Best Stethoscope for Nursing Students

j_tay1981 · Mar 12, 2010

I bought a cheaper, old Sprague off of eBay and the ear tips were murder (as was the Omron Sprague). I could hear fine out of them which was a miracle considering how close they felt to puncturing my ear drums!

With the Omron, I found that a pair of the soft Prestige Medical ear tips had the same threading and that really helped out with that one (still not a scope I use a ton, but whatever). Oddly enough, the old Sprague from eBay was a Prestige, but the eartips (which were also Prestige) would NOT fit; the threading was different

So in short, in some cases you CAN switch out eartips, but some of the two-tube Spragues are just plain uncomfortable.

My advice: I really like my ADC Adscope-Lite 609. It's a low-cost single tube scope, very light in weight and I hear well out of it. Plus it has the added bonus of being COMFORTABLE (It also comes with a 5-year warranty and spare ear tips and diaphragm). If I were you, I would return the painful cheap scope (trust me - you won't ever use it if it hurts) and get the ADC 609 from Amazon (or wherever). It's a hassle to return everything, I know, but in the long run you'll be better off.

http://www.amazon.com/ADC-ADSCOPE-Lite-Lightweight-Scope-Adult/dp/B0011MIR1A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1268362445&sr=8-1

Hope this helps!

lil pixi · Mar 12, 2010

Luckily, the problem w/ the cheap scope has been resolved since I found a pair of Gel seal ear tips that are super, super comfortable. ?

It's weird, the threading doesn't match up & the tips are a bit bigger, but supposedly they have a way of locking into place I haven't figured out yet. lol

But w/ the cheap scope being around $5, the gel ear tips cost nearly triple the price.

Don't really mind, though, considering I do like the scope & it is very clear & light, but not how it had treated my ears initially.

Sprague Cardio just arrived. What. A. Beauty, for a decent priced scope. Extra interchangeable bell & back up pair of super soft ear tips. Fairly weighty, though.

I love the difference in the scopes & having the option of a bit of variety to practice w/.

I love the looks, overviews & reviews of the ADC scopes so much, I think I'll more than likely go w/ one over Littman when I go to upgrade.

Thank you for your help. ?

And for future reference on ear tip discomfort, if anyone can find those gel seal ear tips in such a situation, they're great & worth it, Imo.

I found them at Work N' Gear where they sell a decent array of scopes.

j_tay1981 · Mar 13, 2010

Glad it worked out for you - that's funny that the ear tips were more than the scope itself!

That's cool that you like the Sprague Cardio - I had never seen one like that before.

Good luck with everything!

RelloydRN · Mar 17, 2010

Littman Lightweight II SE works fine with cardio, lung, and bowel sounds for me.. I kinda like it t0o because its lighter than the average stethoscopes!

Restoration · Jun 15, 2010

ole thread but ?

..to make a long story short I was told to get one by tomrw so I ran to the store and ended buying the ADC Adoscope lite 609. I spent a looong time in the Life store trying everything, this even sounded better than the Littman SE 11 to me.

My friend got the same one too.

j_tay1981 said:
My advice: I really like my ADC Adscope-Lite 609. It's a low-cost single tube scope, very light in weight and I hear well out of it. Plus it has the added bonus of being COMFORTABLE (It also comes with a 5-year warranty and spare ear tips and diaphragm). If I were you, I would return the painful cheap scope (trust me - you won't ever use it if it hurts) and get the ADC 609 from Amazon (or wherever). It's a hassle to return everything, I know, but in the long run you'll be better off.
http://www.amazon.com/ADC-ADSCOPE-Lite-Lightweight-Scope-Adult/dp/B0011MIR1A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1268362445&sr=8-1
Hope this helps!

j_tay1981 · Jun 15, 2010

Restoration,

I'm glad that was helpful to you. Enjoy!

coupb8222 · Jun 16, 2010

Friendly recommendation:

To keep your stethescope in good condition try not to wear it around your neck. Your skin dries out the tubing. Littman reps recommend using armor all on it once a month (to the tubing) to restore it and keep it supple.

Some older nurses you will see their stethescope dry out and "bend" to the shape of their neck - not good.

Try to start yourself getting in the habit of storing it in your pocket to maintaining your investment.

Also always clean of your diaphragm/bell with alcohol, rubbing briskly for 15 seconds between patients, stethescopes are a great source of spreading bacteria!

Rnstudent2011 · Aug 1, 2010

coupb8222 said:
Friendly recommendation:
To keep your stethescope in good condition try not to wear it around your neck. Your skin dries out the tubing. Littman reps recommend using armor all on it once a month (to the tubing) to restore it and keep it supple.
Some older nurses you will see their stethescope dry out and "bend" to the shape of their neck - not good.
Try to start yourself getting in the habit of storing it in your pocket to maintaining your investment.
Also always clean of your diaphragm/bell with alcohol, rubbing briskly for 15 seconds between patients, stethescopes are a great source of spreading bacteria!

I haven't seen any posts about this but you can also buy "hip holders" that attach to a pocket or your waste and hold your stethescope so you dont have to take up precious pocket room.

ObtundedRN, BSN, RN · Aug 1, 2010

Connie1109 said:
Hello all I recently started my nursing classes and am looking to purchase a stethoscope for lab and clinicals. I wanted to know from your experience what stethoscope is the best for nursing students. I am aware that everyone says LITTMAN is the best but it is also expensive so I would like a less expensive alternative that works great as well.
Thank you for your help.
Good luck to you all this semester.

Take a look at magna fortis stethoscopes. MagnaFortis.com and use the promo code 282698. I have the "epicardia" model and really like it. They are supposed to be just as good as Littman (in lab tests), but wig the discount code it's much cheaper.

While in nursing school I kept this stethoscope at work (working in EMS), and used a Littman for clinicals. I liked them both. The magna fortis has a heavy metal bell which is good at keeping out ambient noises, but means some people may not like it in their pocket or on their neck all day. The Littman is much lighter, but picks ups other noises. So that comes down to preference.

That discount code saves a ton of money

pawashrn · Aug 1, 2010

Use your eyes and your senses to assess your pt. then grab a stethoscope. As a student you should hone your skills in observation. Such as, a person with no lung disease requiring high O2 and sat's are low 90's, problem. A person with lung disease requiring high O2 and sat's are low 90's, probably were they are naturally.

Know your pt. history: retainer/smoker/ARDS. A stethoscope cheap or expensive is not going to help if you don't first know what you are looking for. I have been nursing for 15 years and the stethoscope I use is a cheap Littman I won at a the hospital fair during Nurses Week. I change the ear plugs once a year.

turnforthenurse, MSN, NP · Aug 1, 2010

I highly recommend the Littmann Classic II S.E. for nursing students. Pretty affordable compared to other Littmanns imo (I got mine for $74-something from Redding Medical supplies Littmann stethoscopes and Welch Allyn blood pressure units - that includes both tax and S&H! in store they're like $84, + tax = $90+!) They also have great acoustics (7/10). I would not get the Lightweight. I know it's cheaper, but all of the nurses I have talked to that own one say NOT to buy one!!

Chris NS · Sep 6, 2010

i would actually start with a master classic ii, well thats what i would start with because its a single head