The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for healthcare professionals worldwide, including nurses, nursing students, and other frontline workers. In response, numerous brands, organisations, and educational institutions have launched initiatives to provide support. These initiatives range from free training courses and personal protective equipment (PPE) resources to discounts on apparel, food, and professional development. This article consolidates information from various sources to provide a comprehensive overview of the freebies, discounts, and support programmes available to nurses during the pandemic. It is important to note that many of these offers were time-sensitive, often tied to specific periods such as Nurses Week or the height of the pandemic. Readers are advised to verify the current status of any offer directly with the provider.
Free Educational and Training Resources
A significant number of free resources were made available to help nurses and healthcare workers stay informed and skilled during the pandemic. These resources focused on COVID-19 care, personal safety, and professional development.
COVID-19 Specific Training
Several organisations offered free online courses to equip nurses with the latest information on managing COVID-19 patients and protecting themselves.
- IntelyCare: This workforce management solution for post-acute facilities launched a free COVID-19 training certification programme for healthcare workers.
- American Nurses Association (ANA): The ANA provided a free online training course titled "Be Confident Protecting Yourself and Providing the Best Care to Your Patients during this COVID-19 Pandemic."
- American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN): AACN offered a free online course called "Pulmonary, ARDS, and Ventilator Resources," available 24/7, featuring the latest information needed to care for COVID-19 patients.
- Osmosis: This educational platform developed multiple free resources for health professionals, including:
- A free COVID-19 course eligible for 2 Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits.
- Free clinical skill videos on related topics such as imaging features and body temperature assessment.
- Free events, including meditation and yoga sessions, and Ask Me Anything (AMA) sessions hosted by their Chief Medical Officer.
Continuing Education and Mental Health Support
Beyond pandemic-specific training, other free or low-cost resources aimed at supporting nurses' career advancement and mental well-being were available.
- Continuing Education: Websites like CheapNursingCEUs were noted for offering affordable access to necessary continuing education credits at a fraction of the cost of traditional in-person courses. These resources help nurses excel in their careers and meet professional requirements.
- Mental Health Support: A range of low-cost services provided free support groups, hotlines, and breathing exercises for frontline responders and nurses across different states. These services are crucial for addressing burnout and maintaining mental health, especially during high-stress periods.
Apparel, Footwear, and Uniform Discounts
Several brands in the apparel and footwear sectors offered discounts, free products, or donations to healthcare workers on the frontlines.
Scrubs and Medical Uniforms
Dedicated medical apparel brands provided special pricing or donations for healthcare professionals.
- Allheart: This brand offered reduced pricing on individual and group orders of nursing uniforms, medical scrubs, and other accessories for healthcare professionals.
- BH Uniforms (Beverly Hills Uniforms): BH Uniforms made wholesale prices on medical uniforms available, with sizes ranging from XS through 5XL.
- Barco Uniforms: A recognised leader in medical apparel, Barco Uniforms donated scrubs to medical professionals on the frontlines for the duration of the COVID-19 crisis. A request submission process was available for these donations.
- Clove: This brand included free compression socks with every Clove shoe purchase. To claim the offer, customers needed to add a pair of socks to their cart containing shoes and use the discount code "WITHLOVE."
Shoes and General Apparel
Other footwear and clothing brands also extended support to healthcare workers.
- Crocs: Crocs donated a free pair of shoes, including free shipping, to healthcare workers on the frontlines of COVID-19. A claim process was established for these donations.
- Ably Apparel: First responders could tag themselves on Ably's Instagram page starting from 8th April, and the company would send a free item from their website.
- Kerusso: This brand offered a 10% discount on anything in their store for first responders as a token of gratitude.
- Tieks by Gavrieli: The shoe brand launched the #SewTOGETHER Challenge, encouraging customers to sew masks. In return, they offered a $50 Tieks gift card for sewing 25 masks and a $100 gift card for 50 or more masks.
Food, Drink, and Restaurant Offers
During specific periods, such as National Nurses Week, numerous food and beverage brands provided discounts, free items, or special promotions for nurses and healthcare workers. Many of these offers required verification through platforms like ID.me.
National Nurses Week Offers (May 2025)
The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) compiled a list of offers for Nurses Week in May 2025. These offers were accurate as of 5th May 2025, but were subject to change.
- Applebee’s: Nurses could get a free appetizer with the purchase of an entrée at participating restaurants owned and operated by the Flynn Group. This offer was valid through 10th May 2025.
- Awake Caffeinated Chocolate: A 15% discount was available after verifying nurse status on ID.me.
- Chipotle: Nurses could enter their information for a chance to win a free Chipotle e-card with a promo code for an entrée. This giveaway ended on 12th May 2025.
- Factor Meals: This meal service offered 55% off the first box and free shipping, with an ongoing 15% discount for the next year. Verification via ID.me was required.
- Free Rein Coffee Company: Nurses could enjoy 20% off through ID.me verification.
- Home Chef: Signing up for ID.me granted 50% off the first box and 10% off ongoing boxes.
- Insomnia Cookies: By showing a valid ID, nurses could get a Buy One, Get One Free (BOGO) offer on classic cookies. This was valid through 11th May 2025.
- Mod Pizza: Showing a valid work ID between 5th and 8th May 2025 at a local MOD Pizza location provided a BOGO offer on a MOD-size pizza or salad.
- Mountain Mike’s Pizza: Using the code "APPRECIATE25" from 6th to 9th May 2025 granted a 15% discount on all pizza.
- Outback Steakhouse: A 10% discount on the entire check was available with a valid medical ID.
- Purity Coffee: Nurses could get 30% off this brand of pure, clean coffee.
Additional Food and Retail Discounts
Other retail and food brands have also been known to offer discounts to healthcare workers. While specific, time-bound offers from the sources are limited, platforms like Dealhack and Don’t Pay Full maintain updated lists of such discounts across various categories, including food and restaurants.
PPE and Essential Resources
During the pandemic, access to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) was a critical issue. Initiatives were launched to connect manufacturers with healthcare facilities in need.
- American Hospital Association (AHA) - 100 Million Mask Challenge: The AHA helped connect manufacturers with hospitals requiring PPE. They encouraged manufacturers to contact local hospitals to understand immediate needs. A design specification guide was provided to assist manufacturers who do not normally produce PPE.
- American Nurses Association (ANA): The ANA provided tools to help nurses advocate for increased PPE supplies from Congress.
Discount Aggregators and Ongoing Support
Maintaining an updated list of discounts and freebies is a challenge due to their frequently changing nature. Several organisations and websites are dedicated to curating and verifying these offers for healthcare professionals.
- Dealhack Nurse Discount Guide: This guide is the result of a quarterly survey of brands offering exclusive freebies and discounts to nurses and other healthcare workers. It is broken down into 14 categories, including Scrubs, Education, Health, Freebies, Automotive, Hotel & Travel, Housing, Financial, Medical Supply, Technology, Retail, and Food & Restaurants. The list is independently verified every three months and is available as a PDF. The discounts are generally available to registered nurses (RN), licensed practical nurses (LPN), nurse practitioners (NP), associate nurses, student nurses, and emergency nurses. It is recommended to always carry a valid nurse ID, as some stores may offer informal discounts.
- American Association of Post-Acute Care Nursing (AAPACN): This organisation updates its list of nurse discounts annually to keep nurses informed about the best deals.
- Don’t Pay Full: This website explores first responder and healthcare worker discounts, providing another resource for finding available offers.
Conclusion
The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a widespread response from brands and organisations to support the nursing community. This support manifested in various forms, including free educational courses to enhance skills and knowledge, discounts on essential apparel and footwear, special offers on food and drink, and initiatives to secure vital PPE. While many of the specific offers detailed, particularly those tied to Nurses Week 2025, have expired, the underlying need for support remains. Resources like the Dealhack Nurse Discount Guide and annual lists from professional associations like AAPACN provide valuable, continuously updated information for nurses seeking current discounts and freebies. Healthcare workers are encouraged to utilise these aggregator resources and always verify eligibility requirements and offer validity directly with the brand or organisation before making a purchase or signing up.