Medical students are one of the busiest students in most universities.
Imagine going for lectures early in the morning and coming back very late in the evening, attending practicals, and sacrificing a lot of leisure periods for personal studies just to become a medical doctor and graduate with a very good result.
For the stress medical students pass through, they deserve lots of care and concern which can come in form of gifts.
But do you know the best gifts for first year medical students?
Knowing what gifts to buy for a medical student and where to buy them, especially for a first-year medical student can really be a hard decision to make.
The art of gifting should not be done just for the sake of it. If you really care about someone, then you should consider giving them items they would really find useful.
For a medical student, any item, gadget, book, or device that would help them in passing their medical exam with less stress would suffice.
And being a medical student myself, I am in the right position to tell you what most medical students will find beneficial when it is given to them as a gift.
And in this article, I will be writing on the best gift ideas for first year medical students. Those medical students that recently got admission into medical school.
And whether you are looking for a Christmas gift for a medical student, funny gifts for medical students, or just a regular gift, you will find every item on this list helpful.
Table of Contents
- 17 Best Gifts For First Year Medical Students
- 1. A FIRST-YEAR MEDICAL JOURNAL/GUIDE
- 2. A MEDICAL LABORATORY COAT
- 3. A MEDIC BACKPACK
- 4. A CLINICAL WRISTWATCH
- 5. STETHOSCOPE
- 6. MEDICAL TEXTBOOKS
- 7. PERSONAL COMPUTER (PC)
- 8. A COMFORTABLE PAIR OF SNEAKERS
- 9. NOISE-CANCELING EARBUDS
- 10. FACE MASK
- 11. MEDICAL RADIATION KIT
- 12. A RECHARGEABLE LAMP
- 13. DIGITAL HIGHLIGHTER
- 14. A DISSECTING SET
- 15. SUTURE PRACTICE KIT
- 16. CUSTOM HYDRO BOTTLE
- 17. HAND SANITIZERS
- IN CONCLUSION
17 Best Gifts For First Year Medical Students
Based on my own personal experience and what I have found most first year medics to find useful in their daily life, I have come up with a list of what you can call the best gift ideas for medical students, especially in their first year.
The Best Gift Ideas For Medical Students Include:
- A first year medical journal
- A medical laboratory coat
- A clinical wristwatch
- A medics backpack
- Stethoscope
- Medical books
- Personal computer
- A laptop or PC
- A comfortable pair of sneakers
- Noise-canceling earbuds
- Face mask pack
- Medical radiation kit
- Rechargeable lamp
- Digital highlighter
- Dissection set
- Suture practice kit
- Custom hydro bottle
- Hand sanitizers
1. A FIRST-YEAR MEDICAL JOURNAL/GUIDE
First-year medical students get exposed to a lot of information, procedures, and terminologies which might seem really boring or bulky to them. But buying a first-year Medical student’s guide enables them to get familiar with most of these procedures and terminologies very easily.
First-year medical students are easily recognized on campus with the way they react to stress that’s why they call them newbies in medical schools, but buying this first-year medical journal makes them gets more exposed to information very easily and this Journal also provides step-by-step guidelines on how to survive in a medical school.
Different medical schools may have their own journal or code of conduct shared with all students often called a ‘first year’s starter guide’. But in my case, I never got any.
But I know of a guide that every first year medic will find very useful.
2. A MEDICAL LABORATORY COAT
The Medical lab coat is one of the basic requirements for entering a medical school, especially for first-year medical students. It protects the body from having direct contact with chemicals or cadavers during practical sections.
Asides from the protective functions, medical lab coats also motivate a first-year medical student and to prove that, when I was still a freshman in Med school, whenever I look at myself dressed in my laboratory coat or scrub, I feel really triggered to study more and harder because it reminds me of my passion to become a medical doctor and what it feels like to be in medical school.
Factors to consider before buying a quality medical lab coat:
- The Quality of the material used: this determines how protective it will be, laboratory coats are best if they are thick and comfy.
- Sleeves should cover the arms: They are called laboratory coats because they are used during practical classes and are meant to protect the body against dangerous substances. Therefore, they are meant to cover the whole body and should be body fitted to avoid accidents.
These are to mention just two. But to get a good lab coat as a gift for a first year medical student is quite difficult. But we have reviewed some of the best lab coats for medical students so you can easily make a buying decision.
3. A MEDIC BACKPACK
Medical students are always known for carrying a lot of materials, big textbooks, and sometimes devices such as clinical thermometers, sphygmomanometers, and lots more due to tight schedules.
One of the problems I faced during my first year was moving these materials around, but when I got to my second year I was introduced to this medic backpack.
This medic backpack not only has a lot of compartments to carry large items but it also enables you to carry them very lightly and with ease. And you can check it out here.
4. A CLINICAL WRISTWATCH
Medical students, especially first year medical students face a lot of challenges in creating a balance between their health and their studies. They are always busy reading Anatomy, physiology, and lots of materials which eventually makes them forget about their health.
This device is specifically designed to check the body vitals very easily and give necessary alerts for body emergency needs such as water during dehydration or food during starvation and sometimes reduces the amount of time they fall sick.
This helps them save time and money they spend on medical checkups and hospital visits. And then channel this time to active studies.
I know of such a watch that can help you achieve this easily.
5. STETHOSCOPE
One of the things that triggered me to study medicine was the gift my best friend gave me when I was in high school which was a toy stethoscope and the dream of every medical student is to finally hear the heartbeat of a patient using a stethoscope.
Stethoscopes are majorly used to check the heart rates of patients and are mostly used during clinical years but are sometimes used also during practical classes like physiology, so buying this for a first year medical student gives them more understanding of how to use a stethoscope even before their clinical years.
Here is my best pick of quality stethoscopes suitable for a first year medical student.
6. MEDICAL TEXTBOOKS
This is one of the most valuable gifts to give medical students. Textbooks enable the students to study more about what is taught in the classroom.
Medical textbooks bring a wider knowledge and understanding of what is treated during lectures. Examples of medical textbooks include Keith Moore (Gross Anatomy textbook), Clinical physiology, and lots more.
There is a separate post for recommended medical textbooks on this blog.
For a medical student, the time spent on personal readings must be more than the hours of lectures they receive to enhance more understanding and this requires getting textbooks or handouts for each course, getting a textbook for a first year medical student is like you investing in the course.
7. PERSONAL COMPUTER (PC)
The world has gone digital, and as a freshman, in medical school, you need to get a lot of information and even attend some lectures and tutorials online.
In my experience, I have never seen someone who made it through medical school without a laptop.
Recently, I was having a conversation with a friend and I was telling him to teach me more about suturing and he said I don’t need a mentor for that because YouTube is a school.
A medical student needs to be very digital and that can only be done with the use of a portable PC or a good iPad, this enables you to gather more resources online and get more medical tips that keep your memory updated.
Looking for a great laptop that will serve your medical friend till his final year? This one will do.
8. A COMFORTABLE PAIR OF SNEAKERS
This might sound really trivial but these are things that make medical school less stressful.
As a first year medical student, you are expected to pass through a lot of registration, seminars, and orientations which require you to move from one place to another.
Sneakers also make you look smart and reduce leg pains because they protect the ankle and the knee joint from getting dislocated or injured.
Sneakers are also very comfortable to wear during morning workouts or physical training sessions. I recommend these multi-purpose sneakers as a perfect gift for a first year medical student.
9. NOISE-CANCELING EARBUDS
Does this sound trivial?
No, because as a fresh student in medical school, sometimes you might find it difficult reading in a noisy environment and this helps in reducing external distractions.
This will really help during medical examinations or preparing for medical presentations. As for me, I use dangobuds, and I know medics will find it really helpful.
10. FACE MASK
Really, I have a lot of terrible experiences during my first year of Anatomy practical classes, I found odors from cadavers and formalin really irritating, but a clinical facemask can be of very great help.
Clinical facemasks are used during practicals to avoid unnecessary side effects from chemicals such as Formalin, ammonia, etc.
In addition, face masks are also very effective against the spread of diseases and infection.
Getting a pack of face masks for your Medic friend will serve them really well and save them lots of money too. And I recommend these ones.
11. MEDICAL RADIATION KIT
During Radiology practicals, getting a better radiation kit apart from the one provided is very advisable.
A lot of harmful radiation is emitted during radiology practicals which are very dangerous to the immune system.
12. A RECHARGEABLE LAMP
First year medical students spend most of the hours of the day attending lectures, orientation programs, and going about for registrations and sometimes find it difficult having personal studies during the day.
Some medical students like me find it difficult to read during the day, so the best possible solution is to get a rechargeable lamp that will enable them to study conveniently at night.
Don’t worry about this if you live in a city with an uninterrupted power supply.
But for those of us who are studying medicine in areas laden with darkness…lol.
13. DIGITAL HIGHLIGHTER
Getting a digital highlighter is one of the most amazing gift ideas for a first-year medical student especially medical students suffering from eye defects such as dyslexia.
Digital highlighters have a feature that gives a text-to-speech outcome of any material such as textbooks or handouts.
Therefore one of the best gifts for medical students who struggle to recall details while reading or who has a congenital reading anomaly like dyslexia.
Students with dyslexia do not have problems with intelligence, but with reading. They tend to skip certain words while reading and that is where this device comes in handy.
Here is a collection of the best digital highlighters I have seen and their prices speak for them. What a gift for people who need them.
14. A DISSECTING SET
A first-year medical student attends anatomy practical sessions and to have a proper understanding of the human body, they are allowed to dissect the human body with the dissecting tools.
The dissecting set contains necessary tools that are used during dissection e.g. Scalpel, blades, etc.
Buying these enables the first-year medical student to practice using the tool and eventually helps them during their clinical years. You can get one here at a discounted price.
15. SUTURE PRACTICE KIT
Constant practice brings perfection, medical students don’t have to be in their clinical years before they start learning to suture. This is why a suture practice kit is one of the perfect gift ideas for medical students.
Many clinical students find it very difficult when it comes to suturing. Getting this kit for a first year medical students makes them better during their clinical years and post-graduation. A suture practice kit is a must for every aspiring surgeon, so get one for your medic friends today.
16. CUSTOM HYDRO BOTTLE
Medics don’t have to waste a lot of money buying hot coffee all the time when you can prepare your own to your suitable taste.
All they need to do is to get a Hydro bottle that will keep their coffee hot and very easy to carry.
Hydro bottles can be used to carry any kind of liquid because are built and structured in such a way that they will maintain the temperature of the contents inside of them.
This will be an excellent gift for first year medical students, especially during harmattan seasons.
17. HAND SANITIZERS
Get this for your first year medical student to reduce the rate of him or her getting infected.
It is hygienic to get your hand sanitized every day, especially after practical classes. If you really care for your first year medical student, get this for them.
Gifts for Doctors and Medical Students – Free Shipping – Lifetime WarrantyAlso, Read; Best gifts for medical residents
IN CONCLUSION
There are truck loads of many other best gift ideas for first year medical students. But of course, you do not expect me to keep listing them all. One unique thing about my list is that they are actually medical school essentials; things medical students actually need in their daily life.
Getting a gift for a first year medical student might sound trivial but sometimes can go a very long way in saving them from emotional stress or depression and also gives them a remembrance that they are loved, get an amazing gift today.
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