color or pattern of your socks. So – help the nurses in your life jazz it up a bit and take care of their legs during those long shifts with funky compression socks like these that come in 26 different colors and patterns!

6. A Spa or Salon Gift Card

Give your favorite nurse a SpaFinder card! This is a gift card that can be used at several spas and salons around the country. They get to choose their spa and the service that would help help relax best. What better gift for a nurse than the gift of relaxation? You can add any amount to the card and they can be emailed straight to them!

7. An Engraved Stethoscope

Now, this is definitely a practical gift. A stethoscope is a great gift for a nurse. They can get stolen, so get it engraved to ensure that doesn’t happen for your favorite nurse! They may, however, be pretty particular about the tools they like to use on the job – so ask specifics before you purchase or simply give them a gift card so they can purchase the one they’ve had their eyes on. There are several fun colors of Littmann Stethoscopes that can be engraved and gift wrapped.

There are so many delightful ways to honor the dedicated nurses in your life. This Nurses Week, find a way to say ‘thank you’ to the nurses, nursing assistants, CNAs, and everyone in-between for choosing such an important career. Nurses take on a lot, and they deserve to feel appreciated all year for everything they do. So, take the time to celebrate, recognize and appreciate the nurses in your life.