A nice personalized business card case in leather with monogram or metal. When I ask the hospitalists for a business card, they all have to search every pocket in their scrubs or lab coats!
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What about a super nice leather bag…big enough for an Ipad, keys, change of clothes (although not huge like a duffle bag either). My brother (anesthesiologist) has one like this and uses it all the time. He will have a locker somewhere so it would be locked up. He will have lots of reference books and study books he will be bringing with him every day so it might be nice to have a bag to lug it all around with. I agree about the pen…it would be misplaced within days.
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I think this is a good idea. During that crazy Amazon Prime Day last summer, I got my son a designer messenger bag because he was starting clinical rotations. He probably thought it was a nutty gift, but he does use it every day.
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What about a nice watch? I know many young people don't use them as often, but a classic nice watch would be a nice gift. OTOH Maybe his parents are getting him that! <<<
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Nice watches are making a comeback. I did get my son the Samsung watch that pairs with his Samsung phone, so he can non-chalantly see texts, and other alerts, and also answer and make calls, but it’s not the fancy upscale watches that are making a comeback.
I would ask directly “is there anything you need?” I was exhausted, broke and had to figure out how to move with my wife and child across the country for residency. Money needs are huge for many graduates during the time between graduation and residency. However, if I was not in that situation, I would have liked a leather messenger bag, a stack of starbucks gift cards, a decent watch (not too expensive), a nice bottle of wine/spirits or a Caribbean trip (one can dream). Although a nice pen is a very thoughtful gift, I doubt it would survive the first month of hospital work.
One quick note about the suggestion to frame a med school diploma-- don’t be in a hurry to do so.
D1 was required to either physically present her diploma or to send a high resolution scanned .pdf of her diploma for verification of her eligibility for employment as soon as she reported to her residency.
Watches are making a come back–but remember that a second hand is important!
As a girl, I got a ceramic statue of a girl doctor about 4 inches high from my parents 30 years ago - priceless, along with a single diamond solitaire necklace, all at graduation.
If I were OP and could afford it, I might buy him Amazon Echo Alexa mentioned on the other thread:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/1856884-alexa-rocks.html
But I am such a person who prefers something that actually does something for you, instead of just "sitting there doing nothing (like ceramic statue or most furniture.) But I do not think my wife would agree with me on this. (Yes, I have downloaded a free software version of Alexa on PC and tried it out. It looks ugly on the computer screen but it does something for you – it answers your question. It seems it works better than Siri on iPhone in my subjective opinion.)
I think the OP also needs to consider what memento the parents are giving. If they are giving a watch…she should not.
When I think of a gift for graduation from medical school, I would think of things the newly minted doctor either wouldn’t or couldn’t get for himself…but would like to have.
OP, you mentioned you might give Tiffany earrings to a niece–something special and sentimental. Have you considered a special money clip? The men in my family use money clips and seem to enjoy them. Might work if you’re looking for a gift he can use and hold on to over time…Just a thought…
If you gift a watch be sure it has a second hand— for a doctor
D is here now so will ask what she thinks is a good gift.
My husband wears his watch everyday; tied to his scrub pants with his wedding ring on the watchband! Not his good watch, a Timex with a leather band as his good watch is a continuous metal band.
My son doesn’t wear his watch to the hospital, but saves it for weekend wear.
What are i watches going for these days?
Price of watches? $10 at Big Lots…up to tens of thousands of dollars! Huge range!
Another reason why I asked the OP how much they wanted to spend!
An aunt got DD a nice watch for undergrad graduation…something she wears with nicer clothes (she is an EMT so needs something more durable, and with that second hand for work). The watch DD got was about $300.
The iwatch prices have really dropped- to like low/mid $300. And for doctors who may not be easily able to access/carry their phones, they can access their phones, the PDR and other apps that can be handy dandy to. Check dosages, avoid med interactions, etc.
I think they would need to check with the hospital. Here, the docs are all given a specific phone…on a specific network…to use while at work.
If an iWatch isn’t feasible or desired, an iPad might be. Not for work, but for fun.
The hospitals provide their phones and network? Do they pay their monthly cell bill?? That’s cool.
Accessing UptoDate is really useful and important - but it may be that the hospital has terminals where a doctor (or other personnel) can sign in and access UptoDate - which is better done on a computer terminal anyway where you can read and print something out, versus on a smartphone.
The phones used in the hospitals here are given to the staff just like computers are given to staff.
D1’s residency doesn’t give her a phone, but it does give her an annual technology allowance ($1000) she can use for a phone, tablet, laptop, iWatch, medical apps/software or anything else tech-related she might use during residency. (I don’t think she can use her allowance to pay her cell bill, but I haven’t asked her if it’s allowed.)
She has a separate education allowance she can use to pay for books/ebooks, journal subscriptions, professional conferences, etc.