Christmas gifts for residents and fellow families

[Sheherezade]

So.....now that DH is done, we get to be magnanimous. What would you like to get as a gift from an attending? Jokes are fine.....but serious responses would help out the fellows and residents on service in Cleveland.

[houseelf]

Yes, yes, let's talk about medical gift giving etiquette.

To answer your question, we have received fruit baskets, wine baskets, fine chocolates, tickets to The Lion King, and a fancy pants restaurant gift certificate with a promise to baby sit.

But I have a questions for you too!

First, what is the resident's responsibilities to attendings? Continuing to show up to work? Seriously, if DH is singled out for a gift, are we obliged to reciprocate?

Each year we have received some fabulous gift baskets from DH's mentor. They even invited us over for Christmas one year (although they are Jewish and we didn't know what the etiquette of gift giving and tidings were at this event. I tried to smile a lot and just be gracious.)

Anyway, are we obligated to reciprocate?

Kelly

[Vanquisher]

Jokes are fine you say?

How bout they bend over and take it up the a$$ for us? Or, pay us more than slave wages? We got a $23 Christmas bonus check. Taxed, Wahoo.

Seriously, what is your price range here?

I would say gift certificates. Target.

[migirl]

We have gotten a fruit basket, assortment of tea bags, things like that. Nothing fancy, but small and appreciated.

[DCJenn]

Wow- really?

Let's see, we've gotten gifts from teenagers in love w/ my husband, and gifts from moms hot for my husband, and gifts from (male) staff hot for my husband...(he's good-looking but not all that...)

Mostly though- it's cookies from grateful parents, usually a homebaked bread from a nurse or two- cookie plates from the nurses, etc.

From staff- other than the big fat french kiss from the Pentagon in the form of the July and October bonuses- nada. Maybe because they're government employees?

If we were to get a gift from an attending- a gift certificate to any of the DC restaurants would be great- not from a Chili's, Bennegan's, Ruby Tuesday thing, either. Bottles of wine are always acceptable to us but that's because we're winos.

We usually buy a big box of chocolates for the department. One year we re-gifted the 5-pounder from our realtor. (have you ever seen a 5 lb. box of chocolates? It boggles the mind.)

Jenn

[Cumberland]

Last year we were given a lovely pile of nothing. If we got even a fruit basket I would freak.

Wow....I was going to say, a giant flaming bag of poo...but this was so much better!

How bout they bend over and take it up the a$$ for us? Or, pay us more than slave wages? We got a $23 Christmas bonus check. Taxed, Wahoo.

I'm sorry. I cannot comprehend the sentence.

What would you like to get as a gift from an attending?

Never got a thing but headaches and heartache from those folks. University Hospital used to give $10 gift cards to Giant Eagle (grocery store), but that's it.

I think either the swanky restaurant idea or Target giftcard would be good - although the Target giftcard idea probably wouldn't appeal to those w/o families. Another thought is a gift certificate towards license or board fees ... something to take a little of the monkey off their backs.

Wish my dh had an attending like your dh ...

[Phoebe]

OMG! Jenn, I remember those $10 gift certificates from Giant Eagle! I laughed when DH brought that home.

He hasn't received anything here, but thank you notes. He has to contribute money every year towards staff gifts. The attendings exchange $20 white elephant gifts every year. He does receive cookies and yucky chocolates from the NNPs though.

Jennifer

I had to re-read your post several times, Angie. Not for clarity but to get that an attending would give a resident or fellow a gift. That should answer what DH has received in the past.

Oh, we do get to go to a PITA party where....oh shoot, this is the open forums. Never mind. Just fill in the blank with a catty comment(s).

The $10 grocery gift card rings a bell....last year the GME department (not DH's dept, oh no!) gave us 2 movie tickets. Thoughtful of them to realize that some residents still have SOs hanging around. They might have been for the cheap seats (matinee) but I don't remember for sure.

[Rapunzel]

I echo the disbelief: Gifts from attendings are unheard of in our experience at two different programs (intern year was in TX). Two years ago when my husband was planning his campaign for chief (residents vote along with attendings for that post) he made copies of this big board study program or something that everyone wanted and gave them away as "Christmas gifts". I must've wrapped like forty of those things....

I take it my days of $100 gift certificates to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, dinner at Flemings for the whole dept plus spouses, and a gift basket from Heavenly Ham are over for at least a decade?

[Sheherezade]

We got lots of awesome gifts at fellowship.....maybe because they were squeezing the life out of him? Guilt is a great motivator. Mostly we got Macy's gift cards and restaurant certificates. DH's favorite attending in residency gave him a watch he still wears. The same doctor also gave clogs to the residents that didn't already have them. I'd like us to keep up that tradition with the present residents and fellows. I just need to know what to buy. Thanks for the ideas. Sounds like anything would be appreciated over the big pile o' nothing. (And the thank you is important too! )

I knew I could count on Heidi for a joke!! You left Matt speechless!

Guilt is a great motivator.

I think you have to have a soul to have guilt, and most of the attendings my dh dealt with had apparantly traded their soul for something else. One FABULOUS attending did basically stand up for my dh and put his name out there for him .... but that was ONE. The rest ... well ...

We never got any presents.

[Vishenka69]

I'm sorry. I cannot comprehend the sentence. Quote:
What would you like to get as a gift from an attending?

Neither can I. Never heard of such a thing, but then again this is NY and attendings get paid shit and can barely afford their houses. We've never even been to the hospital holiday party because they charge $50 a person.

That's extremely generous of you and your DH. I hope his residents/fellows appreciate it. I agree with others, food and alcohol are always good (can never have too much of either).