If you have a med student in your life, you might have already given them a gift in honor of their White Coat Ceremony or as a congratulation when they received their first acceptance letter. But the truth is, life in medical school is stressful, and there’s nothing a busy med student would love more than a thoughtful little gift to help them get through the tough moments.
As an M4 med student myself, I’ve experienced those hardships firsthand, and I’m so grateful to the people in my life who helped me out with even the smallest of pick-me-ups along the way.
To help you support the med students around you, I’ve put together a list of the best gifts for med students that you can surprise them with throughout their journey.
This post is all about gifts for med students.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you. Full disclosure here.
Best Gifts For Med Students
End of Block Exams
In medical school, instructors often divide coursework into topic-specific blocks. At the end of a block, students will complete a block exam that covers everything they learned throughout the course of the block. Sometimes, failing a block exam can result in remediation, and the school will note the failure on a student’s transcript. So, as you can imagine, end of block exams pretty much stress out med students (myself included).
Taking the time to send the med students in your life a simple care package during block exams can make such a huge difference!
In my opinion, you should always center the best things to throw into a care package around food and caffeine. Surprise them with a carry-out or a pizza delivery! Or, put together a box with their favorite snacks, a case of Celsius, and a new water bottle. It wouldn’t hurt to throw in a pair of blue light glasses too. This will help them protect their eyes during those long 8 hour study days.
In a similar vein, self care baskets can be a great way to make a busy, on-the-go med student take a step back and remember to relax.
You can usually find everything you need for a super cute basket by taking a quick trip to Target. Check out the dollar section for adorable seasonal items like cups, journals, pens, decorations, etc. Then, round out your basket with some self care essentials, including face masks, skin care products, lotion, and, of course, a cozy blanket.
Step 1 and 2 Gifts
Since we’re on the topic of exams, Step 1 and Step 2 are two of the biggest tests students take during medical school. Passing the Step 1 and 2 exams is a necessity for every student. Particularly for those who want to keep moving forward in their medical school journey. Most residency programs require students to pass both exams before they will even consider letting them in.
If you know one of your friends or family members is gearing up to take Step 1 or 2 soon, consider putting together a little bundle of exam essentials for them. At the top of every essentials list for these tests should be the book First Aid for the USMLE Step 1. I don’t know a single med student who studies for Step 1 without this book. Some schools provide a copy of the book for their students, so check in advance to make sure your friend or family member doesn’t already have it.
Standing Desk and Walking Pad
If you thought med students studied a lot for block exams, you should see how hard we go for Step 1 and 2! Lots of students end up studying more than 9 hours a day. Sitting at your desk for that long can really start to take a toll on you both physically and emotionally. I know I felt a lot better studying for long periods when I got a standing desk.
Some busy med students love being active but doesn’t always have time to move around as much as they’d like while studying. A standing desk will definitely be an awesome gift for them! I recommend throwing in a desk walking pad too. So they can still get their steps in even while putting in those long hours at their desk.
Anatomy Gifts for Med Students
Anatomy is a grueling class for a lot of medical students. It involves tons of memorization and hours spent in the lab. The first day of anatomy lab can be pretty nerve-wracking too because, for many students, it could be their first time seeing, let alone dissecting, a cadaver. If someone in your life is starting anatomy soon, there are plenty of gifts you can give to help them overcome their fears and succeed in this difficult subject.
The most popular anatomy textbook is the Netter Atlas of Human Anatomy. It also has a set of corresponding flashcards that I absolutely loved using myself. I could put them up on the big whiteboard I have mounted on the wall in my office and easily draw out the structures. It makes studying just a little more fun!
Speaking of fun, what med student wouldn’t love an anatomy coloring book? Each page of the book has a color-key system that links the terminology with the illustrations. It’s a great way to do more interactive studying, especially for visual learners. Remember to throw in some colored pencils as well if your med student doesn’t already have some.
Anatomy Lab Essentials
Now, let’s talk about the essentials every student needs for anatomy lab. Most students will get their own anatomy lab locker. So you can give them a lock to help them keep their items secure. Disposable latex gloves are also a must-have and something that runs out pretty often. You can never have too many boxes of them.
As for scrubs, I recommend getting cheap ones for anatomy lab. This is because they’ll definitely end up stinking like formaldehyde by the end of it. This set is affordable and still comes in lots of cute colors!
Clinical Rotations
Most med students start their clinical rotations in year 3. Some rotations, like surgical rotations, are more grueling than others and can really take a lot out of you. Plus, the first day of rotations is always pretty nerve-wracking. If you know a med student who is going through a tough round of rotations or whose first day of rotations is coming up, cheer them up with a few essentials to help them stay motivated!
Business casual tends to be the norm for clinical rotations. I believe in the power of dressing for success, so, for me, a gift card to my favorite place to buy business casual clothes would have been an amazing “first day of clinical rotations” gift. I’d probably use it to pick up a pair of my favorit business casual pants that I used to wear to rotations all the time.
The internal medicine rotation is when you get a lot of practice actually assessing patients’ conditions and arriving at a diagnosis. I found this History and Physical Notebook super helpful when I was working through this rotation. It keeps all your information about individual patients neat and organized in one convenient place.
Textbooks and Badge Reels
Now, onto the subject of textbooks. A helpful textbook for one of the most taxing rotations, AKA surgical rotation, is Surgical Recall. I recommend throwing in a suture kit with this gift too so they can get some practice in and feel more confident on the first day of rotation.
If you know someone who is currently working on a different specialty other than the surgical rotation, consider getting them one of the Case Files textbooks. At the end of each specialty, students have to complete a Shelf exam, and these textbooks are popular study aids that can help students prepare.
Lots of med students use badge reels to keep their IDs on them at all times. Some Etsy shops sell super cute medicine-themed badge reels. Pick one out for your friend or family that goes along with their favorite specialty or even their favorite organ. You can also throw in some of these helpful reference badge cards to use as cheat sheets on the go!
Scrubs
Honestly, you can never go wrong with an extra set of scrubs too. I personally love the scrub jacket from Figs because, no matter where I go, I’m always freezing. If you have a friend or family member who runs as cold as I do, definitely pick one up for them.
Match Week Gifts for Med Students
And, last but not least, Match Week! This is the week when med students find out whether or not they have matched with a residency program. Starting residency is the next step for a lot of students, so Match Week is both exciting and a little bit terrifying.
Flowers or a handmade card are excellent gifts to congratulate your loved one during Match Week. If you want to do something a bit more involved, you can also give them some specific gear or merch that aligns with their chosen specialty.
Matching with a residency program often involves moving to a new place. Since residency can last anywhere between 3 and 7 years, your friend or family member will be living in that new location for a long time. Consider buying them some merch that represents their new home or putting together a box of moving essentials. I guarantee they’ll love such a heartfelt gift.
And there you have it! I hope this list helps you sprinkle a little bit of extra joy into the lives of the med students you know.
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