The holiday season is upon us, which tends to mean one thing—gift-giving! This special time of year leads many people to show how much they care by giving personalized and carefully-picked-out presents to the ones they love. If you’re close to a health professional and are looking to spread that holly jolly cheer, you’ll likely be doing the same.
So, if you want to show appreciation for the travel nurse in your life, browse our travel nursing gift guide to find the perfect present for that special someone.
4 Tips to Consider When Choosing Gifts for Travel Nurses
Before you begin shopping, you’ll first want to consider a few tips to ensure you’re getting the best possible present for a travel nurse. While some may tell you what they want for the holidays, others might be a lot shyer in revealing their idea of a perfect gift. Consider the following before you go out and spend too much money.
- Who They Are
Travel nurses work in the healthcare field, but that doesn’t mean their whole personality is wrapped around medicine and their career. Most people have hobbies and personality traits they may only express or show outside of work, which are great details to take into account when you’re shopping for someone else.
When purchasing a gift for a travel nurse, consider who they are as an individual. You may want to think about what hobbies they have or activities in which they like to partake since this can give you a better sense of the type of present they might want.
- Where They Are Located
If you’re giving a gift to a travel nurse who lives across the country, the logistics of getting the present to them might become a challenge. Sending letters or packages in the mail is always an option, but keep in mind that shipping usually takes longer during the holidays, leading to delayed delivery dates.
Depending on how much longer the travel nurse plans to stay in that same location, you may need to accommodate appropriately so they can receive your gift in a timely manner at the right location.
- How Long Their Assignment Is
Similarly, you’ll want to consider how long the travel nurse’s assignment is. Most assignments have a standard of about three months, or 13 weeks. However, this can change if the travel nurse has negotiated for a shorter or longer contract. If their assignment is ending soon, and you still haven’t shipped out the present, you’ll probably want to wait until they are settled into their next assignment—even if the gift ends up arriving a little late.
- What They Want or Need
Many people may ask for holiday gifts upfront as a way to express to others what exactly they want, and travel nurses are no different. If they’ve discussed certain items or essentials throughout the year that they want but haven’t necessarily purchased for themselves, this is a great time to buy one of those things for them.
Some people also don’t like being surprised but would rather know ahead of time what they are getting. If the travel nurse you know has this type of personality, you can be more upfront about asking what they want and telling them that you’re purchasing it for them.
8 Top Gifts for Travel Nurses in 2022
Every travel nurse is different, so the holiday gift you decide on may largely vary depending on the person you’re buying it for. However, there are some common gift ideas we recommend in our gift guide for travel nurses, especially certain essentials that many nurses always appreciate having.
- Nursing Essentials
Some of the most practical gifts for travel nurses are ones tailored to their job, such as certain supplies or other travel nursing essentials. In their day-to-day job, travel nurses may need small items like a lunch tote, nursing books, badge clips, or a stethoscope. Other common items may include:
- Nurse Bag: Each travel nurse has to carry a lot of items to and from work, making their nurse bag a truly essential item. Having everything organized in one place can make it a lot easier to find what you’re looking for when you need it.
- Badge Reels: These are perfect for travel nurses so they can easily carry their badge around, and they can be customized to fit the nurse’s personality or hobbies.
- Stethoscope IDs: Replacing a stethoscope is not cheap, which is why it’s so important to label each one with the name of the owner. That way, if it is misplaced, it can be easily returned. Like badge reels, stethoscope IDs can be customized and tailored to each nurse easily.
In addition to the items mentioned above, two of the most important travel nursing essentials are scrubs and a decent pair of sneakers. Most nurses have to replace their scrubs over time, and many enjoy wearing different colors and patterns each day. Others may not have the money to buy a nice pair of scrubs, making this a perfect opportunity to give the scrubs to them.
Nurses are also on their feet a lot, which means that having a supportive pair of sneakers is pivotal. Without the right footwear, travel nurses may end up with an abundance of blisters or foot pain from wearing uncomfortable shoes. Sneakers may not be the most fashionable pair of shoes to wear to work, but they are functional.
- Homeware
While some travel nursing housing options will come with certain furniture or homeware items, most of the time, this is not the case. Even if the furniture is included, travel nurses may still need to provide their own houseware items like dishes, linens, cleaning supplies, and other day-to-day home items.
If you’re shopping for a travel nurse, consider getting certain home essentials they may need. If you’re not sure what they don’t already have, it never hurts to ask them directly.
- Travel Gear/Supplies
With so much traveling, nurses need certain supplies to ensure their time on the road is successful. Tote bags or a new luggage set can be incredibly handy for travel nurses and is something they will get plenty of use out of.
- Self-Care and Pampering
Nurses work long shifts, which can quickly lead to burnout and compassion fatigue. A gift certificate to the spa, a gift basket with yummy treats, or even a self-care package filled with personal care products and chocolate can all be great gifts for pampering. Send along slippers and a cozy robe as well, and the travel nurse you know will be able to have a great day of relaxation.
- Experiences
One of the reasons nurses may choose to travel is because they enjoy the thrill of adventure. Instead of gifting an item, consider giving an experience. This may include museum tickets, a gift certificate to their favorite restaurant, tickets to a local event, or even a small getaway to a resort.
- Food and Drink
Although travel nurses may work a lot, they also have downtime between their shifts to spend as they please. They may want to visit a restaurant or grab a drink with friends. Or, they may decide to have a night in with a bottle of wine and some takeout. Sending money for food and drinks—usually in the form of gift cards—is a great gift option for travel nurses.
- Electronics
Who doesn’t love receiving new gadgets for the holidays? While new smartphones and tablets are always fun, consider other electronics like a smartwatch, UV cellphone sanitizer, medical penlight, and more.
- Personalized Items
Sometimes the best gifts are the ones with the most sentiment behind them. These tend to be more personalized, such as a:
- Mug or tumbler
- Travel journal
- Photo book with pictures of different memories
- Personalized photo blanket
Of course, there are many other options for personalized gifts, as well, but they depend on the person you are getting the gift for, their hobbies, and their personality.
If you are interested in travel nursing, OneStaff Medical is here for you. Contact us today at 877-783-1483 to learn more.