Graduation gift for med student

[mortomo]

My son is graduating from medical school in May.  I want to get him something special/memorable that he will always have as a keepsake. I was planning to get him a nice watch from Original Grain, but when I kind of hinted around about it to be sure, he said he probably wouldn't wear a watch very often. 

He mainly wears t-shirts and jeans, likes to be outdoors, go hiking and work out.   He's getting married next year and will be moving in a couple of months about 4 hrs away for his residency (renting).  He's been on his own for 4 yrs now, so he doesn't really need any household items.  My parents are giving him a framed print from an area he enjoys visiting, so I don't want to go that route. He has a home office, so something to hang up/display in there would work.

I'm at a loss and cannot think of anything, so I'm hoping someone might have an idea (I've scrolled through Etsy a few times for ideas).  I really want it to be special because I'm so proud of him. I don't really want to spend more than $300, preferably less.

Any ideas?

[eddy]

What about a nice frame/matte for his diploma? Those can get pretty spendy and normally not something one wants to buy for themselves.

[celeste]

When I graduated with my Ph.D., my mom gave me a nice fountain pen with Dr. LastName engraved on it and a frame for my diploma.

[expectantsteelerfan]

My dh (who is a dr.) said a nice pen or a frame for diploma would be nice (he still hasn't hung up/framed most of his diplomas). Or a piece of equipment that he might need in whatever specialty he's going into (like a pediatric stethoscope or sphgymomanometer) if he doesn't already have one.

[mortomo]

Mar 29, 2021 15:12:19 GMT -5 eddy said:

What about a nice frame/matte for his diploma? Those can get pretty spendy and normally not something one wants to buy for themselves.

His school is actually giving each student one as a gift.  I'm not sure of the quality since he doesn't have it yet.  If it's cheap looking maybe I'll get him a nicer one.

[keweenawlove]

A work laptop bag or backpack? My mom got my a Coach laptop bag when I finished my PhD.

Depending on his specialty, if he's going to have to dress up a lot, a suit from Indochino could be cool. There's usually codes that bring the cost to around $200.

[starburst604]

I was going to suggest matte/frame as well, and maybe more than one. That way when he finishes residency he'll have a matching frame for that certificate, and maybe even another for his board certification. I took a cruise through the offices of the doctors I work for after reading this for ideas lol.

[rubytue]

There was a medtwitter movement just before match week to fulfill wishlist for first generation a POC med grades. Maybe scroll through those wishlists for ideas?

[eddy]

What specialty is he going into? Dressy or scrubs?

[expectantsteelerfan]

My dh also says Allbirds are the most comfortable shoes he's ever owned, and he wished he had them when he went through residency. So a pair of Allbirds shoes.

[mortomo]

Mar 29, 2021 15:17:19 GMT -5 expectantsteelerfan said:

My dh (who is a dr.) said a nice pen or a frame for diploma would be nice (he still hasn't hung up/framed most of his diplomas). Or a piece of equipment that he might need in whatever specialty he's going into (like a pediatric stethoscope or sphgymomanometer) if he doesn't already have one.

I had asked him if he was going to need a new stethoscope and he said the one he has now is good (he has a Littmann cardiology stethoscope).  He's going to be an ER doctor, so I'm not sure if he's going to need any special type of equipment. 

Maybe I'll check out nice pens. 

[mortomo]

Mar 29, 2021 15:19:58 GMT -5 keweenawlove said:

A work laptop bag or backpack? My mom got my a Coach laptop bag when I finished my PhD.

Depending on his specialty, if he's going to have to dress up a lot, a suit from Indochino could be cool. There's usually codes that bring the cost to around $200.

He'll be in the ER, so he'll just be wearing scrubs every day.

[mortomo]

Mar 29, 2021 15:23:24 GMT -5 expectantsteelerfan said:

My dh also says Allbirds are the most comfortable shoes he's ever owned, and he wished he had them when he went through residency. So a pair of Allbirds shoes.

I'll have to check those out.  He has some shoes right now that he got to wear on his rotations,  but I'm sure he could always use another pair of comfortable shoes.

[mortomo]

Mar 29, 2021 15:21:51 GMT -5 eddy said:

What specialty is he going into? Dressy or scrubs?

Emergency medicine,  so scrubs

[mortomo]

Mar 29, 2021 15:20:54 GMT -5 rubytue said:

There was a medtwitter movement just before match week to fulfill wishlist for first generation a POC med grades. Maybe scroll through those wishlists for ideas?

Thank you,  I will check it out!

[mortomo]

Mar 29, 2021 15:20:29 GMT -5 starburst604 said:

I was going to suggest matte/frame as well, and maybe more than one. That way when he finishes residency he'll have a matching frame for that certificate, and maybe even another for his board certification. I took a cruise through the offices of the doctors I work for after reading this for ideas lol.

Thanks!  I will look into nice frames.

[esdreturns]

Goodness, I can't believe your DS is graduating from Med school! I remember when he was still a teen!

Congrats to him!!

[badgerwrangler]

What about some outdoor gear? An Arc'teryx jacket would be around that price range and will last forever. My dentist (and outdoorsy) husband loves any sort of gift like that. I can get a specific recommendation from him if you are interested in that.

[mortomo]

Mar 29, 2021 15:37:10 GMT -5 esdreturns said:

Goodness, I can't believe your DS is graduating from Med school! I remember when he was still a teen!

Congrats to him!!

Hey!  Thanks! Time just flies, doesn't it?  How old are your kids now?

[eddy]

I love the idea of a nice commuter bag. If he is working ER shifts he might not necessarily have his own office. Something nice he can bring what he needs for a shift would be helpful. 

And since it is a gift, you would have the ability to get him something a bit nicer then he would spend on himself.

[mortomo]

Mar 29, 2021 15:38:10 GMT -5 badgerwrangler said:

What about some outdoor gear? An Arc'teryx jacket would be around that price range and will last forever. My dentist (and outdoorsy) husband loves any sort of gift like that. I can get a specific recommendation from him if you are interested in that.

I will have to look that up. Thanks!

[shopgirl07]

No ideas, but congratulations to your son! What an accomplishment.

[mortomo]

Mar 29, 2021 15:40:55 GMT -5 eddy said:

I love the idea of a nice commuter bag.

He's a pretty basic guy and I'm not sure he'd really appreciate something like this.  It's a good idea though!

Maybe I'll ask his girlfriend what she thinks.  She works in a hospital, so maybe she knows type of bag most of the doctors carry.

[mortomo]

Mar 29, 2021 15:43:31 GMT -5 shopgirl07 said:

No ideas, but congratulations to your son! What an accomplishment.

Thank you!  I'm so proud of him!

[esdreturns]

Mar 29, 2021 15:39:32 GMT -5 mortomo said:

Mar 29, 2021 15:37:10 GMT -5 esdreturns said:

Goodness, I can't believe your DS is graduating from Med school! I remember when he was still a teen!

Congrats to him!!

Hey!  Thanks! Time just flies, doesn't it?  How old are your kids now?

It really does. My boys are 14 and 10. I think we've been here too long lol.

[mortomo]

Mar 29, 2021 15:47:26 GMT -5 esdreturns said:

Mar 29, 2021 15:39:32 GMT -5 mortomo said:

Hey!  Thanks! Time just flies, doesn't it?  How old are your kids now?

It really does. My boys are 14 and 10. I think we've been here too long lol.

That's just crazy, and yes we have!  

[litskispeciality]

Congratulations! When my friend graduated Nursing school I got her a Minnie Mouse Nurse Christmas ornament. Could you get some sort of doctor figurine or something that would symbolize the year of graduation?

Otherwise I vote something personalized Dr. last name that they'll use at work. wanderingback sorry to tag you again, but any thoughts on practical gifts?

[wanderingback]

To be honest I’m not a very sentimental person and your son doesn’t sound like he is either so I’d stick to practical stuff.

Moving is so damn expensive and you usually don’t get paid until August. I’m sure my parents would’ve helped but I didn’t want to burden them so I took out a 10k loan in between med school and residency to cover moving costs, first month rent, groceries, etc.

I do have 1 nice-ish pen that’s engraved with my name that I still keep in my purse that I honestly can’t even remember who gave me. But otherwise frame, etc would not be something I want/need.

So what about gift cards for food delivery? Cleaning service? Pay for a uhaul? Blue apron? Etc. Can thrown in some coffee and a water bottle into a back pack and call it an intern year survival pack or something like that. Intern year can be especially brutal and then ER in general with shifting from day to night shifts so black out curtains, eye mask, ear plugs, etc might also be helpful.

Congrats!

[circa1978]

I love the intern year survival pack idea. The shoes could fit with that too.

[mortomo]

Mar 29, 2021 16:32:30 GMT -5 wanderingback said:

To be honest I’m not a very sentimental person and your son doesn’t sound like he is either so I’d stick to practical stuff.

Moving is so damn expensive and you usually don’t get paid until August. I’m sure my parents would’ve helped but I didn’t want to burden them so I took out a 10k loan in between med school and residency to cover moving costs, first month rent, groceries, etc.

I do have 1 nice-ish pen that’s engraved with my name that I still keep in my purse that I honestly can’t even remember who gave me. But otherwise frame, etc would not be something I want/need.

So what about gift cards for food delivery? Cleaning service? Pay for a uhaul? Blue apron? Etc. Can thrown in some coffee and a water bottle into a back pack and call it an intern year survival pack or something like that. Intern year can be especially brutal and then ER in general with shifting from day to night shifts so black out curtains, eye mask, ear plugs, etc might also be helpful.

Congrats!

Thank you for the ideas!  I will definitely consider some of these things.  I do already help him financially where I can, but I know he's mostly been supporting himself with student loans the last 4 yrs.