12 Best Gifts for Someone Starting Medical School
Struggling to find gifts for someone about to start medical school? This is the article for you. I have listed the 10 best most practical gifts out there, with everything ranging from £2 to £2000 depending on your budget.
Contents
Click on the image to see the product page (mostly in Amazon)
1. Stethoscope
Price = £60-90
The classic sign of a doctor is having a shiny stethoscope around their neck, able to skillfully listens to someone’s chest at a moments notice.
That’s why it makes the perfect gift for someone starting medical school.
Not only is it incredibly practical and last a lifetime, but it will also make them truly feel like the doctor that they will soon become.
There are many to choose from but I recommend the Littman series. They are good quality yet affordable.
If you want to personalise your gift, you can even engrave their name onto the back!
2. Lab Coat
Price = £10-15
Lab coats are another practical gift for any medical student.
Although not worn in hospitals anymore, they are still regularly used by medical schools all across the country. Nowadays, they tend to be worn in anatomy and physiology classes.
However, you might want to do some research before buying this gift.
That’s because some medical schools may not require a lab coat. Others might provide lab coats when needed. If the person you’re buying for goes to one of these medical school, it might be a complete waste as they will never end up wearing it.
3. Surgery Kit
Price = £40-45
Are you are buying for a wannabe surgeon?
Why not buy them a full surgical kit that will allow them to practice suturing all from the comfort of their own home.
Medical students don’t get to practice many surgical skills, and they typically have to wait until the later years to get good hands-on surgical experience.
Therefore, this will help them improve their manual dexterity and fine motor skills giving them a good taste of what being a surgeon is like.
4. Surgical Skills Course
Price = £95-100
Not content with a surgical kit? Why not buy them access to an entire surgical skills course!
This course by the Royal College of Surgeons will provide them will access to machines and tools that a surgical kit could never have.
It is taught in a safe learning environment, supervised by experts in their field.
You have to be quick though. Courses sell out every year and spaces are limited. So book one while you still have the chance!
5. Face Masks
Price = £15-20 (pack of 50)
A gift fitting the times we live in, this face mask will be perfect for all medical students.
It will keep them safe on campus and in hospital and will probably be something you can guarantee they will use.
6. Medical Textbook – Oxford Handbook
Price = £25-30
You may not have heard of it, but the Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine is a classic medical textbook used by students across the UK.
Fondly called “the cheese and onion” for its stand-out yellow and green front cover, it will give them information on all the diseases they need to know before graduating.
Information in the book is summarized to the point where only the most highly relevant and important points remain, while still being broad enough to cover the majority of medical school.
Although it is typically used in the later years of medical school (when they start going into hospital more regularly), it is still a great resource to use from the beginning.
7. iPad Pro
Price = £750-1100
An iPad is a fantastic choice for students as you can write and draw on it in lectures and use it for anatomy and other subjects.
I have seen many students take advantage of tablets, with them often stating the ease of use and organisational features some of the best reasons to buy one.
It is the perfect mix of textbook and computer.
Buy it with the Apple Pencil, Keyboard and charger to make it the full package.
8. MacBook
Price = 1000-2000
Although I would suggest an iPad over a laptop as a gift for a medical student, if you know for certain that your person prefers a laptop, why not get them a MacBook?
It will almost certainly last them through university while providing bragging rights over their friends.
9. Book – This is Going to Hurt
Price = £2-12
This bestselling book is going to give them a real fright for what the life of a junior doctor is really like.
It is a harrowing tale of the life an Obstetrics and Gynecology doctor, it is put in a way that will help give a realistic insight into what to expect after graduation.
Hopefully, they’ll still want to do medicine after they are done reading it!
10. Mug
Price = £5-10
There’s a reason that everyone gives mugs as gifts – it’s because they are the safe bet!
If you find yourself thinking for hours on end what to get your medical student friend, this is the probably the best gift you can give them.
They won’t think too much about it but still appreciate the fact you got them a gift.
11. Watch
Price = £5-8
In hospitals, you can’t wear watches on your wrist (because of the “bare below elbows” rule).
Therefore, a lot of nurses and doctors wear a watch on their shirt pocket or belt.
Normal watches aren’t designed to be hung off things so end up being cumbersome to use.
That’s when someone came up with the brilliant idea of a watch brooch.
It is a rubber watch that can be easily hung off a shirt pocket buy placing it upside down (see in the image). Once attached, it lays flat against your body, preventing any hindrance that a normal watch would cause.
It is the perfect gift for any medical student, especially if you are on a budget.
12. Sunrise Alarm Clock
Price = £20-100
If you have read my article on how to wake up early and study, you will probably know that I love sunrise alarm clocks.
And it’s for good reason.
It slowly brightens up your room 30 minutes before your time to wake up, mimicking the natural way our bodies like to wake.
This stops you from feeling groggy and tired after waking, even if you have had a small amount of sleep.
Therefore, it is the perfect gift for any student.
They will most likely have to be waking up early for lectures after going out partying at night. To make the morning that tiny bit more bearable, why not buy them a sunrise alarm clock.
This one by Philips has a fantastic build quality and has been given an average of 4.3/5 from 3600 customer reviews.
And that’s it! I hope you found this useful. If so, share with a friend so that they can find the perfect gift for their soon-to-be medical student.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links meaning I get a small commission for every sale.
