The current pandemic has certainly made the whole world extra-reliant on nurses, who are risking their lives daily just to care for patients. Their work stress and risk is now heightened, so there's no better time to appreciate these community heroes through small acts of kindness.
Nurses have always been unsung heroes since time immemorial, but in today’s times they – along with other front liners – are what will literally save those who are stricken with COVID-19.
While it’s sad that it had to take a global pandemic to truly understand the kind of value that nurses bring to people, it’s never too late to think of some thank you gifts for nurses to show your appreciation for all that they do. If you belong to or know a company that is mobilizing to send relief goods and other care packages for nurses, this article will be well worth the read. What better time to think about gifts for nurses than now, especially since Nurse’s Week (May 6 to 12) is fast approaching.
You’d want to be ready with Nurses Week gifts for staff that will really put a big smile on their tired and weary faces! We’ve put together some of our best recommendations for great gifts for nurses, along with sound advice on how to go about giving nurse gifts in the time of coronavirus. While our ultimate “gift” to nurses is to heed the call to stay at home, we’re still all up for giving appreciation gifts to let them know that their daily effort to do their job doesn’t go unnoticed.
Must-Knows for Preparing Thank You Gifts for Nurses
Before we go on to the list of nurse gift basket ideas, here are some important points to consider when you are tasked with preparing the best gifts for nurses:
1. Know the demographic of your intended recipients. The most logical approach to sending gift baskets for nurses is to target the hospitals and health care centers in your local community or state. These nurses directly extend care to your own families and workers, so it makes perfect sense to send Nurses Week gifts or Nurses Week giveaways to show appreciation for people who care for you and yours.
Knowing who those nurses are will also make picking the gift much easier. If you know for sure that they are students asking 'write me a paper' online, you can help them by doing their homework while they keep busy with the important work.
Focusing on the local community also makes logistics a lot easier. Transporting your personalized gifts for nurses becomes less challenging during a lockdown order (if your state has issued it) because you need not worry about crossing state lines and dealing with the difficulties of borders and distance in order to accomplish this task. Gemnote will also ship gifts directly to you or local hospitals.
2. Finalize a budget. After knowing how many nurse recipients you are targeting for preoperative Nurses Week gifts, determine the budget that your company can allocate for each one. This makes choosing the items in your Nurses Week gift basket ideas a lot easier because you can aim to create a combination of goods that amount to the individual budget.
3. Explore the possibility of teaming up with other groups or individuals. Banding together to send care packages for nurses is a great opportunity to up the ante in terms of the contents, or to find a way to save on costs so you can have a bigger budget for different Nurses Week gifts ideas.
For example, if you are a small tech firm with no delivery vans of your own you might want to check out any of the local delivery van businesses if they might want to team up so they can deliver your care packages at no cost.
By working with others, you are able to achieve the goal of sending care packages to nurses with either fewer challenges or with higher value content than you originally planned with just your company budget or means.
4. Be aware of protocols. Inform your chosen hospital and health care facility about your nurses week gifts for staff so you know of any possible protocols you might need to follow. While any nurse would be delighted to receive a thank you gift, it’s still important to coordinate your donation with the center head to meet their stringent health and safety measures in place. They receive supplies and packages all the time, but make sure to call in advanced for specific loading dock and unloading protocols.
Remember that hospitals have one of the highest risk exposures to COVID-19, so sending nurses gifts while knowing the proper way of doing so decreases the chances of the virus spreading via your company’s generous gesture.
5 Great Nurses Week Gift Set Ideas
1. Staying Energized at Work
Items in Gift Set: EcoBox Bento Box, Modern Water Bottle, LiquidIV electrolytes multiplier, YES protein bar, Yuni Calm Balm, Pop Socket
Keeping nurses’ energy levels up should be everyone’s top priority, and this nurse gift set idea will see to that.
The bento box and water bottle will keep your favorite nurse’s snacks and beverages safe and within easy reach, and the material (metal and glass) are so easy to sterilize to avoid contamination.
Pair it up with the LiquidIV electrolytes multiplier sachets and a package of YES protein bars for emergency nourishment – perfect for extra-stressful days when they can’t get more than ten minutes for a lunch break (yes, this is a reality they all face). These smart food and drink choices nourish one’s body by delivering good nutrition and restoring hydration better than a bag of chips and a bottle of soda ever will.
The Yuni Calm Balm is a nice way to de-stress after a long day of checking vital stats, while the Pop Socket gives their phone-checking habits an extra level of convenience.
DIY Nurses Week gift ideas like this will keep any nurse’s energy levels up, so they remain alert for any emergency or quick decision-making that they might have to make in the day.
2. Snacks for the Soul
Items in Gift Set: Ounce Cookies, Stojo Coffee Tumbler, Melange Socks, Mast Brothers Chocolate, Little Apple Treats Granola, Salt & Stone Sunscreen lip balm
One quick look at this cheery, coral-pink gifts ideas for nurses week and you know it’s going to breathe life into a nurse’s weary soul. The Ounce cookies, Mast Brothers chocolate, and Little Apple Treats granola are a popular hit with sugar aficionados who don’t want to sacrifice health for indulgence.
These food choices are thoughtfully made and packaged conveniently for snacking on-the-go – something that all nurses are very familiar with.
The handy Stojo coffee tumbler fits effortlessly in small purses, which is great for on-the-go nurses who don’t like lugging around a big bag filled with bulky stuff.
The Melange socks will basically wrap their feet in softness to help make the day a little more bearable, while a quick swipe of the Salt & Stone lip balm protects their lips from being parched throughout a long day of wearing face masks.
This package is an assortment of great products that care for nurses in little ways throughout their day.
3. Count to Zen
Items in Gift Set: Baggu Canvas Tote Bag, PF Candle Incense, Yuni Beauty Lotion, Yuni Essential Face Oil, Ritual Chocolate Bar, Tea Drops Tea, Kinto mug
While nurses like practical gifts of things that help make their workday more convenient, they also need and want a package that focuses on pampering at home – especially in these scary and stressful times.
If you are thinking of unique nurse appreciation gifts to make, this after-work pampering pack is guaranteed to be a big hit. Because nurses can’t head out to the spa after their shift, the PF candle incense, Yuni beauty lotion and essential face oil can do a lot to give them that spa-like feel after work in the comforts of their home.
Match that with a Kinto mug, Tea Drops tea, and a Ritual chocolate bar and they’ve got the makings of a restfully indulgent night on the couch with a great book or some soothing Zen music.
The Baggu canvas tote bag is also a nice touch and delivers high utility value that keeps on giving even after the consumable treats have run out. The calming green theme of this particular care package instantly soothes the senses just with the aesthetic alone.
Using each of the contents promises to deliver ultimate relaxation at the end of even the toughest of days.
4. Dalgona for Days
Items in Gift Set: Verve instant coffee, Gold stainless steel straws, Areaware chocolate bar puzzle, Set of 2 soda can glasses, Verve instant coffee image, Dick Taylor chocolate chips, printed instructions card
Keep your beloved nurses in the loop when it comes to trends with this Dalgona coffee-inspired gift set! The Dalgona coffee trend is a beverage made with whipped foam of instant coffee powder, sugar and little hot water. The sweet coffee foam rests atop iced or hot milk, and when combined produces a thick and creamy texture punctuated with strong, coffee-candy notes. No homemade gift ideas for nurses is complete without this!
The set comes with what you need to make Dalgona coffee and includes a photo of the final product along with an instruction card to guide your recipient as they make the next big thing in the coffee beverage world.
Rest assured, this particular gift package will be talked about in many nursing stations across your city if you choose to give it – and keep nurses alert and awake for the duration of their shifts!
5. Cheese and Wine Night
Items in Gift Set: Moscow Mule cocktail syrup, set of 2 wine tumblers, PF candle, Peak ice cube mold, Hors d'oeuvres puzzle, Raaka Oat Milk chocolate bar
A trip to the neighborhood bar isn’t possible in many places at the moment, so the next best thing is to treat your favorite nurses with almost the same experience in the comfort of their homes. What better way to do that than by assembling a cheese and wine night themed gift? The best thank you gift ideas for nurses ought to include something that they can enjoy with their special someone or housemates, even with the lockdown order.
A cheese and wine night pack definitely takes care of that. Kick off the weekend with drinks using the Moscow Mule cocktail syrup served in these wine tumblers. Chill the beverage with ice cubes formed from this lovely Peak ice cube mold that’s just the perfect size.
The PF candle helps amplify the ambiance to mimic a night at a cozy bar, and the kitschy Hors d’oeuvres puzzle is a collaborative endeavor that no group would be able to resist completing. All that’s left to easily prepare are the slices of cheese and cold cuts!
Before calling it a night, everyone can partake in a few comforting bites of the Raaka Oat Milk chocolate bar – a perfect, sweet ending to a quality night indoors.
More Tips for Your Nurses Week Gift Set Ideas
- Order everything from an online retailer. During COVID-19, you simply cannot afford to go out and canvass for the things that you need to create any of the great packages suggested above. The risk for contracting the virus is still high, so your best option is to order from an online store that specializes in gift packages for every budget. You also only need to coordinate with one company for everything you need in your package, which makes your task a lot easier to accomplish.
- Distribute uniform gift packages if you can. While it’s nice to have variety in terms of what you will give, the most convenient way to send your thanks is through gifts that maintain uniformity in content no matter who the recipient is. This is so you don’t have recipients comparing the contents of their individual packages. If your chosen gift package is a surefire hit like any of the ones mentioned above, you need not worry too much if it will be appreciated or used.
- Got a big budget? Send several gifts over time. You also have the option of creating two smaller bundles instead of a big care package. While the big care package surely has a higher “wow” factor, smaller bundles work to spread the cheer over time. The weariness a nurse feels comes in waves, and if you can be there with your company’s thoughtful presents twice or even more, then you are helping them feel like they can hold on longer to do what they do.
- Don’t forget personalization! Handwritten packages included in homemade Nurses Week gift ideas communicate a personalized tone to your care packages for nurses. You can do this by labeling each one with the names of nurses in your chosen health center. You can also attach some nurse appreciation quotes or perhaps some scanned and printed messages of encouragement that children have made to support nurse front liners. These little things can mean a lot to nurses, who deserve anything that can make them smile despite their long and stressful shifts. Here are two great nurse quotes that send a powerful message of encouragement:
“Where the needs of the world and your talents cross, there lies your vocation.” (Aristotle)
“Caring is the essence of nursing.” (Jean Watson)
Never underestimate the power of words to make a big difference in the mindset of a nurse! The two quotes above affirm the importance and value of what they do, and that their main service of caring is what the world urgently needs at the moment.
- Have a mix of consumable items with reusable ones. Food and drinks are nice, “in the moment” treats that will eventually run out. If you pair that up with items that are high in utility such as bags and cups, you will be leaving a tangible evidence of your company’s desire to communicate support to nurses long after the world has recovered from the pandemic.
- Practice sanitation and sterilization when handling and distributing these care packages. There are a lot of videos and articles on the internet that can provide specific guidelines on transporting and handling items while avoiding the spread of the virus. It would be good for your team to be aware of and apply these when you are ready to distribute your nurses gifts. Don’t forget to assure your recipients that you’ve done your part in ensuring that their thank you gifts have been handled with care, so they don’t bring home the virus or welcome it in their homes or workplace.
A Gift That Sends a Message of Hope
These nursing gift ideas hope to send the message that everyone is rooting for nurses during this latest (and perhaps most serious) pandemic in the modern world. Nurses have always been historically under-appreciated, and they are suddenly risking their lives to care for others.
A nurse care package is but one way to let them know that we aren’t simply expecting them to save people from COVID-19; we are also thinking of ways to keep them protected and happy.
Any one of these packages will do that: de-stress the body, ease hunger and quench the thirst, clear the mind, and comfort the heart.
