etsy.com
Between the bedpans and the bureaucracy, life as a nurse can get ugly at times. You may be suffering from foot pain or back pain after endless hours standing, walking and lifting. Maybe a patient or a doctor yelled at you today. Perhaps you got called in to work another shift when you are just dog tired.
On days like these, you need a little extra beauty or humor in your life—something to look at that will make you smile. Online shopping therapy can take your mind off your woes. You can even feel good about spending money since you know it goes to entrepreneurial artisans. Here are our top 10 Etsy selections for nurses.
It’s a stethoscope cozy! Nursing student PaisleyMaizie makes stethoscope covers from fashionable fabric in a wide variety of colors and patterns. Each one is padded and then lined with ultra-soft Minky microfiber. Now, instead of feeling like your scope is a rubbery snake trying to strangle you all day, you will feel like it’s giving you a warm hug.
You’ve got to respect an Etsy shop owner who knows how to sell the benefits of using cheap materials and adding value with customization. These stainless steel washers are billed as hypoallergenic, durable and affordable. Each one is hand stamped with your name or a message and has an RN charm and a Swarovski crystal (in your birthstone color). The end result is surprisingly pretty.
This zippered tote bag is for nurses and nursing students who want to forgo wearing a fanny pack but don’t quite need rolling luggage to carry around all their stuff. Buy a tote for yourself or get one customized as a gift to help ease the burden of a nurse you know and respect.
In the classic Jimmy Stewart film The Shop Around the Corner, the leading actress sells a cigar box to an unsuspecting female patron by billing it as a candy box. This Etsy owner does something similar by advertising this handmade cigarette case as a business card or ID holder. That’s good, because we wouldn’t want to encourage any of our readers to smoke. But this retro “card case” is too cute to pass up.
…And drink a’ health whate’er befalls. This is a great going-away gift for a nurse who is retiring. Here’s hoping she can kick back on a beach sipping something cool and soothing from her very own personalized glass. You can pick the name, title and identifying characteristics to make the nurse’s face vaguely recognizable. Once she gets her beer goggles on, she’ll swear it’s a perfect portrait.
Next: You Can’t Top This →
It doesn’t take an announcement over the loudspeaker system for the word to spread like lightning: “Cupcakes at the nurses’ station!” Now, you can be everyone’s favorite coworker when you decorate a batch of homemade cupcakes with these medical toppers. They’re fully edible and come in a variety of designs from nurse hats and bandages to first aid kits and Rx pads. These won’t be a bitter pill to swallow.
You know at Scrubs magazine we love all things vintage. This charm with a collage on one side and the caption “Can’t scare me, I’m a nurse” on the other is a perfect example. Attach this little pendant to the tote we mentioned earlier for an additional touch of nursing fashion.
This nurse pen cover is made of clay polymer and sculpted to look like a pair of scrubs (complete with drawstring waistband and name badge). It can be crafted in the colors of your choosing so your pen matches your favorite outfit. It doesn’t actually look like the pen would be comfortable to write with, since all that decoration could make it a little bulky. But the cool thing is that the little pen version of you can say all the things you’re too polite to say at work. Talk to the pen, ’cause the face ain’t listening!
This miniature wood block hosts a reproduction of DanitaArt’s original paintings. The little nurse featured here won’t just heal your heart—she’ll steal it! The block comes ready for wall mounting, but you can also use it as a desk decoration at work.
We started with one stethoscope accessory, so it seems fitting to close our roundup of Etsy favorites with another. This necklace is more than just scope bling. It’s got tiny beads that spell out your name so everyone knows that it’s your property. Unlike the stainless steel necklace featured earlier, this nurse jewelry is the real deal—sterling silver! Of course, that does make it the only item on our list that costs more than $25.
For more Scrubs Style pick up the latest issue of Scrubs magazine, available at a retail store near you!
Another item that many nurse’s might like is the “Tree of Life” ring by Black Mountain Jewelry. This ring can be cast in either silver or gold, plain or with your birthstone mounted at the base of the tree. Really pretty. At blackmountainjewelry.com