Medical School Valentine's Day Gift Ideas

Valentine's Day is coming up soon, and even the medical students in your life need some love. Actually, if you believe the reports, medical students are much more depressed than the average population, so they probably need the love more than most. As you may recall from my past effort in this area Practical Gifts For Medical Students: A Holiday Gift Guide, I like getting gifts as much as the next guy, but I prefer a practical gift, one that I will use at least on a monthly basis. Not only are such gifts longer-lasting and more useful, but it reminds me of the person who gave it to me everytime I use it. The memory helps stir positive feelings in me, and helps sustain the connection I have with that person. Then again, a box of chocolates also helps me stay connected with the gift giver as their "gift" is always by my, um, side?

Anyway, giving flowers or jewelry is quite common during Valentine's Day, and I won't discourage anyone from pursuing those items if they have a good idea in mind of what they want to give. However, if you are looking for particular items that are more tied into medical school, I found a few you might like. Some are practical, some are not, but hopefully all intriguing.

Gift Ideas

Apple iPod Shuffle
I cannot begin to explain how money these Apple iPod shuffles are. Med students love the size, the style, and the colors. They are especially good for people who like to hit the gym or jog outside. Basically, it's "cute" and that's all that matters. For the medical connection, well... you could always load them up with Goljan USMLE Step 1 podcasts and study in style.

Nintendo Wii
It is a bit of a stretch to tie a Wii into medicine, but the Wall Street Journal Health Blog recently noted that some surgeons have been using the Wii for training (Surgeons Hone Skills On Nintendo Wii), so... there ya go. If there's still any doubt whether this is practical, perhaps add in a Wii Fit as well just so you know you're getting some exercise out of it.

Gift Card
You know, I was gonna come up with a long list here, but frankly, most med students I think would be happy with a plain ol' gift card. Heck, I was happy playing with the wrapping paper when I was 5, and still am now. On a more serious note, I think any medical student, guy or girl, would be happy with a gift card because they could simply use it to buy textbooks and other study materials of their choosing online. Not the most romantic thought in the world, but certainly quite practical.

Updated 2015-12-18