[CD-RN]

I have the same trouble, and I found it was a matter of using the soft ear pieces at the correct angle!

[bethg5]

When we do clinical checkoff we have to use the schools ancient stethoscope. I was not able to hear anything until a few days ago. Everyone around me could hear fine with the schools stethoscopes, but not me. I would come home and hear it fine with my high dollar steth. Well I finally figured out my problem....It was placement of the stethoscope and making sure I had the steth pointing out in front of me a little. The only reason I was able to hear it with mine is that it is a high dollar steth so it was picking up the beat. Now when I practice in lab I make sure I use theirs and make sure my placement is correct. I was a little to centered before. I hear it just fine now in lab so I am not stressing as much about skills check off. Good luck to you and just keep practicing!

[Boston64]

Hi! I was taught that another way of verifying the systolic number was to palpate the radial artery while the pressure is coming down. You should feel the beat at the same time you hear the first beat. If you are limber enough, you can do both at the same time.

Hope that helps

[FNPhopeful]

Originally Posted by bethg5

When we do clinical checkoff we have to use the schools ancient stethoscope. I was not able to hear anything until a few days ago. Everyone around me could hear fine with the schools stethoscopes, but not me. I would come home and hear it fine with my high dollar steth. Well I finally figured out my problem....It was placement of the stethoscope and making sure I had the steth pointing out in front of me a little. The only reason I was able to hear it with mine is that it is a high dollar steth so it was picking up the beat. Now when I practice in lab I make sure I use theirs and make sure my placement is correct. I was a little to centered before. I hear it just fine now in lab so I am not stressing as much about skills check off. Good luck to you and just keep practicing!

Exactly, we had to use the dual head steth during checkoff - and I heard nothing! Funny because my instructor was like "I heard it loud and clear!"

My Littman classic isnt a whole lot better though, I have to squeeze the earpieces tight into my ears...... Its just frustrating because its something your gonna have to do 10 times a day and you have to be able to do it!

[locolorenzo22]

With our doubles the instructor always seemed to be 6 beats up or down with em! I decided that as I'm palpating the radial pulse, when it obliterates, then I'm pumping 30mm above that point...I know roughly where it begins....then it's listening for silence at the end. I nearly failed mine, because the school uses ones that you have to make sure are turned the right way....I've never used ones like that....go figure...I got to do it again and passed....Whew....

[Deliasgone]

Just keep practicing. It took me forever to be able to get BPs. I had to just sit and keep taking a BP on my fellow students in our practice lab over and over again until I managed to figure out what I was listening for. Once I finally heard it finding a BP has been a snap.

[all4schwa]

my problem initially was the angle of the earpieces, i'd never though to move them.

[EricEnfermero]

Originally Posted by hospitalstaph

So I bought a Littmann 3000 and I have no problems now.

I have an electronic Littmann as well. It was a great gift with neat features, but I never use it! I work NICU, so it doesn't work for our setting.

Even when I'm on the ambulance as a medic, I'm scared to bring it for fear that it will get serious blood on it, get slammed in a door, get stolen, get cracked by a nutty patient, etc.

For those of you who are considering upgrading to something like this, consider that you may be scared to take it out of the box!

[Megsd]

My initial problem was I'd get so excited I heard something that I would forget to look at the dial to see what the corresponding number was. Once the novelty of hearing the noise wore off, I was better able to calculate the BP.

[bethg5]

Originally Posted by Megsd

My initial problem was I'd get so excited I heard something that I would forget to look at the dial to see what the corresponding number was. Once the novelty of hearing the noise wore off, I was better able to calculate the BP.

That is too funny because I was the same way!! I was so excited to be hearing something that I would completely miss where I heard it. I am still having trouble with that.