May 6-12 is National Nurses Week…are you ready? This article gives you 10 nurses week ideas for gifts and celebrations to honor the nurses in your life.
There are about four million registered nurses in the U.S. Is one of them part of your life? Then you should get ready to celebrate National Nurses Week in May!
Every day at work, nurses save lives, comfort patients, make important decisions, and much more. The nurses you care about deserve celebration all the time — but National Nurses Week is a great excuse to go a bit above and beyond the usual.
Not sure how to celebrate? We’re here to help with our favorite Nurses Week ideas. Keep reading to learn what to do for Nurses Week this year!
Offer Professional Development
One of the joys and challenges of being a nurse is the constant need for professional development.
Nurses often have to invest in more training to stay up-to-date on relevant job information. You can make life easier for them by helping provide these development opportunities.
For example, if you find out about a conference that a nurse in your life wants to go to, you could help pay for the cost of attendance or the transportation needed to get there. You could even pay for a specialty certification that will help their career in the future.
While it’s best if the employer invests in professional development for its staff, not all hospitals and employer do it for their nurses. You can help fill those gaps during National Nurses Week.
Provide a Relaxing Getaway
Nurses spend long hours on their feet in high-stress conditions. If you want to give a non-work-related gift, a relaxation opportunity is the perfect idea.
This could mean a gift certificate to a massage parlor, a spa, or any other relaxing place you can think of. Even a chic cooking class can be relaxing! You can supplement the gift of an experience with some extras in the package, like a soft robe or some fancy bath bombs.
Provide Versatile Work Clothes
Just because nurses wear scrubs doesn’t mean they don’t put careful thought into what they wear to work. You can make getting dressed for a long shift a little easier by offering some thoughtful work clothing options.
For example, many nurses wear a shirt under their scrubs, for warmth and protection. Some high-quality long-sleeved shirts for layering will make a great gift. Look for soft, durable, moisture-wicking “under-scrub” tees.
If you know a nurse really well, you might even help them buy a new pair of work shoes. Nursing shoes need to be comfortable, durable, and professional. If you know their size or favorite brand, you can gift them a new pair of shoes (or a gift card) for when the old ones inevitably wear out.
Help Sanitize Their Electronics
Phones, tablets, and other electronics that get used at work can get especially grimy in a nursing environment. As nurses know, sanitation is everything!
Help them stay clean with a set of sanitizing wipes for cell phones and other electronics. You can even find cool phone sterilizers that have built-in chargers!
Provide Them with Caffeine
Nurses often work long hours, late into the night or early in the morning. Caffeine becomes a workplace necessity.
Offer a caffeine boost to your favorite nurses by buying them a selection of high-end tea or coffee. You could even give them a gift card to their favorite coffee shop near work. Just make sure whatever you give can be made quickly, since nurses don’t always have much time for breaks.
For a gift that lasts longer, you could also try a nice portable mug or thermos that they can pack their favorite drinks in at work. This helps save money, time, and the environment all at once.
Replace Their Wedding Ring
Are you married to a nurse? Whether they’re male or female, a replacement wedding ring they can wear at work makes for a surprisingly romantic gift.
A diamond ring can slash latex gloves, so most nurses take their rings off at work. Even a ring without diamonds can still become a workplace hazard. However, a soft silicone ring makes for a safe replacement that won’t leave their finger completely bare.
Help with Healthy Meals
Nurses often don’t have much time or money to devote to eating well. Any gifts that help promote good, healthy eating will be well-loved by a nurse.
A food-related gift can take many different forms, depending on their personality. If you know they like cooking but don’t have much time for it, you could give a cookbook filled with quick, easy recipes. If they like to keep things simple in the kitchen, a meal subscription service might be a great choice.
Spark Creativity with a Journal
Even the most tired and stressed nurses will benefit from a creative outlet. But when they don’t have the energy to devote to making art, a journal will do the trick nicely.
Journaling can help nurses put their unique experiences into words. You can be sure that an average nursing shift provides plenty of stories! Gratitude journaling, bullet journaling, and even an old-fashioned free-form journal session can help process the workday in a fun, creative way.
Gift Great Stories to Read
If journaling isn’t their style, your favorite nurse might like reading true stories about other nurses instead.
There’s a wealth of memoirs, biographies, short story collections, and other reading material written by real nurses. These make great reads for everyone, but nurses in particular will appreciate the read. Reading is also a great way to unwind after a long, hard day.
Which Nurses Week Ideas Will You Try?
These Nurses Week ideas should give you a starting point for figuring out how to show the nurses in your life that you care. On this list, you’ll find something to suit each and every personality.
As you can tell, some of the best gifts have to do with reducing stress. Want more ways to help a nurse (or yourself) de-stress? Don’t miss this guide!