Stethoscope

Nursing Students General Students

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Hi all! I begin my accelerated nursing program in roughly 3 weeks and I am on the hunt for a stethoscope. Should I splurge and buy the Littman Cardio since I'm hoping to work in a hospital after the program? Or stick with a much cheapter Littman until I actually am a working RN? What are your opinions?

Thanks so much!

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Specializes in Emergency Department.

While I have, use, and love my Littmann Cardiology III, I very much suggest buying pretty much any stethoscope in the $30-$70 price range. If you're looking for a Littmann, the Classic II SE is a very good general-purpose stethoscope and will likely serve you very well through nursing school and into your clinical practice. Truly almost anything in that price range will serve you well.

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It's not necessary to have a Littman cardio when you work in a hospital. It's important to have something that you can hear with.

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Specializes in Emergency Department.
It's not necessary to have a Littman cardio when you work in a hospital. It's important to have something that you can hear with.

'Tis true enough! Once you know what you're listening for, you can use pretty much any stethoscope. About 15 years ago I treated myself to a Cardiology III and the sound quality is just amazing. I still have it and I've used it throughout nursing school. However, if you don't know (yet) what you're listening for, having a very expensive and high-quality stethoscope isn't going to help.

One other big reason I suggest getting a mid-range (or even an entry-level) stethoscope is that once you do know what you're listening for, you can then search for a stethoscope that meets your needs and your current more budget-friendly stethoscope can be kept and used as a backup.

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I ended up buying the Classic SE! Thank you guys :)

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