There’s probably other guides out there, but as an SPT myself, there’s just some things I wish my family + friends would give me instead of clothes that don’t fit me or a gift I won’t use. I’m here to give you the REAL things PT students want. I even included small businesses and sustainable options. I’ll even sort them out by value for those trying to save some coin.
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Up to $25
Gift Cards: If you truly know the person, a gift card holds more value than a physical gift. People love the gift of money. If you are going to give a gift card, make sure you note your intentions with how it should be spent. Here are some options for gift cards:
- A restaurant: This may not relate to PT school, but give the student a break from their weekly meal preps by giving them the gift of food! Of course, there’s your regular Starbucks or their favorite restaurant, but perhaps find a local restaurant/coffee shop close to their school so they have the opportunity to explore the town outside of campus.
- A clothing store: Students have to dress for success. Of course, PT students live in athleisure every day, so a gift card from Nike, Adidas, Under Armour, Fabletics are all great options. Remember, you don’t have to give enough money for a full outfit, but taking a little financial load off the student by paying for essentials is appreciated. There are many stores to choose from:
Professional or Business Casual attire is essential in a PT student’s closet:
- Old Navy
- TJ Maxx/Marshall’s
- Target
- New York & Company
PTs may also need scrubs for their clinical rotations in the hospital. Popular stores include:
- FIGS
- Landau
- Koi Happiness
- Healing Hands
If you’re looking for more sustainable and/or ethical fashion brands:
- Athleta
- Patagonia
- ThredUp
- BANGS Shoes – Though I am an ambassador, their shoes are comfy for the clinic.
Anatomical Artwork: I think this is a great idea if the PT student is living on their own and could use some home decor. There’s plenty of options on Etsy. You could potentially make the same thing for a cheaper price, but you could choose to support small businesses like:
PT Merch: Honestly anything with “PT” on it is sure to be well-received. Take the opportunity to shop from small businesses and hard-working entrepreneurs.
- There are punny shirts at PhysioMemes.com (make sure to find a PhysioMemes ambassador on Instagram to get 20% off) and Study with an SPT.
- UnscriptedDesignCo is an Etsy shop that sells PT stickers that can be put on a laptop.
- For the PT that’s supports women of color, there’s a shirt from Braidologie Shop.
- Jazz up their white coat or backpack with enamel pins from V Coterie and/or TheraPins.
- A badge reel: There’s many on Etsy or Amazon.
- You could also get a T-shirt, sweater, or fleece jacket w/ their PT school name on it. Even better, get a T-shirt and personalize it with the student’s name! (Example: Jordaine Enriquez, SPT)
PT School Supplies: If your PT Student is about to start PT school or a clinical rotation, get them some essentials like goniometers, pulse oximeters, a gait belt, a clipboard, or a stethoscope.
A planner: Honestly, any student can benefit from a new planner. I personally use + highly recommend the Christian Planner. There’s Bible verses on almost every page, weekly + monthly layouts, habit trackers, a vision board, and a place for sermon notes. Plus, it’s a veteran owned business.
Under $50
A PT School Survival Kit: I guess the cost is dependent on how many items you want to include. Head over to Pinterest for inspiration. Include items such as PT Study Guides, travel mug + coffee/tea, highlighters + pens, pain medications for headaches, mint chewing gum (Research says mint helps with focus.), study snacks (fruit snacks, candy, cookies, granola bars), blue light glasses, under-eye cream, a journal. Get creative with it!
A Photobook: It’s like a yearbook! I’m quite the sentimental person. My classmate, Anna, made photobooks for each of us in our friend group. you could go really fancy and make the photobook using sites like Sam’s Club or Shutterfly. There’s also a lower-cost alternative for just printing photos off Amazon, and sticking them in the regular photo album with slots for each photo.
Glass Food Containers: My family group has a running joke of gifting Pryex tupperware during our white elephant extravaganza. If your gift recipient likes to meal prep, get them some tupperware that will last.
Under $100
This is for the generous! If you are a someone who really wants to invest in the PT student’s education, support them by giving them one (or more) of the following:
National Physical Therapy Exam Prep Materials: I was fortunate by my school to be provided with practice books, but not every student is guaranteed a book. I recommend Scorebuilders or TherapyEd. Purchase Practice Exams from PT Final Exam or NPTE Flashcards.
Offer to pay for one of the student’s books for school. Granted, it may be more than $100, but you may be able to find used ones for cheaper by using Slugbooks.com – I use this website every semester since undergrad, and it’s a game changer. The website gives you comparisons between your big name bookstores like Amazon, Chegg, and Barns & Noble.
A QUALITY backpack: I personally used the North Face Recon Laptop backpack for my time in PT school, and it still holds up! It holds my books, protects my laptop, and has many pockets for pens, snacks, goniometers, and gait belts.
Pay for a student’s APTA membership: It’s $99 dollars to be a part of the American Physical Therapy Association. The student will have access to many physical therapy resources like research articles, discounts on insurance and rentals, special offers on APTA conferences, and much more! Plus, when the student graduates, the membership dues as a new grad PT are still discounted. Click here for more details.
I could probably come up with more ideas and additional gift guides that aren’t related to Physical Therapy, but there are 12 days until Christmas, so get to shopping for your SPT! As a reminder, packaging from online orders can be properly recycled if the adhesive shipping label and packaging tape are removed. Also, find environmentally friendly ways to wrap gifts like newspapers, paper grocery bags, tote bags, or fabric. If you’re a PT student reading this, share this with your family and friends as a wishlist! To the gift giver, I hope the PT Student in your life will appreciate the gift(s) you’ve chosen for them. Comment below if this was helpful!
As always, you can follow me and my journey #forthedpt on Instagram (@jordaineenriquez).
Until next time,
Jordaine Enriquez, SPT + Santa’s helper