Scrub Notes 2012 Med Student Holiday Gift Guide

Happy Thanksgiving! While this is a time to give thanks and count your blessings, tomorrow is a time to shop! However, most med students, residents, and other medical professionals may not be joining on these shopping trips: they're probably studying or on call! So, to celebrate their commitment to caring for others, here are a few ways to show them you care for them:

Kindle Fire by Amazon

The latest tablet from Amazon is quite a break from previous Kindles. Offering an Android-based operating system and full color, the Kindle Fire is Amazon's first foray into the competitive tablet space. While not as full-featured as the iPad, the one killer aspect of the Fire is the price: $199.

That's right, $199 - a full $300 cheaper than the iPad. For med students, the 7" form factor makes it much more portable than the iPad. While lacking 3G support, most students would likely use it in a library or lecture hall (or Starbucks), where Wifi hotspots are plentiful. And with access to Amazon's site well-integrated, it will be easy for them to purchase e-books... or TV shows whenever they need blow off some steam.

Giant Microbes White Blood Cell (Leukocyte)

A popular gift idea last year, the Giant Microbes are back! These stuffed toys are whimsical depictions of all things medical. From bacteria to neurons, check out all the options available. For the immunologically-minded, I put the white blood cell here. I can almost hear him saying, "Meep! A bacteria! Must defend!" Haha, almost like a Pokemon... but one that saves lives!

The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee

This book has been on my reading list all year long and hopefully I can get to it before the year is out. However, from all accounts, the book is well-written and lives up to its subtitle as a biography of cancer. Mukherjee details mankind's history in battling this scourage and how modern science has revolutionized the fight. However, with the great advances come new challenges and new concerns in how we deal with when our bodies fail us.

Looking for more gift ideas? Check out last year's med student gift guide. And if all else fails, you can't go wrong with a gift card =)

Updated 2015-12-20