Worried about my nursing supplies!?

[Randi156]

Here is the deal I start my 1st semester of nursing school Monday woohoo!! I am already super nervous but yet very excited! My 1st semester I have the usual health assessment, communication for health professionals, fundamentals, etc. Anyways........ I have talked to a few of my fellow classmates and everyone went out and got a stethoscope at walmart, BP stuff at walmart, etc. I have NOTHING against this I have been truly blessed to have such a wonderful fiance' and have saved money back myself as well I have a littman cardio III stethoscope, and a Welch Allyn tycos sphygmomanometer I am very lucky to have these and my fiance' and myself bought these as sort of an investment as we expect these to last a long time for me provided they don't get stolen! Plus the BP thing was bought used from a med student I know and it was simply a good deal. My issue is my classmates have kind of made me feel like I have a snotty attitude about these as they asked me what type of supplies I have so I named those two items off to them ( I wasn't like OMG! I have this this and this only top of the line stuff you know) I just stated I have a littman stethoscope and a Welch Allyn BP since they asked. Well now no one really likes me that much and have been saying stuff like "the snotty rich kid", etc. I am in no way shape or form a rich kid! I don't consider myself snotty either and neither do my friends outside of school. I just think I am truly lucky and blessed to start school with nice things. Should I leave the nice stuff at the house now that we already spent money on it or just take it to school and be lucky I have such things? I hate everyone already hates me! This is not what I was expecting! What should I do? 3/4 of me says just ignore them, but the 1/4 of me says are my instructors going to hate me because I have nice things?

[Inori, BSN, RN]

bring em use em Just try not to lose them bring em just do not lose it! I'm a firm believer of you get what you paid for. Quality vs. quantitiy. I invested in the best equipment that is on par with what nurses use in the workforce because I know I'll be using it for years to come AND if there was something to hear I want to hear it and not miss it because my stethoscope was to cheap. I started 1st semester nursing using littman SE doubleheaded back then it was $75 with my name laser engraved on the bell, SAS nursing shoes $99, Millet trauma shears $20 or $40 forgot, Ipad $499, iphone (freE), nursing apps $300-400, then people were like wow you spent how much? my answer was I liked the color and the ear pieces are super comfortable. BP cuff i got prestige uhm that was pure vanity because it had pink purple hearts and matched my stetoscope AND way too unique for it to be mistaken for osmeone elses. My best investment shoes and stetoscope .. i never got blisters and feet didn't hurt after clinicals unlike most of my group.

Oh clinical professors are sharp! they can spot professional level equiptment a mile away. One clinical in peds I heard what I though was very lite but some sort of aventisious breath sounds in a newborn's while I didn't know what it was I flagged down my professor and asked her to listen. First thing she said was NICE stethoscope and showed evceryone else in the clinical group that this was the type and level of stethoscopes professionals used. You know after that just about everyone in the group ran off to buy one and soon the rest of our class followed suit so end of semester we were all using littman and upgrading to nicer equiptment.

Anyways ignore those jealous kids just enjoy your comfortable equiptment and don't lend it out, keep it on your person.

[lxr413130]

I'm happy for you! I've always wanted to own one or at very least try one out. Enjoy your blessings in any form they come. It's a sad world we live in when people cannot just be happy for others when they have something nice, whether it is a physical item or a bit of good news. Shame on those who have the kind attitude that if they can't have it no one should.

[LalaJJB]

Littmann is the only way to go. the bp cuff is great too. who cares what the classmates think. just be humble about what you have. my parents got me the same steth when i started school and i still use it today 5 YEARS LATER. the walmart scopes wont let you hear the sounds you need to hear. They are crappy. as for the bp cuff, that is also going to help you with your accuracy. You were smart to get the good stuff.

[Cold Stethoscope]

I suggest engraving an image of yourself on the bell of the stethoscope so that, even if someone steals it, they'll have to look you in the eye every time they use it.

This reminds me of the South Park episode where Eric Cartman gets a Trapper Keeper.

[CCMNursingStudent]

I suggest engraving an image of yourself on the bell of the stethoscope so that, even if someone steals it, they'll have to look you in the eye every time they use it..

If only this were possible, I would be on board 100%. :) My evil eye glare would follow and guilt the steth snatcher, no matter what angle they were looking at me from.

[SF_RescueNinja]

If only this were possible, I would be on board 100%. :) My evil eye glare would follow and guilt the steth snatcher, no matter what angle they were looking at me from.

LOL

Engrave your name on it. That's what I did and I got a Littmann Classic carribean blue tube color with a RAINBOW finish! It's so awesome I love it. Even though you might not have intended to come off that way, that's what they might have perceived it as. Your classmates are not just being immature... they're being rude! I've used everything at work --- from the cheap stuff that gets lost easily and replaced to the high-end, branded ones. Our instructors told us that we don't have to compete with each other now and we all need to work together to get through the program! Such a relief. Good luck to you and don't let it stress you out. You will have more than enough things to think about when you start!

[Jory, MSN, APRN, CNM]

I'll be honest...I'll give your stethescope a semester before it disappears. Seriously. You need a good one, but don't bring the one you have. I got a Littman Classic (allheart had the best prices), it was about $60 and I got it engraved with my name (I put RN at the end of it for when I graduated, but covered that part up with a tiny bit of tape), because students that had the cheap ones complained they couldn't hear well.

The blood pressure cuff...I got mine for $25.00 and it does a great job...I would wager yours too, will disappear and it's not necessary in order to get a good reading.

Thinks DISAPPEAR at school....even in the classroom. Protect your investments.