Deck the Doc: 5 Gift Ideas for a Resident Physician
Well, I'll be working Christmas Day this year, so I'll be a little less cheerful away from my fam, but I'm sure we can all agree that to have a job in such a demanding, but rewarding field is a blessing and an awesome gift first and foremost. Whether your resident in question is on call, or y'all are planning on snuggling up to one another with some hot cocoa and your favorite Christmas movie, here are some gifts that are sure to get you a kiss under the mistletoe (whether romantic or platonic) this season!
1. Spa day
Because who is honestly going to complain about a bomb a** rub down to release all that stress from their paraspinal muscles. Just be weary about going all out for a package, like a monthly massage subscription, or a package for a massage and an accompanying facial for the resident who is likely to not have any weekends off. I haven't had time to use any of my monthly massages, and I can't do facials, because who wants to show up to the hospital sick and in pain, only to have a doctor with a peeling leather face. Less is probably more with this one.
2. New scrubs / New lab coat
I didn't want to lead with this one, because it's a pretty obvious choice. But this is perfect for the stylish resident, or the resident who doesn't have time to do laundry. Of course, with the latter, you're taking your chances for someone being pissed off at you for adding to their pile of more clothes to wash. But trust me, any resident will appreciate delaying laundry day with new comfy scrubs. I recommend Wear Figs; I just recently purchased their scrubs and they are super dee duper comfy! If you are looking for a better color selection, check out Blue Sky Scrubs or Cherokee Uniforms.
3. Cleaning Service
Picture the universe and all of its infinite amount of space. That, my friends, is how much a resident will love you for cleaning their home / having cleaning crew come and spruce up their home. Not that we're slobs, but in between coming home at late hours and getting up early, and studying/doing research in between, it leaves little time for the day to day essential errands. If you have someone who's a little scary with having random people in his or her home, and you yourself are like, an angel sent from Heaven, you could make a homemade gift certificate that says, "Redeem for one: One free cleaning," and then do just that; clean up their place one time at their convenience! This is a good option for parents looking to do something awesome for their "wittle wesident"; I mean, no one knows how your child likes his or her space cleaned more than you!
4. Apple App for editing notes
I must say that one of my happiest purchases this year (outside of food), included purchasing an app to edit my notes on. I recommend PDF Expert Pro. This is great for the resident with the iPad Pro (which to my knowledge, I was the last person on earth to purchase one). The app is about $10 but it allows the resident to edit, store, and organize his or her notes to their liking, just as they would on paper. It also lets us sign and upload important documents for administration in our residency programs, saving loads of time traveling to the resident admin's office!
5. Space Heater / Heated blanket
So I went to med school in DC and I can tell you that the most appreciated gift award went to my space heater, and my heating blanket, in no particular order. Nothing is worse than actually, and FINALLY having the energy to study after a long day, than for that said energy to be dwindled to a figure of our imagination because it's too cold in the house and we'd rather snuggle ourselves up to our warm bed. Trust me, falling asleep, and then waking up at 3 AM in a frenzy because we could have sworn we were going to study is NOT FUN; get the space heater / heated blanket and help us not become a slave to our warm and cozy bed. Perfect for those up North, or you know, anywhere in the US, since global warming is real and the weather is confusing all of us!
Hope these gift ideas are worthwhile. Leave any gifts you think would be great for a resident below, or if you plan on buying any of these last minute gifts!