Medical Student Holiday Gift Guide

Building off our recent Holiday Book List post, and on previous gift guides, here are a few gift ideas for the medical or healthcare profession student in your life. These suggestions include both light-hearted and practical ideas, from stocking stuffer to larger items. Regardless of what you choose, your gift will show your cared one that you support them on their journey to becoming a practitioner of the healing arts.

* Giant Microbes
The always popular plush Giant Microbes are really getting into the holiday spirit this year by releasing a stocking stuffer collection, literally in a stocking! The collection includes:

• Penicillin with red, green and white caps
• Limited Edition Green Amoeba with scarf and ear muffs
• Dust Mite with reindeer antlers
• Salmonella with holly embroidery
• Red Blood Cell with snowflake embroidery

Additional collections can be ordered in Christmas tree or wreath boxes.


* Brain Slice Coasters
Budding neurologist or neurosurgeon in your midst? Check out these brain slice translucent coasters. They look pretty neat, especially when stacked! The set includes ten 4" x 4" coasters, hand wash only.

* Black& Decker Personal Coffee Maker
Looking for something to put on those snazzy coasters you just picked up? How about this Black & Decker personal coffee maker with included mug? The Brew 'N Go has a permanent filter and the mug is designed to fit most car cupholders.

Other novelty mug ideas include:

* Amazon Echo
The Amazon Echo is a voice-activated speaker system that is powered by Amazon's Alexa voice assistant. While it does not have any direct healthcare application (yet), the device is useful for providing news, weather, sports, and other information. The Echo is also a pretty decent speaker and can play music from Pandora, Spotify, Amazon Music, and other streaming services. Through its skills platform (think app store), it can be extended to perform a wide range of functions like hailing an Uber, ordering a pizza, and many more. If you have a connected house (such as Phillips Hue lights or a Nest thermostat), you can use Alexa to control those devices with voice commands as well. The Echo does have some rough edges - you have to speak clearly and concisely for it to work really well. While it will understand multiple people, it's best to keep your phrasing simple. Also, don't expect Alexa to magically answer any question you through at it. The search function works best when you ask simple, close-ended, fact based questions like "What is the capital of Florida?", but not so well with broader, open ended questions like "What is the best time of year to visit Florida?"

* Stethoscope
If your loved one is new to their training, a stethoscope is a great way to both look the part and gain a useful tool. If they are already in training but have a budget stethoscope, upgrade them to a higher quality one. The Littmann line is well regarded and comes in a wide range of styles and options. For a basic choice, a Classic III is a fine place to start:

For a limited time, Amazon is offering a 10% discount off the price listed above!

And last but not least, when in doubt, you cannot go wrong with an Amazon Gift Card to let them get that perfect esoteric item for themselves:

Medical Books Holiday Wish List

Practicing medicine gets busy! Looking back at (the lack of) posts on here, I realize that I have not read a good book about medicine in a while. In fact, I don't think I've read a book cover-to-cover in almost a year! While I don't know the next time I will have enough free time to break that streak, here are a few books I would consider:

• The Gene, by Siddhartha Mukherjee, MD

Written by the author of The Emperor of All Maladies, Mukherjee's new book The Gene explores both the history of the how humans considered the concept of the gene, as well as what the futures holds when we are able to edit the genetic code. Having heard Mukherjee speak in person, I can attest that he is a thoughtful and passionate believer in a deep understanding of the history of medicine in order to inform future avenues for medical research. Have you read The Gene? How did you find it?

    

• The End of Illness, by David Agus, MD

While not new, The End of Illness re-examines what it means to be 'healthy' and what one can do to live a robust life. Agus is a professor of medicine and engineering at USC, and has written several other books about life and health, but this is perhaps his most well known. If you have read it, what did you think?

 

• When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi

Paul Kalanithi was a young neurosurgeon, who has to comes to terms with his own mortality all too soon. I cannot imagine the heartache he and his family must have gone through, but hopefully writing this book provided him some catharsis.

While I used the idiom "cover to cover", the honest truth is that it's been even longer since I truly did that. In the last few years, I have started using a Kindle Paperwhite to actual read longform. While it's not a perfect substitute for the written page, I find the ability to carry many books at one time, read in low light, and look up related material very useful. A single charge lasts 30 *days*, and e-books purchased from Amazon can be read on other devices too, including any web browser. It even syncs your last read page across devices!

As the holidays approach, any of these items would also likely make a great gift for the budding healthcare professional in your life. Come across a good healthcare-related gift idea? Please share!

Medical School Graduation Gifts

It's almost that time of year again, the so-called "Dads & Grads" season for gift buying. However, if you have a special someone graduating from medical school (or PA school or NP school or nursing school etc), the occasion is particularly special. As with past gift guides, the goal is to find a gift that is particularly relevant for someone graduating with a healthcare-related degree. Whether the gift is silly and fun, or more serious and intended to help them form good habits and become an outstanding health practitioner, as always, it's the thought that counts.

This time around, I will try to break the gift guide down by budget: under $25, $25 to $100, and over $100.

Under $20
The always popular Giant Microbes have a wide range of medically-themed plush toys. For example, the budding neurologist or neurosurgeon may appreciate the brain cell:

 

For a more introspective gift, many medical memoirs are available in paperback, including Scrub Notes favorite surgeon/author Atul Gawande:

 

$25 to $100
Love the Giant Microbes, but want more? Get the whole set!

For devices like the iPad suggested below, a Bluetooth keyboard case is an excellent addition. Kensington is a solid brand, and the keyboard case allows use as both a note-taking device and a reader, simply by flipping the cover. The backlit version is particularly useful in dimly lit lecture halls!

Over $100
The budding scholar will need something to port all their notes and knowledge around in. Both for reading as well as for medically related apps, the clear leader is the Apple iPad. With the introduction of the iPad Air and the Mini, the tablets have become small and light enough to carry around all day in a hospital, with the battery life to match. Remote access apps also make it easy to check electronic medical records or imaging remotely when needed. Increasingly, digital devices are becoming the 21st century's stethoscope.

However, the 20th century's stethoscope still remains an essential tool of the clinician as well as a classically stylish gift:

Speaking of classic gifts, a leather doctor's bag certainly fits the bill:

Hopefully these gifts bring a smile to your medical graduate's face. Don't feel like buying something? You could always go the more personal route and either make them something yourself or cook them a nice meal. Have a gift idea that I missed? Please include it in the comments below. Cheers!

Gifts For Medical Students On Match Day

According to the National Residency Matching Program, Match Day is the day when U.S. medical school soon-to-be graduates will find out what internship and residency programs they have "matched" to, after the several months long interview and ranking process. While graduation is the formal and ceremonial completion of medical training that leads to the conferring of a medical degree, in many ways, the match day is the functional culmination of four years of hard work, or in many cases, a lifelong effort. Friends and family often take part in Match Day ceremonies put on by medical schools to celebrate this major transition point with their loved ones. To help celebrate, here are a few gift ideas for the lucky matchee:

1. A tablet

As technology becomes ever more integrated into medicine, having a tablet is becoming an essential device for staying up-to-date with the latest medical knowledge. Many hospitals now provide free Wifi for their staff, making these tools a highly useful as well as stylish "pocket brain." Tablets can also be utilized for performing clinical calculations or even in evaluating patients in the clinic with the use of specialized apps. In many ways, starting internship or residency is almost like going back to school again... except you are getting paid and likely working harder. Still, might as well be prepared like all the other 'students', right? 

 2. A Little Leisure Reading

             

As well as medical school can prepare a student intellectually for being a practicing physician, there's no substitute for the real thing. All three books above are excellent and describe how the authors made that critical transition in their respective specialties. In fact, the House of God has become so well known that some of the terms coined within entered the general medical lexicon, although usually as kind of an inside joke. 

 3. Or Perhaps Something More Inspirational?

            

When the doldrums of intern year hit (usually around January/February when the novelty has worn off but the light at the end of the tunnel is still somewhat dim, the two books above both provide a big picture look of why we as doctors do what we do. Whether caring for patients in underserved communities in far flung corners of the world or working to turn the arc of a deadly disease, these doctors have made a difference and show us how our daily work is part of the larger whole. Yes, cliche, but sometimes you need those "Hallmark moments" to push you forward as an intern. 

Haha, and if you really want to impress them, buy the Kindle above and preload it with all these titles! That way they can read the book during downtime even at work! 

 4. Something To Make Them Smile

   

And when all else fails, why not try something cuddly? Take it into work and put a smile on the faces of your colleagues and patients!

Looking more ideas? Check out some Match Day gift ideas from years past!


Updated 2015-12-25

5 Healthcare Professional / Medical Student Valentine's Day Gift Ideas

This isn't our first attempt at a Valentine's Day gift guide for med students, but admittedly the last one was a bit gender-biased. For 2012, we're going to try a little different approach, one that may involve a lot heart puns, allusions to cardiology, and other corniness. Or may not. You'll just have to read on to find out!

1. A Stethoscope

Yep, gotta start with the heart (for those scoring at home, that's 1 for the corny rhyme meter). Yes, I know, your loved one already has the plastic $10 stethoscope that can tell if the patient's heart is beating or not... barely. But shouldn't a quality guy or gal work with quality equipment? If they don't have a cardiology grade stethoscope, consider getting them one. It's a gift that they'll use daily in almost any specialty they go into, and one that may potentially last for decades. Read this guide to stethoscopes if you want more background info.

2. Cards... Flash Cards

 And you were thinking cardiology... nope! It's bad pun #2! As much as any med student hates to study, flash cards are an effective way to cram all that information into one's brain. Getting your beloved a soon-to-be beloved set of learning tools is a productive way to help them reach their goals. The pharmacology and ID/microbiology ones are particularly helpful. For you future internists, the Pharm Cards are by the same author as Pocket Medicine (Harvard's Marc Sabatine), the essential guide for any medicine intern or resident.Although, it would be nice to sweeten that pot with....

2b. Cards... Gift Cards

 Haha, kind of takes the sting off of having to study, no?

3. Listen to your Heart

And have your Valentine listen to their new iPod! The Product (RED) iPods donate a portion of the proceeds towards the campaign to help eliminate AIDS (You know Bono from U2, President Bush, and all those Gap t-shirts...)

4. Get that blood pumping

Nothing will get your lover's blood pumping faster than a plush stuffed erythrocyte! Hm, or not, but they just might get a case of the warm fuzzies!

5. Love in the Time of Cholera

And last but not least, for the literary lovebug in your life, might we suggest a non-medical novel? Sure, 100 Year of Solitude is better known, and this book arguably has little to do with infectious diseases ultimately, but it's a good read nonetheless and perhaps a welcome break from the trials and tribulations of modern medicine & medical education. Happy Valentine's Day!

Updated 2015-12-20

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

Med Student Gifts 2010: What To Buy Your Favorite Almost Doctor

As you know, medicine is a 24 x 7 x 365.24 job (yes, you have to be that precise, if not moreso). Over the years, the distinction between workday and day off blurs and then eventually fades into nothingness. If you're on service (on a rotation where you are caring for patients who are admitted to the hospital), then you have patients, and whether you have the day off or not, you are taking care of them. This metamorphosis in mental thinking begins in medical school, especially in the third year, as green medical students hit the wards. Thus, it is incumbent upon their friends and family to remind them around the holiday season that there is life outside the hospital, and the most lasting reminder may be a thoughtful gift. Haha, or at the very least, you can give them the gift of a few extra hours of sleep by buying them something useful they would not have bought otherwise.

There are always classic gift ideas - something fancy, or expensive, or at least shiny. But, in 2010, here are some med student gifts that may be particularly timely. To be helpful, there are two sections below: the gift-wrappable gift and the stocking stuffer (items less than $50). Happy shopping!

Samsung Galaxy Phone

Yes, everyone and their mom wants an iPhone 4, and while it certainly is a remarkable phone, the Samsung line might just be slightly better. The first phone to be released simultaneously on all 4 major US carriers (the Epic 4G on Sprint, the Captivate on AT&T, the Vibrant on T-Mobile, and the Fascinate or Continuum on Verizon), the phone can take advantage of 4G networks when offered and also has a keyboard in some variants (Score: Galaxy 1, iPhone 0). Internationally, the phone is known as the Samsung Galaxy S i9000. The international version features support for SIM cards, for that global health warrior of yours. Featuring the Android OS from Google, the phone is remarkably expandable through OS and app upgrades. The phone can even replace your digital camera and Garmin GPS systems with its turn-by-voice navigation and 5 to 8MP cameras.

Specifically for the medical student, there are many useful apps for medical school available on Android, including Epocrates, Harrison's, and Pocket Medicine. The Google Translate app can also assist you in communicating with patients for whom English is not their primary language. As far as having a phone that is on multiple networks, the ubiquity of the phone makes it easier to share accessories and apps regardless of which network the individual is on. In my opinion, this is the phone of the future.

The Apple iPad

The leader and the standard in tablet PCs for now, the Apple iPad is quickly revolutionizing how people interacts with their PCs. Although the Samsung Galaxy Tab is soon to be released, the iPad is the clear leader in this space. For the medically-minded, imagine reading your medical textbooks all on one slim digital reading machine with full color illustrations and the ability to digital annotate and search the text. Have a question about what you just read? Go online with the swipe of a finger and find the answer instantly.  Bored? Listen to some music on iTunes or play one of the thousands of games available through the App Store. I cannot imagine medical education in 5 years without every student having some device of this nature. Why not provide your favorite junior doctor with one now?

Apple MacBook Pro

The last laptop I purchased (a Dell Inspiron 600m) back in 2005 was meant to get me through med school. And it did - but sadly it is no longer up to the task for residency. So, I decided to go back to my first computer love: Apple. I know, I know, I panned the iPhone above, but there is just no comparison for laptops. Once I decided to check out the Mac, I went to an Apple Store to take one out for a spin. I was quickly sold - but not on the Apple Store. Here's a big tip: buy your laptop online. Why? Well, I bought a 13" MacBook Pro, which retails for $1200. In the store, I would have to pay a total of $1320 including sales tax. What did I do? I went online to amazon.com *in the store*, logged in, bought the same exact laptop, the 13" Apple MacBook Pro, for $1149, period. No sales tax! I saved $170 this way, enough to buy an extra iPod, printer, AND iLife software. Great - a nice deal, but why is this the right laptop for a medical student?

Simple: it rocks. Haha, so you probably need more data. As a medical student, one must often put together presentations on the fly, either describing a disease or a patient history. The MacBook Pro is a multimedia machine. Any medical student can quickly throw together a rich multimedia presentation on, say, renal physiology, in 30 minutes or less with the computer right out of the box. Not only can you make the presentation, but you could present it as well on the 13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with support for millions of colors and 1280x960 resolution. Basically, the screen looks really really nice. Anything a medical student would need a computer to do, this laptop can do.

For the techie med students, the laptop is actually a Unix box and easily dual boot Windows using software like VMWare or Parallels Desktop (note: you'll need your own copy of Windows to do this). Setting up a web server is also a snap with the built-in software and Perl support.

With the lightweight and long battery life and easy to use built-in WiFi support, the laptop can follow the future doctor anywhere in the hospital, or anyplace out in the world where patients need assistance. The laptop provides not only a link to the collected medical wisdom of the world, but also a tool to add to that body of knowledge and improve medical care globally.

Stethoscope

The classic medical student gift, a stethoscope is a doctor's trusty friend through decades of service to humanity. I remember getting my first stethoscope as a birthday present during my first year of medical school. That Littmann Cardiology III served me well during many long nights, running to codes, or rounding the next morning on patients with all kinds of heart and lung problems. A good stethoscope is like a good dog in the hospital: a faithful friend and a constant companion. No matter which stethoscope you get for your loved one, make sure it is one that they will be comfortable using. For more information, check out: What Is The Best Stethoscope To Get For Medical School?

Stocking Stuffers

Perhaps your favorite white-coated do-gooder has all the big ticket items they need to make the world a better place. A sentimental gift can still put a smile on their face and mentally put them in a good place, helping them help others.

Giant Microbes: Neuron

They're plush, they're cute, they're the thinking person's stuffed creature - Giant Microbes! Haha, I'm not the world's biggest stuffed animal / creature fan but I gotta give the creator points for coming up with this idea. Along with the neuron, there's the E. coli, common cold, MRSA, mononucleosis, and many others! Find out which one makes the most sense for your favorite walking/talking petri dish. Yea, you better make sure they wash their hands before and after laying their hands on this gift!

Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer

The long days and longer nights, the endless studying, the incessant pimping (ask your gift recipient what this is if you're curious) - all of them wear on the medical student. If you want to help them stay motivated, I recommend reading Mountains Beyond Mountains, an excellent book by Tracy Kidder documenting the journey and career of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Harvard trained physician working in Haiti. Per Wikipedia, "Paul Farmer (born October 26, 1959) is an American anthropologist and physician, the Presley Professor of Medical Anthropology in the Department of Social Medicine at Harvard University and an attending physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. In May 2009, he was named chairman of Harvard Medical School's Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, succeeding his longtime friend and collaborator Jim Kim. He currently resides in Kigali, Rwanda. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease. Farmer is one of the founders of Partners In Health (PIH), an international health and social justice organization."

The book details Farmer's evolving thinking, starting as a young man entering college at Duke, to a physician-in-training who realized Dr. Martin Luther King's fierce urgency of now and decided to devote his life to serving the world's poorest while maintaining the standards of the world's richest. This quick but engaging read will help raise the forlorn med student's sagging spirits during this season of giving.

Amazon.com Gift Card

From my prior gift guide "Practical Gifts For Medical Students," I noted that "The reality of medical school is that any medical student will have to study A LOT. To do so, this requires textbooks and review guides. An Amazon gift card will help any student easily purchase the texts and reviews they need, which can be a significant cost of medical education for a student, after tuition." Still true even years later - a gift card makes an excellent stocking stuffer. You get to set the price; they pick the gift; everyone's happy with the exchange. The difficulty with buying niche gifts is often that one is unsure what gift would work best - a textbook? A Wii Console to relax after clinic? A gift card lets the doctor-to-be decide what gift is best (my guess - the Wii!). Teehee, seasons greetings everyone!

Updated 2015-12-20

A Medical Holiday Gift Guide / Wish List

Ah, the winter season. A time for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Diwali, and other holidays I am forgetting. A season of giving. But, alas, what to give?

In the past, I've written about practical gifts and must have gifts for medical students and health professionals. This time though, it's just going to be a wish list, plain and simple. Most of it is medically-related, sometimes a stretch, but honestly, some of it just good stuff one might want to have. C'mon, you (or your recipient) is in medical school! A doctor doesn't have to treat only patients all the time - sometimes a doctor should treat themselves too! Now, granted, these are wishes for particular gifts. Maybe you are wishing you were AOA or you could travel the world or perhaps lose weight quickly (quite a challenge in medical school with busy rotations and studying!) Not every wish can be encapsulated by a gift item though. Regardless, hopefully some of these gifts will lift your spirits nonetheless!

The Kindle by Amazon

First up, the Kindle. What's not to love about this device? It's almost as thin as a magazine, can download books wirelessly just about anywhere, holds up to 1500 books, has a super-sharp crisp screen to read, and can even read out loud to you! As a medical student, you can have all your medical reference textbooks in their full-size glory in one easy to carry device. In fact, some medical schools are starting to implement support for Kindle for all their resources (see this blog post about Kindle at Harvard Medical School). Yes, it's a little pricey, but that's a one-time cost - the total cost ends up being cheaper as books cost less on the Kindle. Besides, using a Kindle is environmentally friendly. Heh, and it just looks plain cool. And that's why the Kindle is tops on the wishlist this year.

Flip Video Camera

Those commercials got to me - using a Flip Video Camera to record the goofy moments in life seems fun. From a med student point of view, it's also useful for recording bits of a lecture or perhaps for composing a skit for your school's version of fall follies or senior skits. Not sure what I'm talking about? Clearly you haven't seen Jizz In My Scrubs.

5 in 1 - Neurology Combo Tool

This thing is frickin' awesome. First, the 5 in 1 combo tool just looks way more professional than the standard issue orange reflex hammer. Frankly, I lost mine a while back and have felt none the lesser for it. Second, you can really examine people thoroughly with this device. Instead of making ad hoc solutions to assess pin-prick sensation, you can use an appropriate tool for it. I guess I'm a sucker for gadgets, but the 5 in 1 - Neurology Combo Tool actually seems useful.

Apple iPod Touch

What can I say? The Apple iPod Touch is simply amazing. It plays music, it surfs the webs, it does apps. In some ways, it's even better than an iPhone - no lousy contract, but still get all the perks. From a med student standpoint, it's great because many apps have been developed for the OS that are relevant for medical professionals, and many are free. For example, you can get Epocrates on your iPod Touch now. Many hospitals provide Wifi service, so you can also use your iPod Touch to do research in between rounds. The device basically does it all.

Gift Cards

Still not sure what to get? Heh, can't beat a gift card. Get them something you know they'll love - something they picked out themselves!

Match Day Gift Ideas

What is Match Day?

For those of you who are not aware, Match Day is the day that U.S. medical students (and foreign medical graduates applying for residency positions in the United States) learn where they will be going for internship and residency the following year. The National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) is the entity that coordinates the Match Day process. It begins in the summer of the previous year, when students begin filling out the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) application. They are allowed to submit it after September 1 to programs of their interest. Programs invite applicants for interviews between November and January. After interview season, applicants rank programs on a Rank Order List (ROL) which they submit to NRMP by the end of February. At the same time, programs rank all the applicants they interviewed. Between the end of February and the middle of March, NRMP runs a computer program with the Match algorithm to determine where each applicant matched, and the results are revealed in the middle of March.

The Week of the Match

The Match week follows the same pattern each year. The schedule for the 2009 Match is as follows: on Monday, March 16, applicants are notified by email or on the Web whether or not they matched to some program. They are not notified which program. If they did not match for an preliminary / intern year, advanced position, or categorical position, they will enter the Scramble in an attempt to secure a spot that went unfilled in the regular Match (a topic for another post). By noon on Tuesday, March 17, the list of unfilled programs is released. Match Day ceremonies at medical schools across the nation on Thursday, March 19. At my institution, the basic schedule is: class photo at 10am, speeches til 11am, at which point a board with all our results in envelopes is brought out. At 11, we all rush to the board and rip open our envelopes to find out the results. In the afternoon, there is a party at our Dean's house, followed by a class party that night. Now, for comparison, some other schools have an even more formal ceremony, where each student goes on stage, walks across to a Dean, who hands them an envelope. The student is then required to open the envelope and read the results to the entire audience of classmates, teachers, family, and friends. I am not a fan of that approach. Not only is the process longer, I feel it also violates the student's privacy and right to divulge that information in the manner he or she sees fit. Regardless, most people will be happy enough with the result after four long years of hard work.

Match Day Gift List

Now, for all those family and friends gathered, this is a time of celebration for the soon-to-be M.D. What gift is most appropriate? Frankly, I do not know since the event is still a week away for me, but if anyone out there wants to buy me something, here are some ideas! Heh, I will try to suggest things that I think are generally applicable and hopefully useful for a future intern.

Interns work long hours. It's just a fact. And given that fact, interns drink coffee. Lots of it. What better gift than a single cup than a Black & Decker Personal Coffeemaker with Travel Mug? They are not going to get through morning report without it.

After working all those long hours, interns and residents need something to kick back and relax. How about a Nintendo Wii Console? Or, if they already have one, maybe get them something to play on it, like Rock Band 2. The Wii is especially nice since it requires one to be marginally more active than with other consoles, which interns can use to fool themselves into thinking they exercised for the day.

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Of course, internship is not all fun and games. There is a lot of reading to be done. But, not all of it has to be of the "Harrison's" / Pocket Medicine kind. For the latest in reading technology, check out Amazon's Kindle. As thin as a magazine, and about as light, the Kindle lets you wirelessly download e-books and read them anywhere. While the cost of the Kindle is a bit pricey, the average cost per book is cheaper (about $10). Also, the books download to your Kindle almost instantaneously, so no waiting at a bookstore or waiting for something to ship.

A particularly useful title (that is actually available on the Kindle) is Personal Finance For Dummies. Now, I picked the title because I have enjoyed the 'Dummies' series in the past, but I cannot say I have used this book in particular. My point in including this title is that, for many interns/residents, this is their first real job. Yet, for all their knowledge of medicine, many know very little about personal finance. It is especially important to educate one's self about these issues, as one not only begins to earn a salary but also has to begin repaying student loans. So, while not the 'sexiest' gift, a book on personal finance could turn out to be the most useful.

And, since another 4 years have passed, it may be time for a new laptop. Just a thought =) You reading this, Dad??

While clearly not a comprehensive list, hopefully this gives you a few ideas on some practical gifts for the newly Matched loved one in your life.

Updated 2015-12-18

Medical School Valentine's Day Gift Ideas

Valentine's Day is coming up soon, and even the medical students in your life need some love. Actually, if you believe the reports, medical students are much more depressed than the average population, so they probably need the love more than most. As you may recall from my past effort in this area Practical Gifts For Medical Students: A Holiday Gift Guide, I like getting gifts as much as the next guy, but I prefer a practical gift, one that I will use at least on a monthly basis. Not only are such gifts longer-lasting and more useful, but it reminds me of the person who gave it to me everytime I use it. The memory helps stir positive feelings in me, and helps sustain the connection I have with that person. Then again, a box of chocolates also helps me stay connected with the gift giver as their "gift" is always by my, um, side?

Anyway, giving flowers or jewelry is quite common during Valentine's Day, and I won't discourage anyone from pursuing those items if they have a good idea in mind of what they want to give. However, if you are looking for particular items that are more tied into medical school, I found a few you might like. Some are practical, some are not, but hopefully all intriguing.

Gift Ideas

Apple iPod Shuffle
I cannot begin to explain how money these Apple iPod shuffles are. Med students love the size, the style, and the colors. They are especially good for people who like to hit the gym or jog outside. Basically, it's "cute" and that's all that matters. For the medical connection, well... you could always load them up with Goljan USMLE Step 1 podcasts and study in style.

Nintendo Wii
It is a bit of a stretch to tie a Wii into medicine, but the Wall Street Journal Health Blog recently noted that some surgeons have been using the Wii for training (Surgeons Hone Skills On Nintendo Wii), so... there ya go. If there's still any doubt whether this is practical, perhaps add in a Wii Fit as well just so you know you're getting some exercise out of it.

Gift Card
You know, I was gonna come up with a long list here, but frankly, most med students I think would be happy with a plain ol' gift card. Heck, I was happy playing with the wrapping paper when I was 5, and still am now. On a more serious note, I think any medical student, guy or girl, would be happy with a gift card because they could simply use it to buy textbooks and other study materials of their choosing online. Not the most romantic thought in the world, but certainly quite practical.

Updated 2015-12-18

What To Buy For Medical School (Or Not)

As a medical student, you are often faced with various offers for tools and resources to further your medical education. Are these worthwhile offers? Does one really need to have this latest gadget in order to treat patients? Well, here is a quick guide on what to buy for medical school, and what not to purchase. 

What To Buy As A Medical Student:

* First Aid for the USMLE Step 1
* Pocket Medicine

* Stethoscope

* ... that's about it. Almost everything else you can borrow and then return once the course or rotation is done.

What Not To Buy As A Medical Student:

* Fancy Ophthalmoscope - You will spend hundreds of dollars on a tool you will use only once or twice your first year. Then, you'll enter clinics and realize that the places where you really need an ophthalmoscope, they will provide one free of charge. Your scope will collect dust at home. And you will probably never see the optic disc properly anyway. 

Heh, unless of course you want to go into ophthalmology (or do international work). Then, by all means, please buy a real good ophthalmoscope so that maybe someday you'll see that disc!

* Heavy physiology textbook - Oh, your cover was so shiny; your illustrations, very clear. I used you for two weeks, passed my test, and now have a $80 door stop. Thank you, heavy physiology textbook.

* PDA - You were personal. You were digital. You were assistant-y. Yet, I never could whip you out fast enough to prevent the lacunae in my knowledge to be unveiled during a pimp session. 

* Beeper - Beeper, beeper, wherefore art thy beeps? I used to lie awake at night, waiting for that stat page from the intern, summoning me and my massive intellect to the ER. Yet, the page never came. Sadness. Also, why is it that in this day and age, only medical personnel and drug dealers still use beepers? Hmm... 

There you have it: Scrub Notes Medical Student Guide On What To Buy For Medical School (Or Not). Enjoy!