Adrianne's Top 20 Gifts for Nurses from Amazon

Well, folks, Christmas is just around the corner but it’s not too late to buy your favorite nurse an interesting, useful, or fun gift. Today I’m going to let you in on my Top 20 Favorite Gifts for Nurses from Amazon.

In no particular order, these are my favorites. Some of these items I own and love, while others are taken directly from my real-life wish list.

  1. I am a perpetually dehydrated tech nerd and I am in love with this water bottle. The ICEWATER 3-in-1 Smart Water Bottle glows to remind you to drink water. Um, also, this bottle has a built in Bluetooth speaker. Even though I’m in the throes of winter here in the Midwest US, i’m already having daydreams of hanging out at a summer BBQ drinking my water and having an impromptu picnic table dance party with this bottle. The ad specifies that if you put it on a wooden table it improves the bass. Picnic. table. bass. yes.

  2. I’ll be the first to tell you I love all things that make my feet feel good. I spend a lot of time walking on very hard hospital floors for 12 to 13 hours at a time. I have a number of foot rollers that I’ve bought over the years to help me cope with my aching dogs. This one is by far my favorite of all the Foot Massage Rollers. I usually keep it under my desk at home and just roll my feet, one at a time, until they feel normal again. It really is pleasurable, more so with socks on than barefooted. After really brutal shifts, i’ll put it in a ziploc bag and chill it before I use it. It’s super low-tech with high payoff.

  3. All nurses know how brutal we are to our hands, from constant washing and hand-sanitizer use to donning and doffing exam gloves for most of our day. I’ve used a wide variety of hand creams at various price points, and this one is, by far, my favorite and a repeat purchase item. L'Occitane 20% Shea Butter Hand Cream is a perfect stocking-stuffer for the hardest-working set of hands you know.

  4. Now let’s not get too serious people. We are all adults here and some twisted humor is to be expected in our high-stress line of work. Make your nurse pals smile with the Nurse Coloring Book: Sweary Midnight Edition. Some days it’s nice to zone out and color your favorite curse word. Just don’t leave this at the nurses station. In fact, maybe leave this one at home.

  5. Whether your nurse pal works day shift or night shift, no one wants a rude awakening from an alarm clock. Help them float out of their slumber gently and more naturally with the Sunrise Alarm Clock, Wake Up Light. You can set this simply designed alarm clock to slowly brighten over the course of 30 minutes, and you can set the end brightness and color. I think I would love this, especially in these Northern-hemisphere winter months when the sun is increasingly elusive behind the gray sky.

  6. After working in a hospital for 13 years, I am obsessed with keeping my feet comfortable - so much that I mention it twice in this list. Even though I buy good shoes, every shoe can be made better with some nice insoles. These Physix Gear Sport Full Length Orthotic Inserts with Arch Support are my favorite of all those I’ve tried, and I keep repurchasing them every few months to keep them bouncy.

  7. I’ve tried a TON of scrub pants and I’m a super picky shopper these days. The women’s scrub pants that I’ve deemed are the perfect ones for my short, curvy frame are the Cherokee iflex Women's Mid Rise Straight Leg Pull-On Scrub Pant. They’re comfy like a yoga pant with a wide comfy waist band, dual, discreet cargo pockets on the leg, deep side pockets, and a smooth backside (I hate booty pockets - contents always end up in, or almost-in, the toilet). The fabric is nice and no one knows they’re scrub pants when I wear them to the gym or on a plane, both which I’ve done.

  8. Any nurse can tell you there are days they’ve come home and wanted to instantly scrub the grossness of their shift from their skin. I’ve found that my face always feels clean and smooth after a little polish with my Dermatologica Daily Microfoliant. It’s gentle and I use it almost every day. While it’s on the pricey side, a little goes a long way and a bottle last me a very long time.

  9. I’m a a reusable-straw-using, iced tea and coffee drinker, and I love making my own at home. I am also always struggling to find the right lid for my insulated cups and mason jars. When I discovered these O-Sip! Silicone Straw Lids, I felt like they were designed just for me. I bet a sipping nurse near you would love these as much as I do.

  10. I am a podcast freak and I especially love listening to nursing podcasts while I move around my apartment and get ready for work. I’m always annoyed when I have to take my earbuds out or to switch over to a Bluetooth speaker to shower. I kid you not, I love these Waterproof MP3 Player Swim Headphones because I don’t have to make the switch at all. These beauties come with me while I get clean. While this is not a tragic problem that I’ve solved, it really makes me happy to be able to listen to an episode without interruption and volume adjustment when switching between devices.

  11. In the spirit of buying durable items that we can reuse over items that are disposable, let’s give three cheers for the  USB Rechargeable Nursing Penlight Flashlights. This sleek, durable, rechargeable pen light is any nurses’ trusty companion for examination. As a night nurse, my light is one of my most used items. Once I found this I vowed never again to buy a cheap $5 disposable pen light.

  12. One day, my unit’s very expensive Vein Finder broke and I had a patient assignment with several challenging blood draws. After struggling and making my patients unhappy with multiple vein sticks, I went on the hunt for an affordable, reasonably helpful vein finding device. Now I own and love the Illumivein Portable Red LED Flashlight Vein Finder Transilluminator. It’s not as powerful as it’s more expensive cousins, but it is quite helpful if you learn to use it properly. I’ve used it more than a few times to trace the path of a vein to ensure an accurate stick. You can also buy disposable covers for this device to prevent cross-contamination. I’ve been Sani-wiping mine and it hasn’t broken yet, (tho i’m not sure the company would condone me Sani-wiping it).

  13. I am a proud and loyal Tile user, in fact, I have a tile on my keys, my stethoscope, my wallet, and my bike. I can also use the app and all my tile devices to find my cell phone and my iPad. Once I lost my stethoscope under a pile of hospital blankets and I was able to recover it by making the attached tile play music which I triggered in the app. My patient thought it was a delightful way to find my lost item. The best news is that now it’s the Tile Mate with Replaceable Battery, though you can still opt to buy the old ones and mail them back when the batter runs low. Buy a 4-pack for your favorite nurse and they’ll thank you for all the time and recovered items you’ve saved.

  14. All nurses have those days where their patients try their patience. Most nurses know how nice it is to have a chuckle and a glass of their favorite vino after a long day. Because Patients Funny Stemless Wine Glass 15oz is a cute gift for your favorite wine and cocktail drinking nurses.

  15. I had a nurse pal who had a hard start to her career on the hospital unit, and this little Watchover Voodoo The Nurse Good Luck Doll was just the thing she needed to lift her spirits and keep going. This little dollie is creepy and adorable and sometimes giving her a hard squeeze is good stress relief.

  16. Much like my feet, my neck is a big focus in my day to day life. I’ve bought a number of items for keeping my sore muscles from aching. The LuxFit Neck and Shoulder Shiatsu Deep Tissue Trigger Point Manual Self Muscle Massage is a device that I never knew I needed. This little gadget keeps me loose and feeling good between visits to my massage therapist.

  17. I believe that I have met some of the funniest and best people in my nursing career and I’m glad I had the presence of mind to keep a record of many of the interactions that have made me smile. My Quotable Patients - The Funniest Things Patients Say: A Journal to collect Quotes, Memories, and Stories of your Patients is a great gift for new and seasoned nurses alike. It’s never too late to start documenting silly and funny things to look back upon during those times when it’s hard to keep going.

  18. My work bag is like Mary-Poppins’ magic carpet bag. I’ve got tons of useful stuff in there. But it’s not useful when I can’t find anything. I love the Funkysky Rechargeable Purse Light . With a gentle thump on the table the light activates and illuminates the bottom of my bag so I can find that thing I’ve been digging for with ease. Every time someone sees me use it they want to know where to get one for themselves.

  19. This is probably my favorite thing that I own and I credit so many restful sleeps to this eye mask. The Wellerly Bluetooth V4.2 Sleeping Eye Mask with Headphones is so comfortable and the Bluetooth connects instantly to my phone. I put on a little ASMR or soft music and I’m out like a light. The mask stays put all day long even though I’m a pretty thrashy sleeper. I can see myself buying another just for travel.

  20. I credit a patient of mine with finding this awesome pillow. She sung its praises with helping her get comfortable all the time and I immediately had to put this on the Christmas wish list. You can by the Cheer Collection Down Alternative Premium V Pillow with Zippered Cover in a J, L, U or V shape. I’m a V-shape lover myself. I can’t wait til this thing is delivered. It will only take a couple days since I have Amazon Prime!


Well, folks, that’s all 20 of my favorite gifts for nurses that you can cruise at Amazon.com
I’d love for you to click on the links above and complete your holiday shopping. Nursing Uncensored is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to ear fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Even if you do not purchase the above items, any shopping you do via these links helps support Nursing Uncensored and keeps it going. Thank you for your ongoing support.

I’d love to hear if there are items on my list that you own and love, or if there are things you’d like to buy now that you’ve heard my testimony.

Happy shopping!
P.S. It should go without saying that the things we should be most grateful for are not things that have price tags. Enjoy those you love this season, and if there are no people in your life that you love, I encourage you to give to your community and those less fortunate than you. Happy holidays, whatever you celebrate!

- Adrianne


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