5 Healthcare Professional / Medical Student Valentine's Day Gift Ideas

This isn't our first attempt at a Valentine's Day gift guide for med students, but admittedly the last one was a bit gender-biased. For 2012, we're going to try a little different approach, one that may involve a lot heart puns, allusions to cardiology, and other corniness. Or may not. You'll just have to read on to find out!

1. A Stethoscope

Yep, gotta start with the heart (for those scoring at home, that's 1 for the corny rhyme meter). Yes, I know, your loved one already has the plastic $10 stethoscope that can tell if the patient's heart is beating or not... barely. But shouldn't a quality guy or gal work with quality equipment? If they don't have a cardiology grade stethoscope, consider getting them one. It's a gift that they'll use daily in almost any specialty they go into, and one that may potentially last for decades. Read this guide to stethoscopes if you want more background info.

2. Cards... Flash Cards

 And you were thinking cardiology... nope! It's bad pun #2! As much as any med student hates to study, flash cards are an effective way to cram all that information into one's brain. Getting your beloved a soon-to-be beloved set of learning tools is a productive way to help them reach their goals. The pharmacology and ID/microbiology ones are particularly helpful. For you future internists, the Pharm Cards are by the same author as Pocket Medicine (Harvard's Marc Sabatine), the essential guide for any medicine intern or resident.Although, it would be nice to sweeten that pot with....

2b. Cards... Gift Cards

 Haha, kind of takes the sting off of having to study, no?

3. Listen to your Heart

And have your Valentine listen to their new iPod! The Product (RED) iPods donate a portion of the proceeds towards the campaign to help eliminate AIDS (You know Bono from U2, President Bush, and all those Gap t-shirts...)

4. Get that blood pumping

Nothing will get your lover's blood pumping faster than a plush stuffed erythrocyte! Hm, or not, but they just might get a case of the warm fuzzies!

5. Love in the Time of Cholera

And last but not least, for the literary lovebug in your life, might we suggest a non-medical novel? Sure, 100 Year of Solitude is better known, and this book arguably has little to do with infectious diseases ultimately, but it's a good read nonetheless and perhaps a welcome break from the trials and tribulations of modern medicine & medical education. Happy Valentine's Day!

Updated 2015-12-20