‘Tis the season! If you’re looking for perfect last-minute Christmas or holiday gift ideas for a PT student, then you’ve come to the right place! The gift ideas I’ll be sharing are a mix of meaningful, thoughtful, functional, and punny. They would also make for great birthday gifts or items to send in a “just because” package to let them know that you’re thinking about them. The majority of the items can be ordered through Amazon Prime or Etsy or purchased at a store near you.
Clicking on the individual item images will take you to the website where you can view/purchase that specific item.
1. Textbooks
Any PT student will be thrilled to receive textbooks required for their classes. See what books they will need for their upcoming semester or would like to have for future semesters. It’s also never too early to start studying for comps/boards. So, the PT Exam and Physical Therapy Case Files books are awesome options to gift to a PT student regardless of what year they are in so they can get a head start on reviewing comprehensive material!
2. Anatomy Posters
I got these anatomy posters from Amazon and it was such an exciting purchase. They came in a pack of 10, including the skeletal, muscular, circulatory, nervous, endocrine, lymphatic, respiratory, digestive, and female/male reproductive systems. They are 18”x27”, double-sided (so they can be hung them vertically or horizontally), laminated, and super good quality! I hung some up in my office/study room and they make the perfect decor and easily accessible study tools.
3. Wall Art
There are so many beautiful artwork pieces available on Amazon and Etsy. These pieces make the perfect decor for an apartment/house and can be used to decorate their desk, office, or future clinic later on down the road!
4. Planner
I use a Happy Planner to keep my life together and I would be so lost without it. I love arts and crafts and their style of planners closely resembles cute little scrapbooks which I absolutely LOVE! Their different styles vary, but most of them include sections for birthdays, goals, important dates, and notes, as well as motivating quotes throughout the pages. This would be an awesome gift for any PT student who has tons of deadlines, assignments, homework, tests, appointments, bills, and more to keep track of and stay on top of.
5. White Coat Clipboard (Physical Therapy Edition)
I’m so in love with this clipboard! It’s the perfect little handy tool to keep with me during class or at the clinic and includes essential reference information for both outpatient and inpatient settings. Here’s some of the things it includes:
ROM, MMT, myotomes, RPE, BMI, bony landmarks, lab values, CVA impairments based on location, spinal cord injury classification, Glasgow Coma Scale, Rancho Los Amigos Scale, Berg Balance Scale, Tinetti Balance Test, Modified Ashworth Scale, and so much more!
6. School Supplies (Writing Utensils, Printer Ink, etc.)
Having good writing utensils makes studying and note-taking so much more fun! I included some of my favorite go-to highlighters, markers, and pens below. You can always surprise them with a cute little basket filled with different kinds of school supplies or see what new things they may need, such as computer paper, notebook paper, notebooks, binders, sheet protectors, tab dividers, printer ink, note cards, sticky notes, or magnets.
7. Osteology Pens
Piggybacking off of the last suggestion, these pens are so fun and would be the perfect addition to a PT student’s writing utensil collection!
8. Laptop, iPad/Tablet, or Phone Accessories + Blue Light Glasses
Fun accessories for technology devices are a great gift idea. For a laptop, you could get them a hardshell case, keyboard cover, carrying sleeve/bag, or mouse. For an iPad or tablet, there are so many cool cases out there that come with keyboards, propping stands, built-in chargers, Apple Pencil holders, and more. You could also get them some accessories for their phone, including a new case, pop socket, lens, portable charger, tripod, selfie stick, aux cord, or Bluetooth speaker. Blue light eliminating glasses are all the rage right now and would also be another great item to throw into the mix.
9. USB. SD, and HDMI Adapter
Most of the newer MacBooks do not have ports for USB drives or memory cards. This adapter is awesome because it has ports for USB drives, a memory card, and an HDMI cord. Connecting the converter to an HDMI cord is such a game changer because a laptop or iPad/tablet can be hooked up to a TV for a giant study screen display!
10. Charging Station
A nifty little gift that can make charging multiple devices such as a laptop, iPad/tablet, phone, watch, and earbuds organized and painless!
11. Coffee + Mug
The perfect gift for any coffee lover or avid coffee drinker. Amazon and Etsy have a bunch of fun different mugs that are punny and so relatable. You just can’t go wrong with pairing a cute mug with their favorite kind of coffee!
12. Wine + Wine Glass
A gift for relaxation? Yes please! What’s more fun than relaxing while sipping wine from a punny glass that’s sooo relatable and makes you laugh?! Amazon and Etsy have lots of great options and some of them can be customizable with a name, graduation year, quote, etc.
13. Coasters
These coasters are so fun and I love them! They would be perfect to pair with a punny glass and bottle of their favorite wine.
14. Ornament
’Tis the season, right?! I think ornaments are such a sentimental gift that will be cherished forever and used over and over again every year on their Christmas tree. There are lots of great options out there on Amazon and Etsy and some of them can even be customized with names or graduation years!
15. Gift Cards (Coffee, Food, or Amazon is always a good idea)
Gift cards are always a great idea - especially when they involve coffee or food. A cute idea for some food gift cards would be to pair them in a little basket with some of their favorite snacks, candy, and some drink mixes like the Crystal Light powdered drink mix packets. An Amazon gift card is perfect for everyone because you can literally find anything under the sun on Amazon!
16. Water Bottle or Tumbler
I recently invested in a Hydroflask and am SO happy that I did! It’s a 40 oz. bottle, so it’s been helping me be on my water game and stay hydrated. I only have to refill it twice to get my gallon in for the day. There’s a straw on the inside. So, you just pop the mouth piece up straight from the lid (which is connected to a straw on the inside) - and BOOM it’s ready to drink. It also comes with a loop to hold it, so I can take it with me wherever I go. It keeps my drinks hot or cold literally allllll day long and my ice even stays solid in it overnight. I LOVE IT!! Some other honorable mentions for great brands include Yeti, Contigo, CamelBak, S’well, IronFlask, Simple Modern, and Bubba.
17. Lunchbox
Modern day lunch boxes are soooo cute! I’m asking for one for Christmas because my current one is pretty old, stained, and just looking sad. I found this style on Amazon and think it’s super cute! It has two drink/bottle holders on the outside, a zip pocket, and looks very roomy! You can score some cute lunch boxes all over the place - I see nice ones at TJ Maxx, Home Goods, Marshall’s, Costco, and Sam’s Club all the time! A lot of lunch boxes come with tupperware and ice packs now. But if the one you find doesn’t, those could be some extra goodies you throw in to tie the gift together!
18. Backpack
I have this backpack from North Face and love it so much! It’s the best. Tons of pockets - literally endless pockets with more storage than I even know what to do with sometimes. Very roomy. High quality and so durable (I’ve put it through a lot and it’s still holding up great). Has not one but TWO drink/bottle holder pouches. Highly recommend!
19. Instant Pot
Two words to describe the Instant Pot - GAMEEEE CHANGERRRRR!! It’s very easy to use and such a fun way to cook hot, yummy meals without using tons of dishes or requiring a lot of time - perfect for a busy student! You could also pair it with a cookbook that has recipes for Instant Pot meals and some cooking utensils.
20. Diffuser + Essential Oils
I love this Ellia essential oil diffuser that plays relaxation/meditation music and has a color-changing light inside. It’s so soothing and perfect for meditating, studying, or just livening up a room. The colorful lighting makes it so aesthetically pleasing and can instantly make an entire room smell like heaven. Pairing a diffuser with some essential oils would make for an amazing gift!
21. Self-Care Goodies (Spa Day, Facial, Massage)
A gift encompassing a little R&R (rest and relaxation) would be PERFECT for a PT student! A great idea would be to get them a spa-day package that comes with a massage, facial, and maybe even a manicure or pedicure. You could also put together a cute little self-care basket with fuzzy slippers, a loofa or scrub brush, candles and matches, bath bombs, bath salts, soap, lotion, essential oils, chapstick, and their favorite skin care items (and you could even throw in a bottle of wine too to make it extra fun).
22. Massage Gun
This is another awesome gift idea that’s also on my Christmas list! I tried one of these things at a booth at a volleyball tournament over the summer and got hooked. It was a week long tournament… and I kept coming back every single day to use it. It’s a great tool for recovery and gives targeted massages that help relieve muscle pain and tightness. They will surely feel like a little kid again on Christmas if this ends up under their tree!
23. Foam Roller
Foam rollers work wonders for muscle pain and tightness, which trust me… most PT students will experience at some point. They come in different colors and sizes. I also linked a nifty one below that I found that comes with a massage stick, massage ball, trigger point release ball, and resistance bands!
24. Treatment Table
A collapsable treatment table that can be used at home or on the go - how awesome?! This would be such a great item for a PT student to be able to practice skills any time, any place!
25. Punny Tops
Punny. Hilarious. Nerdy. Relatable. Enough said.
26. Scrubs
Getting a new, comfy pair of scrubs is always so exciting! This would be a great gift for any PT student, as we all need scrubs at some point during school for anatomy lab or clinical rotations. It would be an especially great gift for someone who is interested in working at an inpatient setting!
27. Badge Reel
Help them jazz up their ID badge with a schnazzy badge reel! I scored this EKG badge reel off of Amazon, which came in a pack of three. I kept one for myself and gifted the other ones to two of my friends/fellow PT students. My clinical rotation this past semester was in acute care, so it was perfect for that setting and I always got so many compliments on it! There are so many fun options out there with badge reels that are specific to different interests or specialties like orthopedics, cardiopulmonary, or neurologic PT.
28. Clinic Clothes
Some nice, comfy clinic clothes are a must! Some gift ideas include khaki pants or slacks, polos, button up shirts, and blouses. You can always check and see if they may want a new pair of shoes to wear at the clinic too, which will likely be a comfy pair of sneakers, flats, or clogs.
29. Athletic Clothes + Shoes
Who doesn’t love new athletic clothes or shoes?! This is a great gift idea - especially around this time of the year when everyone’s getting ready to hit the gym to burn off those extra holiday calories or start working towards their New Year’s resolutions. Some popular brands and good go-to’s include Nike, Adidas, Brooks, Under Armour, Gym Shark, LuLu Lemon, and Fabletics.
30. Watch
A good watch is essential to have as a PT student and future clinician - especially when needing a timer or stopwatch while working with patients. Watches can do so many awesome, crazy things now a days including monitoring/tracking your vitals (i.e. blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing), steps, sleep cycle, menstruation, ambient noise level, fall detection, and so much more. An Apple watch is a bit of a splurge, but a Fitbit, Garmin, or even a Timex would all make for awesome comparable gifts with some of those same special features!
Thanks so much for reading! I hope this post was helpful and gave you some good ideas for the perfect gift to give to a PT student! What kind of gifts would you love to give or receive? Comment below to add your favorites to this list!
Happy holidays, friends! :)
XOXO