Any stethoscope recommendations???

[johnnyarei]

I am starting nursing school in May. As a new student, I have to purchase a stethoscope. I would like to get the Littmann Master Cardiology. But, I've been told that stethoscopes often "grow legs." So, I was thinking about getting the Littmann Classic II S.E. Hopefully, I'll get the master cardiology for a graduation present :) What type of stethoscope does everyone have? Do you have any recommendations?

[nursephillyphil, BSN, RN]

during nursing school i used a hand-me-down that didn't even have a brand listed on it. It had a bell and diaphragm, the earpieces hurt like HELL since they were hard plastic..but they trained me to listen closely for details. As a graduation gift i got the littman classic se 2 black edition. I figured that getting the master cardiology is a bit....over the top in my opinion at least.

Just get one that works, people lose their stethoscopes all the time through nursing school. Good luck!

[mrsboots87]

I know this thread is old but for any future readers, I thought I could give my .02. I was advised t get a mid range steth. Try not to go too fancy and expensive, and don't go to cheap and cruddy. The reasons I was given for the super fancy nono was because they can "walk away", and because for the scope of most nurses, the super high end ones just aren't necessary anyway. For going to cheap, I was told that the earpieces can be painful, the craftmenshop can be poor and the steth not last long, and because you may not be able to hear everything you need to while learning. So, I went for a littman classic S.E. II. It was moderate price and had great reviews from multiple sites. Butif you do want top of the line, try to get a different color than black and have it engraved with your name to reduce the risk of theft.

[kingdangerous]

I love the Littman Master Cardiology. This is the exact one that I have here: http://goo.gl/AmJwnb I've been a nurse for 4 years and working on a tele unit for the past two. Most of our cardiologists use the same one and ask to borrow mine when they leave theirs elsewhere. Just be sure you keep an eye on them until they give it back! I would avoid the cheap ones unless you lose thing easily. I hear so much clearer!