Father’s Day Gifts by Medical Specialty

father's dayDads are notoriously difficult to shop for and physicians are no exception.  To help the kids of physicians who just realized that Sunday is Father’s Day, here is a guide to help you figure out what to get your dad based on his subspecialty:

Orthopaedics: A bigger hammer.  The answer is always a bigger hammer powered by a bigger bicep.

Emergency Medicine: A consultant actually happy to come in and see a patient on the weekend regardless of whether or not a workup has been initiated.

Internal Medicine: Orthopaedics to admit one damn patient over 65 years of age to their own damn service.  Just one.

Pediatrics: The ER to complete one entire consult without using the phrases “kiddo,” “little guy/gal,” “munchkin,” or “small adult.”

Dermatology: Golf balls or a noon tee time.  Any day of the week is fine, he’ll be there.

Plastic Surgery: A newer, slightly younger, definitely hotter mom.  Or at least new parts for the old mom.

Neurosurgery: Mandatory helmet laws being followed by motorcyclists.

Transplant surgeon: Mandatory helmet laws not being followed by motorcyclists.

General Surgery: For the ER to drain one perirectal abscess on their own, or for an entire case of false negative guaiac cards to be delivered to the ER.

Cardiology: A full day without a single PVC on any inpatient ward.

GI: Fiber added to the city water.

Psychiatry: Zoloft added to the city water.

Pulmonology: Chantix added to the city water.

Nephrology: Normal urine output for every patient in the hospital for a day.

Radiology: Fully-detailed clinical history on every study ordered.

Infectious diseases: For basically every specialty with a P (except Path) to stop giving out antibiotics for viruses.

Pathology: An entire hospital of surgeons and nurses who know the difference and rationale for fresh versus frozen or a replacement for formalin that doesn’t smell like comet mixed with cat urine.

Urology: For every nurse in the hospital to always remember to deflate the balloon before inserting or removing a Foley and to never inflate the balloon in the urethra.  Or Flomax added to the city water.

OB/GYN: To be respected by other surgeons as surgeons, or at least to have a surgeon explain what fascia is and why it needs to be closed.

Anesthesia: An appreciative surgeon for a patient staying perfectly still for 4 hours despite a promise of 30 minutes of operative time.

Ophthalmology: What do you get a guy who makes $400k in 4 days a week?  Maybe a new tie?

PA/NP: Respect as equals from physicians for even one day.

Female physicians: To go one damn week and not once be assumed to be a nurse/PA/medical student.  It’s not their day, but it would be nice.

Administrators: A soul.

**More great last minute gift ideas for Physician and Nurse dads here in part 1**

A high school classmate of the lesser 3/5 of N’Sync, Naan DerThaal spent a number of years mired in mediocrity before finding his true calling, writing snarky anonymous internet commentary. He is a multi-time participation trophy recipient in Little League Baseball and has appeared on TV numerous times in the background of sporting events. He enjoys head-butting Lionfish and wrestling seasnakes in his free time and can often be seen dragging a mallet around the hospital. Follow him on Twitter @NaanDerthaal
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