gift guide for health professions

The holiday season is nearly upon us and with it comes the usual flurry of parties, tree decorating, tradition reliving, and gift-giving. Before you get stressed and start researching ways to avoid it all, I want to invite you to take a look at our gift guide. It just might be the perfect solution to all of your holiday stress—at least the gift-giving portion of it.


Although gifts by themselves aren’t what the holiday season is all about, giving and receiving them is a great way to practice generosity and reflect on the real reason for the season—the gift that we’ve all been given through the birth of Jesus Christ.

In this gift guide, you’ll find all kinds of ideas tailored to the health professions. You can use it to find the perfect gift for individuals in your life who work in the health professions, or, if you yourself work in health professions, you can send this list to the loved ones in your life as a helpful hint of items that you’d like to find under the tree on Christmas morning.

A word to the wise, stay away from colognes and gym memberships—they send the wrong message.

give the gift of education
Give the Gift of Education

Another great gift to give to your friends this holiday season is the gift of investing in their futures. If you know that your friend is thinking about returning to school for additional education, refer them to Concordia for one of our degree programs. You refer them, we reach out and take care of the rest. It’s that simple.

1. A New Tool

There are so many little gadgets that you can buy for the health professions people in your life. For example, surprise the OT and PT people in your life with a personal cupping set or get a mediation app subscription like Headspace for social workers and PAs. 

2. Bookish Entertainment

Books provide a welcome relief from a heavy workload, but the last thing that a pharmacist needs is another book about medicine or pharmacy. If you don’t know what type of books your friend prefers to read, you can always gift a subscription to Book of the Month Club where they can choose one of five popular new books every month. 

3. Float Session

Floating is the new massage. Professionals in the health professions are constantly caring for other people’s health and wellbeing. Gift them a chance to unwind and try out a newer relaxation method with a free float session. If you’re new to float therapy, check out this article to learn more

4. Strong Coffee to Stay Awake

This can come in the form of a gift card to a local coffee shop, a bag of beans in the mail, or a personal latte delivery on a particularly taxing day. If you’re buying online, a few of our favorites are Blue Bottle and Counter Culture. If you have a friend who already drinks too much coffee, opt for a tea subscription. A few to check out include Simple Loose Leaf and Amoda.  

5. A Creative Investment

Your OT and PT friends are buried in human interaction every day. Give them a chance to flex their creative muscles with a cooking or pottery class. Research offerings in your local area and surprise your friend with a course registration. 

6. Easy Dinners for Busy Nights

Some days are just too busy to try to meal plan, stop by the store, and then spend an hour or two prepping and cooking dinner. A HelloFresh subscription saves the day when takeout just doesn’t cut it any longer. 

7. A Unwinding Activity

Don’t knock adult coloring books until you’ve tried it. For those who still need to be doing something to unwind, opt for an adult coloring book and some colored pencils or a bullet journal with felt tip pens.