The past year has been… well, to say the least, difficult, for travel nurses and staff nurses. And while Nurses Week should always be celebrated to honor, thank, and appreciate all that travel nurses and staff nurses do for us, this year nurses deserve a little more…no, correction… A LOT more appreciation for taking care of us and keeping us safe in 2020 and 2021. But what can you do to thank travel nurses and staff nurses this year? What do nurses want for Nurses Week?
Below, we’ve listed six gift ideas and ways to thank nurses this year. Three of these gifts are actions you can do for travel nurses and staff nurses and three of these gifts are actual physical gifts you can get a nurse.
And while no single gift can truly repay nurses for all the hard work they put in (and continue to put in) for us in 2020 and 2021 these gifts are meant to show love and appreciation to this group of selfless individuals.
Whether you’re a nurse looking for gifts for your fellow coworkers or a family or friend of a nurse, we hope you find some great inspiration in this list. Let’s dive in!
Three Actions to Thank Travel Nurses and Staff Nurses: What Do Nurses Want for Nurses Week?
So, what do nurses want for Nurses Week? Here are some gift ideas to help you get started!
Help them catch more sleep –
First on our list of gifts for travel nurses and staff nurses, this year is something that almost all nurses lack. Sleep! But, you might be asking yourself, how can I help a nurse get more sleep? The easiest way to help nurses get more sleep is by offering to help them with anything that might prevent them from catching those zzz’s. Can you clean their house? Do laundry? Cook meals for them? Take care of their pets? Babysit their kids? All of these tasks take away from a nurse’s ability to catch up on sleep that he or she so desperately needs to perform to the best of their ability at work.
Are you concerned that the nurse you want to help will turn down your offers to help them out? Ask them again or do it anyways. Show up with groceries or meals or ask them multiple times how you can help them out. Travel nurses and staff nurses are selfless individuals who tend to think they can do it all, so you might have to think of creative ways to help them get more sleep.
Help run errands –
Along the same lines as helping nurses get more sleep is helping them take care of errands. Offer to run errands for your fellow nurse during Nurses Week and all year round! Whether it means buying groceries, running to the post office, or heading to a home improvement store, travel nurses and staff nurses will appreciate the time you helped them save by running errands for them.
Treat them with patience, respect, and understanding –
Another thing that nurses want for Nurses Week (and always) is patience, kindness, respect, and understanding. Travel nurses and staff nurses work their tails off to make sure that their patients are well taken care of, so the least we can do for them as patients, friends, family, or coworkers is to treat them with the utmost respect. Their jobs are hard. By treating them with patience, kindness, respect, and understanding we can make their jobs easier and/or more enjoyable.
Three Gifts to Thank Travel Nurses and Staff Nurses: What Do Nurses Want for Nurses Week?
Appreciation and thank yous –
After COVID-19 hit the United States, travel nurses and staff nurses received a ton of gratitude, appreciation, and thanks from strangers across the country. But it soon phased out as people ‘moved on’ from it and onto the next big trend. But travel nurses and staff nurses never stopped working hard for us. They continued (and still continue) to work long hours well after the #ThankaNurse popularity fell away. But travel nurses and staff nurses still deserve thanks. They deserve it every day. So, why not write a thank you note or record a thank you video for your favorite nurse or fellow nurse coworkers? Saying thank you can go a long way in making a nurse’s day and can even be a way to encourage them to keep moving forward even when their body, mind, and spirit are telling them to throw in the towel.
Monthly subscription boxes –
Another great gift idea for the nurse(s) in your life (friend, family, or coworker) is a monthly subscription box. Whether it’s a meal prep service to help them have one less thing to worry about or a monthly wine box to help them relax on their days off (…do nurses get a day off, haha??), monthly subscription boxes are a great way to show that you care and are thinking about them each month.
If you love the idea of a monthly subscription box, but you’re not sure where to start, check out this list of the best monthly subscription boxes from Forbes. The great thing about that Forbes list is that it has a little bit of everything in it!
Anything coffee or tea-related –
Last, but not least, if I’ve learned anything about travel nurses and staff nurses, it’s that they love their caffeine. It keeps them going through the long hours, early mornings, and late nights, and comforts them when they need a pick-me-up. So, why not show your appreciation for your fellow nurse coworkers, nurse friends, or nurse family member by getting them something related to coffee, tea, or caffeine? There are even some monthly subscriptions available for tea and coffee, so you could hit two gifts in one!
There you have it. These are our top six travel nurse and staff nurse thank you gifts and actions to consider getting or doing for your coworkers, family, or nurse friends. Are you a travel nurse or a staff nurse? Did we hit these gifts on the head? What are we missing? What else do nurses want for Nurses Week? Let us know in the comments below!
Are you a travel nurse looking for your next travel assignment? Are you a staff nurse interested in trying out travel nursing? Then, be sure to check out all of the current travel nursing jobs that we have listed on our website. Happy browsing!
