30 Awesome Gifts for Stressed-Out Healthcare Workers
A 2022 gift guide for front liners who are so very tired...
Need a gift for a stressed-out healthcare worker in your life?
Thank you for thinking of us!
Healthcare workers have been working extra hard for too many years to count at this point. 2022 has been no exception. On top of Covid, 2022 brought a monkeypox outbreak (or MPOX), the loss of abortion rights for millions of Americans, more gun violence, and now a triple-demic of Covid, influenza, and RSV. Many folks in pediatric hospitals are picking up extra shifts to accommodate the surge of RSV and influenza, and dealing with serious drug and supply shortages. With no extended time to decompress, healthcare workers are still exhausted this holiday season.
On with the gift ideas!
FYI These aren’t affiliate links, just stuff I like.
First, public health!
Get your flu shot and COVID booster: If there’s only one thing you do this year to support healthcare workers, get vaccinated against influenza and COVID. Seriously, this is the only gift I really want this year. Get vaccinated so you can be home with your family and friends this year, rather than hanging with us in the hospital. Vaccines are often free with insurance or through your local county health department.
Wear a mask! I know many people wish this weren’t still a thing, but it really does halp reduce the spread of infections. N95s and KN95s give you the best protection. Cloth masks may be cute, but they don’t work very well.
Wash your hands! Here are instructions on how to wash your hands and tips on enjoying hand washing time. Travel hand santizer, bar soap, and liquid soap - whatever you have handy. At home, I’m a sucker for Hand in Hand’s Cactus Blossom Bar Soap.
Body Care
Neck tension reliever: I have a lot of chronic neck tightness and frequent headaches, especially after a long day in the operating room or an overnight transplant. I just love using this neck release tool. It has two pressure points in each of three different widths so I can find just the right spot to rest my achy neck.
Back and Neck massager: A colleague gave me one of these as a gift, and it’s fabulous. The two massagers heat up and apply good pressure to sore muscles. It’s not too thick, so it’s easy to use on the couch or in bed.
CeraVe Moisturizing Creme: I keep a tub of CeraVe Moisturizing Cream in my locker at work and on my nightstand at home. It goes on thick, but absorbs pretty quickly. Really helps with my dry skin.
Fresh Rose Deep Hydration Face Creme: I’m generally pretty low-key with my skincare, but I love how this rose skin cream feels and smells. I’m generally opposed to spending this much on skin care, so I even made a DIY version of it one year. While the creme I made was lovely, I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as the original.
Work Supplies
Ring Holder Necklace: We can’t wear jewelry on our hands in the operating room, and people have come up with all sorts of ways to try not to lose their wedding rings. Unfortunately, I know more than a few people who tied or pinned their rings to their scrubs, only to throw them into the hospital laundry by accident. This necklace is a clever way to hold a ring and keep it flat against your chest.
Badge Reels: Hospitals rely heavily on badge scanners to control who can get to what parts of the building (like operating rooms), so having a retractable badge holder is super handy. Unfortunately, I’ve broken so many badge reels over the years, that I started keeping a box of these in my locker at work.
Goggles: Eye protection is so important - nobody wants body fluids in their eyes. Not only is it gross, but then you have to visit occupational health and deal with exposure protocols. Let’s avoid that. I’m a fan of these goggles that look like glasses (but with better side protection). I also used these adjustable goggles from NoCry for years - they don’t look as good but are very comfortable.
Good Quality Pens: In the operating room, I need to label lots of things - syringes, fluid lines, etc. - I like a tidy workstation. So a good, waterproof, Ultra Fine Point Sharpie marker makes that easy and pleasant. You could get them in all black, but I like a rainbow assortment for fun. These novelty drug pens would make great stocking stuffers.
Sleep Care
Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto: I can’t tell you how excited I am that The Nap Ministry’s Tricia Hersey published this book. I’ve been a fan of napping and protecting my sleep for many, many years, but I used to feel guilty about it, like resting made me lazy. I’ve followed The Nap Ministry for years on social media, and Hersey’s consistent messages have been crucial in my deeper and fuller commitment to rest, naps, and sleep as a crucial tool against weariness.
Eye Mask: It’s so hard for me to sleep for very long during the day. I wear an eye mask to keep the light out. I use one (similar to this one) that has memory foam to cushion around my eyes and keep more light out.
Pillow Cube: I am a side sleeper, and I was waking up with neck pain despite trying several other pillows. I’ve been using a Pillow Cube for about a year and I can’t imagine sleeping on anything else. It is just the right height to keep my neck in a more neutral position.
Ear Plugs: I really like to keep the noise to a minimum when I’m resting, and ear plugs really help, though I don’t let myself wear them when I’m on call. I have tiny ears, so I use the Mack’s Slim Fit Earplugs. As an anesthesiologist, I take hearing protection very seriously - I need to be able to tell the differences among many beeps and boops in the operating room. When I go to concerts or other loud places, I wear these Eargasm earplugs to protect my eardrums. Here’s a round-up of plenty of other options for you to consider.
Blackout Curtains: OK, maybe that’s a weird gift for someone. Maybe you’re a healthcare worker and you need permission to get blackout curtains for yourself - seriously, treat yourself, you deserve to rest.
Weighted Blanket: Full disclosure, I don’t own a weighted blanket. I stayed at a friend’s house recently, and they had one, and IT WAS HEAVENLY. I have a heavy-ish blanket at home and I really enjoy feeling extra cozy.
Cozy Wear
Heated Vest: I’m one of those people who wants a heated seat in the care most the time. It’s a cruel reality that I chose a job where I sit in a freezing cold operating room most days (wishing I could have my own personal Bair Hugger). In the winter, I swap out my scrub shirt for a larger size so I can wear this heated vest under my required OR garb. The rechargeable battery pack doubles as a backup phone charger. Seriously, warmth is the luxury I need.
Novelty Socks: I love to amuse my colleagues and patients with my silly socks. Conscious Step has nifty socks that support various social causes. I also have a great set of Bombas socks with rainbows for Pride. Wearing fun socks aslo reminds me of the Aussie group Crazy Socks 4 Docs - which supports mental health support for healthcare workers.
Compression Socks: Some of my favorite socks for a long overnight shift are Sockwell’s Moderate Graduated Compression Socks. My legs definitely feel less tired when I wear them.
Girlfriend Collective FLOAT Ultralight leggings: These leggings feel like butter. I can wear them to lay around the house, or throw a tunic on and be out the door. I wear these A LOT, and they have proven to be pretty durable. I appreciate Girlfriend’s attention to the environment with its production and packaging.
Tasty Treats
Coffee: You simply can’t go wrong with coffee for most of us healthcare workers. When I’m up before the sun and the house is quiet, I love starting my day with a coffee preparation ritual. I’m a huge fan of Oakland, CA based Mother Tongue Coffee and Red Bay Coffee. Both offer awesome monthly subscriptions. On a side note, this Coffee & Anesthesiology shirt speaks to me.
Herbal Tea: After my beloved dog, Scout, died in June 2022, my residency pal sent me a Chaga tea called “Burnout Blocker.” I wish I could effectively treat my cyclic burnout and periodic grief with tea, but regardless, this stuff tastes delicious with just the right amount of cinnamon and ginger. It’s caffeine free, making it perfect for drinking after work, when it’s too ealy for my bedtime Chamomile & Lavender tea.
Prepared Healthy Meals: Everyone’s gotta eat. After years of stress from the pandemic and the churn of working in healthcare, I don’t have the energy to meal prep and shop and prep and clean. So much easier to eat a fistful of leftover Halloween candy! I used Thisle.co for years, and I think it’s time to go back to an autopilot salad-based diet.
Chocolate: I’m not giving up delicious things just because I start eating salad again! Getting a box of See’s candy as a holiday gift growing up was the height of luxury (I still try to avoid the nuts hidden in any box of truffles). I love giving high-quality small boxes of chocolates as holiday gifts. Small boxes are enough to be special, but also not so much that if you binge on them you feel like crap.
Extras
Octavia Butler quote pins: “All that you touch, you change. All that you change changes you.” Octavia Butler, the Grand Dame of Science Fiction, is one of my absolute favorite authors. I love wearing these little pins on my fleece jacket as I walk around the hospital, as little reminders that what I’m doing matters - as I serve my patients, they are changing me too. While I’m waxing ecstatic on the great author, check out E. Alex Jung’s essay The Spectacular Life of Octavia Butler. If you haven’t ever read her work, check out this starter guide from the New York Public Library.
Capri Blue Volcano Candle: I’m not into many scented things, but this candle is one of my favorites. I am especially partial since it’s one of the few scented things I’m not allergic to. (This candle from Coffee & Motivation amuses me - “Doctor: Because Badass Life Saver Isn’t a Job Title” - but I have no idea what it smells like. They have a similar candle for nurses, and a funny one for your favorite medical student.)
F’s to Give: I joked on Twitter that I had no more fucks to give, so a friend sent me some. Healthcare workers are generally out of fucks to give, so you could give them a few and a good laugh this holiday season. You can pair it with this hilarious song on the same issue.
ICU Life: A Snarky Coloring Book: I came across a copy of this ICU coloring book in the hospital and had a good laugh. This swear-focused coloring book also looks fun. Sometimes you just need to swear to let off the rage.
Best for Last
Handwritten Note: A handwritten message is such a treasure. I am lucky to have a few other healthcare workers and non-healthcare workers as pen pals - sending each other postcards and notes. The slow, tactile nature of pen on paper adds an extra special touch to a gift.
I hope you got some good gift ideas for the healthcare workers in your life!
Consider subscribing for more Poppies & Propofol right in your mailbox.
