Books

• You'll find books about the practical and the emotional aspects of nursing at the American Nursing Association website and at university bookstores at nursing schools. Check specialty bookstores for reprints of Nightingale's books about nursing practices and her advice to the British military in the Crimean war and the American government during the Civil War. Though Nightingale never actually visited India, her book "Notes on Nursing" described health and sanitation conditions and recommendations for that country. You may also choose to give a 2008 biography of Nightingale entitled "Florence Nightingale: The Making of an Icon."
  
  

Comic Gifts

• If you and your nurse friend share an offbeat sense of humor, present him with a mayonnaise jar filled with candy "pills," with instructions for taking 10 or 20 pills per day. Or give a bottle of wine or liquor with your own dosage label taped over the original. For a nurse who loves flowers, plant an array of color pansies or primroses in a pristine bedpan you can find at a medical supply store.
  
  

Comfort Gifts

• Acknowledge the hard work of your nurse friend with a certificate for a massage, or buy her a foot massage machine; nurses who work in hospitals are on their feet for much of the day and make good candidates for this gift. Make a comfort basket with items you know your nurse friend will love, such as coffee and cookies or scented bath bubbles and body wash.
  
  

Experiential Gifts

• Nurses, like other busy people, welcome a break from normal routines. Take your nurse friend out to dinner after work or to lunch on the weekend, or present her with a gift certificate to a restaurant near her home. If you know he likes movies, give movie passes and his favorite candy bar. If she has an interest in art, invite her to a day at the museum with you.
  
  

Thank-You Gifts

• Many websites and hospital gift shops carry gifts with "Thank You" printed on them, such as glass or ceramic mugs and plates, key chains, balloons, T-shirts and caps. Look for vases with a thank-you message, and add your own bouquet. Include a thank-you card with your own personal message.