Graduation gift for 48 y.o. getting her BSN

[ha98ed14]

I have a good, good friend who just finished her BSN at 48. This was her first college degree. She really has worked her a$$ off to get here. She went back after having her kids super young and with an abusive ahole of a DH (now divorced). I'd like to get her something, but we are super tight for money. Really tight. With Christmas, ugh, the idea of spending more money makes me cringe because I know it will sit on my cc til March. How can I recognize her accomplishment without spending $30? I am going to her grad ceremony and the party her kids are throwing for her. (Her kids are between 24 and 30 y.o.)

[elephantmeg]

how about a nurse christmas ornament or mug?

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_SPM209349672P?sid=IDx20101019x00001a&ci_src=14110944&ci_

and/or some coffee/gift card to a coffee place near her work (for me it's McD).

[hellokitty]

That's so nice of you to get her something. If she lives locally, maybe a $20 GC to a local medical uniform store? It seemed like I had to spend a bit of $$$ after I graduated on buying uniforms. She would probably find it pretty handy.

[crl]

Can you take pictures of the ceremony and party (especially one of her with her children) and give them to her, maybe one in a simple frame?

Catherine

[mommylamb]

Can you take pictures of the ceremony and party (especially one of her with her children) and give them to her, maybe one in a simple frame?

Catherine

I think that's a nice idea.

Just wanted to say congrats to your friend. It's nice of you too to recognize what a huge achievement that is and want to honor it.

[zag95]

There are a lot of cool things-
nurse mug- or a mug with her college grad year. A frame with her grad year might be nice also!

Nurse ornament is cool-
Some hospitals or care places provide uniforms, so you would have to see-
You could get her a nice frame for her to frame her degree
If you know the college where she is getting her BSN, can you order something for their grads or alumni?

My dad just retired after being a nurse for over 40 yrs- we got him the male nurse action figure http://www.giftapolis.com/manuacfi.html as a great joke! He thought it was funny!

I'd check out a few nursing websites and see what they've got!

[dogmom]

If she hasn't read it the new Suzanne Gordon book would be good:
http://www.amazon.com/When-Chicken-Soup-Isnt-Enough/dp/0801448948/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1291432698&sr=8-1

Dose she have an IPhone or ITouch, there are a lot of good apps out there that you can by a gift certificate for for her to use.

This is nice: http://www.amazon.com/Emergency-Critical-Care-Pocket-Guide/dp/B003QEA4E4/ref=sr_1_16?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291432972&sr=1-16

I like Lydias Uniforms for clothing, you could get her a cute warm up jacket there for under $20.

[elephantmeg]

in regards to scrubs, more and more hospitals are going to a specified color for the care provider type (RN, LPN etc), so I would probably avoid that...

[JElaineB]

If she hasn't read it the new Suzanne Gordon book would be good:
http://www.amazon.com/When-Chicken-Soup-Isnt-Enough/dp/0801448948/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1291432698&sr=8-1



Thanks for the book rec, I'm going to get that for my sister for Christmas.

[DietCokeLover]

My DH writes for these books, but what about a book like "Chicken Soup for the Nurses Soul". Should only be around $12 to $15, but might be fun for her.

[hellokitty]

in regards to scrubs, more and more hospitals are going to a specified color for the care provider type (RN, LPN etc), so I would probably avoid that...

Yeah, but that is the point of a GC to a uniform shop. Every time I changed jobs, I had to buy new scrubs. It was annoying, I was glad that some of the units I worked on provided them, but that's not typical of the type of unit a new grad would work at (ie: Burn center, PACU, surgery, L&D, etc.). Plus, she could also use the GC toward some nice shoes or new stethoscope if she needs one.