Daily Party Dish

10 Dessert Ideas for a Nursing School Graduation Party

I came up with so many nursing school graduation party ideas for my friend Tamara's grad party! She wanted to have several different desserts, so I made sure to make a few that tied in with the nursing theme. In fact, I ended up creating this fun marshmallow cake - I used raspberry filling for "blood" and decorated with nursing theme paper topper and some kid's doctor kit toys. This cake became an eye-popping centerpiece for my nursing theme party table, and it was so easy to make!  

I came up with ten more dessert ideas for a nursing school graduation party.  A few of them are sure to cure your sweet tooth!

1. Jello Shot Syringes: Fill these party shooter syringe shots with raspberry jello - guests will love this nursing theme twist on a party classic!  Use this recipe to get started.
2. White Chocolate Thermometers: I also made these fun white chocolate covered pretzel sticks, or "thermometers", for my party table.  Decorating with homemade royal icing to make the pretzel look like a thermometer was simple!  Wrap them in cellophane and tie with a ribbon, and you have a sweet favor for family and friends to take home.
3. Personalized Cookies: The grad "calls the shots" with a Graduation Nursing School Theme Custom Cookie! Cookies make fun favors at each place setting or displayed on the dessert table.  Plus, they match all of our nursing school graduation party invitation and favors.
4. Nursing Theme Candy Bar: Set up a candy bar where guests can grab nursing themed treats and sweets!  Marshmallows are "cotton balls", skittles are "happy pills", lemon heads are "urine samples" - you get the idea!  Have graduation nursing school theme favor bags handy so guests have a place to put their goodies.
5. Hospital Food: Serve individually packaged servings of Jello, ice cream, and pudding. They're everyone's favorite foods when staying at the hospital!
6. Scrubs Cake: Take a sheet cake and cut off the top three inches, using them to make scrubs "sleeves" on the leftover rectangle of cake.  Frost with green or pink icing to make a scrubs cake!
7. Red Cross Cupcakes: For a no-hassle dessert, frost cupcakes with white icing (or buy pre-made ones at the store to keep it simple!). Give the cupcakes a nursing themed twist by using red licorice to make a red cross topper.
8. Body Part Suckers: Use these body party molds to make chocolate suckers!  Try the brain, heart, stomach, or bone molds - fun!
9. Tylenol Cookies: Use a cookie cutter to make oval shaped sugar cookies, and decorate half the cookie with white royal icing and the other half with red to make Tylenol cookies!  
10. Personalized Lollipops: The grad can leave a special message to family and friends on this sweet graduation nursing school lollipop.  

Whatever you decide to make for your nursing graduation party, make sure to choose something sugary to cure everyone's sweet tooth! Check out more ideas from this nursing theme party below:

• Pink and Green Nursing Theme Graduation Party
• Nursing School Graduation Invitation Ideas
• Nursing School Graduation Party Ideas
• Nursing School Graduation Decoration Party Ideas
• Drink Ideas for a Nursing Theme Graduation Party

Nursing School Graduation Party Favor Ideas

I wanted to make sure to celebrate my friend Tamara's graduation from nursing school, and now that she "calls the shots", it was time to come up with some amazing nursing school graduation party ideas!  I decorated a green and pink party table, and decided to hand out chocolate bars packaged in these graduation nursing school candy bar wrappers.  They were such a fun and personalized touch to the party - I chose a custom message for Tamara, her family, and all of her friends!

Along with chocolate, each person received a "Happy Pills" favor.  I scored these glass prescription bottles from my mom (who's a nurse) and filled them with Skittles.  An easy label completed the look, and these Happy Pills matched my nursing theme perfectly! I also set up a nursing themed candy bar where guests could grab their favorite treats. Clear jars filled to the top with delicious candies made the candy bar table look amazing! Make sure to include a few of these themed goodies - each with its own little sign, of course:

• Clogged Arteries: Red licorice, Twizzlers, or Red Vines
• Antibiotics: Mike N Ikes
• Urine Samples: Lemon Heads, gold wrapped Rolos or mini Reese's Cups (any yellow candy will do!)
• Kidney Stones: Malt Balls or Milk Duds
• Cotton Swabs: Marshmallows
• Kisses for Your Boo Boo: Hershey's Kisses
• Gauze: Cotton Candy
• Red Blood Cells: Red Hots or Red Gummies
• White Blood Cells: Life Saver Mints
• From the Doctor: Safety Suckers, DumDums, or Blow Pops (because everyone wants a sucker when they go to the doctors!)
• An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away: Caramel Apple Pops
• Thermometers: Pixie Sticks

Don't forget to pass out graduation nursing school theme favor bags, so your guests can easily pack up all of their goodies!  I love how these favor bags were personalized to match the chocolate bar favors, too.

Setting up a small favor table near your party's entrance/exit is another great way to display favors.  If a candy bar isn't your style, try one of these nursing graduation themed favors:

1. Graduation Nursing School Lollipop: Leave a personalized message on these graduation nursing school lollipops to families and friends!
2. Germ Juice: Slap a "Germ Juice" label or a small tag on mini bottles of hand sanitizer.
3. First Aid Kits: Mini first aid kits that can easily slip into a purse or glove box are practical and thoughtful favors.
4. Latex Glove Favors: Fill a latex glove with an assortment of candies, and ties at the top with ribbon and a note from the grad.
5. Doctor Kit Sets: For the kiddos at your party, pass out doctor kit sets you can find for cheap at the dollar store.

Whatever you choose, the guest of honor will never forget this once in a lifetime party.  Make it special with a favor they'll remember forever! Once you've decided on favors, check out more of my nursing graduation party ideas below:

• Pink and Green Nursing Theme Graduation Party
• Nursing School Graduation Invitation Ideas
• Nursing School Graduation Party Decoration Ideas
• Drink Ideas for a Nursing Theme Graduation Party

Drink Ideas for a Nursing Theme Graduation Party

Clinicals are finished, finals are passed, and the grad has finally walked across the stage and received their nursing diploma!  It's time to party! Make sure your nursing theme graduation party has all the right drinks to get started off right. For my friend Tamara, I made sure everyone was hydrated before we celebrated. I displayed these custom graduation nursing school theme water bottle labels on one of my party tables which guests could grab as the night went on.  I loved the personalized message I left for friends and family!  

Need a few more drink ideas? These are great for any rowdy crew of RNs:

• Party Shooter Syringe Shots - Jello shots are always a party favorite, so make sure to have them at your nursing them grad party! Fill these 1 oz oral syringes with a "bloody" vodka shot. 
• IV Fluid Drink Bags - Newly minted nurses will love shooting their favorite cocktails straight into their veins with these IV fluid bags!  Kidding aside, fill these fun IV bags with your favorite drinks, and use the easy dispenser to fill everyone's glass!
• Type A and B Blood - Fill jars with red party punch and label them "Type A" and "Type B" blood. Family and friends can help themselves!
• Urine Sample - Fill catheter bags with yellow sports drinks or clear soda (add yellow food coloring to make it appear "urine-ish").  Add a "Hydration Station" sign and some sterile urine sample cups for guests to grab a quick (and disturbing!) drink.
• Nursing Theme Cocktails - Serve everyone's favorite cocktails, but make these tried and true classics with a nursing theme twist! Liver Transplant (Long Island Iced Tea); Red Cross (Cranberry and Vodka); Hematoma (Bloody Mary).
• Nursing Theme Graduation Water Bottle Labels - Leave a sweet message to guests and give them a change to hydrate after a long day of partying!

You'll need plenty more to finish planning your nursing theme graduation party!  Check out these posts for more decoration, favor and menu ideas:

• Pink and Green Nursing Theme Graduation Party
• Nursing School Graduation Invitation Ideas
• Nursing School Graduation Party Ideas
• Nursing School Graduation Decoration Party Ideas

Nursing School Graduation Party Decoration Ideas

It's so easy to decorate for your nursing school graduation party!  Along with matching Nursing School Graduation Party Invitations and Party Favors, there are a million ways to decorate for your party, whether it's a green, pink or blue theme.  For the grad party I threw for my friend Tamara, I made sure to incorporate a lot of medical supplies with more traditional decorations like balloons and crepe paper.  Use a few of these ideas to get jump started:

Entrance Decorations

• A Graduation Nursing School Theme Banner makes a big statement at your entrance. Flank with balloon bouquets or go all out with a balloon arch over the doorway!
• A lifesized cutout of a nurse in scrubs is a great way to greet guests at the door.  I had a personalized stand up of Tamara made for my party table. Plus, stand ups are a perfect photo opportunity!
• At your sign-in table, set out some scrubs and permanent markers. Guests can write messages to the grad on the scrubs as an improvised "guest book"!

Venue Decorations

• Balloon bouquets are a great way to fill up a party space. Bouquets of balloons in "scrubs" green and pink were at all my party hot spots, and I made sure to stick inflated latex gloves in each bouquet to match the theme.
• Hang medical charts and posters all around your party space.  The grad will sure be glad her all-nighters are over with!
• Repurpose Halloween decorations at your graduation nursing party!  I dug out a few plastic skeletons and dressed them in scrubs and accessories from children's doctor's kits. "RN Bones" was the hit of the party!
• Make sure to decorate your guests, too!  I handed out surgical masks and caps as guests arrived.  A few of them even showed up in scrubs!

Table Decorations

• Children's doctor kits make great decorations, and they're cheap, too!  Use them in centerpieces and as cake toppers!
• Make sure all your decorations match with coordinating favors at each place setting. Keep it simple with personalized graduation nursing school water bottle labels, favors bags and even candy bar wrappers!
• Scatter a handful of personalized graduation confetti around each table - it's customized to match your color scheme, graduation year, and even include a picture of the guest of honor!

Photo Booth Decorations

• Photo booths are all the rage at graduation parties!  They're a great way to make memories.  Make sure to have all sorts of fun nursing theme props at yours - surgical masks and caps, scrubs, speech bubbles, bed pans, stethoscopes, and graduations robes and caps.
• Guests will love posing with a nurse in scrubs photo op in your photo booth area!
• Make sure to have a friend keep an eye on the booth for you throughout the party.  Print the pictures and display them on your favor table for guests to take before they head home!

Need more ideas for your nursing graduation party?  Take a look at the links below to see more from my nursing party for Tamara:

• Nursing School Graduation Party Ideas
• Pink and Green Nursing Theme Graduation Party
• Nursing School Graduation Invitation Ideas
• Nursing School Graduation Party Ideas
• Drink Ideas for a Nursing Theme Graduation Party