🎁 27 Awesome Gifts for Healthcare Workers You Love
A 2023 gift guide for folks who are dedicated to care for others
Need a gift for a healthcare worker in your life?
Thank you for thinking of us!
(FYI A few of these are affiliate links, but the vast majority are just stuff I like.)
First, public health!
Get your shots for flu, COVID & RSV: If there’s only one thing you do this year to support healthcare workers, get vaccinated against influenza, COVID, and (new this year!) RSV. Seriously, this is the only gift I really want this year. Vaccines are often free with insurance or through your local county health department.
Wear a mask! I know many people wish this weren’t still a thing, but it really does help reduce the spread of infections. N95s and KN95s give you the best protection (My family likes these tie-dye KN95 masks).
Wash your hands!
Donate to Public Health Centered Charities: Many of us don’t really need (or want) more stuff. Some places I like to donate to each year are Project Night Night, the Guttmacher Institute, the National Network of Abortion Funds, and the Black Mamas Matter Alliance. For my extended family, I donate to charities in their communities that help with food, housing, and family care. The Feeding America site can help you find local food banks to direct your donation.
Stocking Stuffers
Ear Plugs: As an anesthesiologist, I gotta protect my hearing so I can hear all the beeps and boops in the OR. I sleep way better post-night work with ear plugs. I have tiny ears, so I use Mack’s Slim Fit Earplugs. I use rainbow Eargasm earplugs when I need hearing protection, but not quite as much as with a foam earplug.
Chapstick: I’m one of those people who always has a chapstick on hand. I’ve got chapstick in my car, backpack, junk drawer, and purse. I keep a tin of Smith's Rose and Mandarin Lip Balm right by my keyboard. Poppy & Pout’s lip bundles make great gifts. You can share more than one of their delicious but mellow flavors!
Hand Washing Goodies: travel hand sanitizer and cute soaps! My girlfriend gave me Magnolia Soap + Bath Cactus Bloom bar soap and it smells divine!
Ring Holder Necklace: Perfect gift for anyone who can’t wear their rings on their fingers at work. This necklace is a clever way to hold a ring and keep it flat against your chest.
Good Quality Pens: I’m a fan of Ultra Fine Point Sharpie markers (rainbow assortment), novelty drug pens, and anything my patients would find cute.
Gifts for Creativity
Blank Journals: My cousin recently got me one of these dotted A5 journals and it hits all the highlights - it has a pen holder, an elastic band to keep it closed, a tiny folder in the back, placeholder ribbons, and it LIES FLAT.
Ship 30 for 30: In January 2023, I signed up for the Ship 30 digital writing course to explore writing from a different angle. I invested in improving my public-facing writing skills. I learned SO MUCH and felt inspired to put a lot more energy into Poppies & Propofol. The Ship 30 folks also offer some freebies that I tried before signing up for the course (Digital Writing Compass & The Ultimate Guide to Start Writing Online).
Drawing/Watercolor Workbooks: I have 50 Ways to Draw Your Beautiful, Ordinary Life: Practical Lessons in Pencil and Paper and it’s so beautiful and the instructions are solid. I asked my family to get me this Sarah Simon beginner botanical workbook.
Rest, for Body & Mind
Last year I recommended, Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto (and I still do!). This year, check out Tricia Hersey’s Rest Deck: 50 Practices to Resist Grind Culture. The cards are beautiful and I keep them next to my bed. I appreciate having the constant reminder that sleep is not something I need to earn. I still work long overnight shifts, sometimes more than 24 hours in a row, but Hersey’s work has helped me re-evaluate my relationship with that schedule. I’m still learning how to disconnect from work and connect with the sacredness of resting.
The Rest Deck: 50 Practice to Resist Grind Culture Chirp Wheels: I love my Chirp Wheels. I use them almost every day to stretch out my back.
Neck tension reliever: I have a lot of chronic neck tightness and frequent headaches, and I just love using this neck release tool. Any day now, I’ll be getting the Chirp 4” neck tension relief one.
CeraVe Moisturizing Creme: I keep a tub of CeraVe Moisturizing Cream in my locker at work and on my nightstand at home. It goes on thick, but absorbs pretty quickly. Really helps with my dry skin.
Cozy Stuff
Cabin Clogs: These indoor warm and cozy clogs by Manitobah (Indigenous-owned and operated) are perfect for keeping my toes warm in the house. These are well made to last. I also love their Kayak moccasins.
Avocado Rechargeable Pocket Warmers: I get cold easily, so I keep rechargeable hand warmers in my backpack to bring to the OR. I plop these into my scrub pockets to give me a little extra warmth. These palm-sized avocado-shaped hand warmers come in a pack of two that click together.
Heated Vest: Warmth is the only luxury I really need. In winter, I wear one of these under my scrubs.
Heated blanket: It takes me a while to warm up at night to go to bed, no matter how many blankets I pile on. I love pre-heating my bed with a heated blanket. So cozy!
Nourishment
Coffee, but make it Rocket Science: I can pour my piping hot coffee in this Burnout Coffee Mug, and the heat-sink design gets it to a drinkable temperature almost immediately and then keeps it at that temperature for hours. My partner works for an airplane company and they use this HeatZorb material to do cool nerdy technology things, but honestly, I just care about the coffee temperature. I put a “Fueled by Coffee and Feminist Rage” sticker on mine. Honestly, I would never have spent this much on a tumbler for myself, so I’m glad my partner did!
Coffee, straight up: Coffee is life. I’m a huge fan of Oakland, CA-based Mother Tongue Coffee and Red Bay Coffee. Both offer awesome monthly subscriptions. If you’re going for a coffee-themed gift, but not a pricey tumbler, pair it with a funny or cute or inspirational mug and you’re golden. I’m a sucker for heat-changing mugs - like this planetary one (even if they can’t go in the dishwasher).
Herbal Tea: I love Chai tea, but don’t do caffeine after noon. So Blue Lotus Rooibos Chai gives me the spicy, warm treat I need. My standby herbal tea before bed is Chamomile & Lavender.
Pre-prepared food: I started using Thistle.Co to deliver pre-made lunches and dinners. When I get home late from a shift and I’m tired and hungry, I can grab something full of vegetables, rather than junk food.
Extras
Aromasthesia Candles: Fellow anesthesiologist Tiffany Moon started an anesthesia-themed candle company. Options include scents like Sevoflurane, alprazolam, and propofol. I got to check them out at the Women in Anesthesiology conference in October. They smell delightful. A portion of the proceeds go to The Family Place - supporting survivors of domestic violence. Warning: the soothing scents may put you to sleep.
Home Address Protection: More and more healthcare workers face threats to our privacy and our lives. Because of our state licenses to practice, many of us don’t realize our home addresses are completely exposed. Combine that with data brokers’ flagrant spread of our addresses across the internet - we’re at risk of doxxing and swatting by angry people, whether because of a diagnosis, an error, or speaking up about public health. I use Delete Me to keep my name off the data brokers’ lists.
The Values Deck: As an ethicist, I think about values a lot. I’m always exploring how patients and their families view the world and they always inspire me to reflect on my own again and again. I especially like the one from Discover Your Values since it’s rainbow themes. I’m a sucker for a rainbow.
The Values Deck rainbow organized cards help a person reflect on what matters to them. 27 awesome gifts for the healthcare workers in your life!
Thank you for these suggestions. Feeling gratitude for my care. I’m so sorry you have been harassed. Thank you for providing care. It’s a hard job.
I might just be buying some of these for myself!