Clinicals and stethoscope?

Nursing Students General Students

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I start clincals this semester. It is recommended that students purchase a Littman classic II. I was wondering what other students are using/used during clinicals??

Thankd

Students aren't going to listen for or learn the most delicate of heart sounds in clinicals. I actually learned them from a CD I popped into my computer! Much more discerning, and easier to learn.

Anyway, a cheap scope that you can hear through reasonably well is all any student needs, IMHO. Save the pricey one for a graduation gift (and ONLY once you've tried it out yourself, first!!).

I had a super cheapie at first, and heard just fine through it. It was heavy, though, and the stupid bell kept unscrewing, LOL, but that's not a big deal in my world. I used it for 1.5 years, then bought a Littman Lightweight Select II for about $50 because I wanted a "real" stethoscope, and to me that meant Littman. Thing is, I couldn't hear for peanuts with it, and wound up giving it to my kid for a prop for Halloween that year, it was that useless to me. Back to the Prestige!

For graduation, I requested a Littman Master Cardiology, and I can hear a bug fart at twenty paces with that thing. Pure joy.

Try out ones for yourself; buy the cheapest one that still allows you to hear! :)

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Students aren't going to listen for or learn the most delicate of heart sounds in clinicals. I actually learned them from a CD I popped into my computer! Much more discerning, and easier to learn.

Anyway, a cheap scope that you can hear through reasonably well is all any student needs, IMHO. Save the pricey one for a graduation gift (and ONLY once you've tried it out yourself, first!!).

I had a super cheapie at first, and heard just fine through it. It was heavy, though, and the stupid bell kept unscrewing, LOL, but that's not a big deal in my world. I used it for 1.5 years, then bought a Littman Lightweight Select II for about $50 because I wanted a "real" stethoscope, and to me that meant Littman. Thing is, I couldn't hear for peanuts with it, and wound up giving it to my kid for a prop for Halloween that year, it was that useless to me. Back to the Prestige!

For graduation, I requested a Littman Master Cardiology, and I can hear a bug fart at twenty paces with that thing. Pure joy.

Try out ones for yourself; buy the cheapest one that still allows you to hear! :)

would you recommend prestige to students? If so which kind?

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Specializes in Emergency Department.
I use the cheap disposable ones at work and it's fine for me.

It's not a bad idea to try out one of those cheap ones. I have a couple "backup" stethoscopes that are of the nearly disposable variety and they work just fine. They're not great by any stretch of the imagination but since my ears are trained to hear what needs to be heard, they'll do.

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I have a cheapie then I was given the littman cardiology I I I as a gift. I can hear so much better with the littman. I had intended to purchase the classic se I I but my dad is excited about me getting in and wanted to buy a nicer one for me :) so who am I to argue.

I am sure you can learn whatever you need to with a cheaper one but I am of the thought that I want to make it as easy on myself as possible (hear clearly)....plus I believe in buying quality up front and not having to upgrade later. I think the best quality you can reasonably afford is good advice....don't break your budget....but don't go with the cheapest one out there if there is something better for you within your budget....

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would you recommend prestige to students? If so which kind?

I honestly haven't looked at Prestige since I bought mine umpteen years back....I'm sure there are more current models available now then when I got mine. But I will say that actually trying it out makes ALL the difference! One person can't hear with a Prestige, another can hear just fine. One person hears great with a Littman SE II....but I couldn't deal with it at all.

Go to a uniform/supply shop and Test Drive a few of em! :)

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Caution: If you have a really good stethoscope, or even one that's really good for you that you wouldn't want to lose, make it theft-proof the day you take it out of the box. No, engraving won't necessarily do it. What you do is unscrew the little ring that holds the diaphragm in place, remove the diaphragm, and on the INSIDE surface of the diaphragm write your name in magic marker BACKWARDS, so that when you replace it your name is now perfectly legible.

This will not alter the acoustic capabilities one bit, but anybody else who has your stethoscope around his neck (yeah, the docs steal more steths than anybody) will have your name prominently displayed. Real deterrent. As a bonus, if you change your name later, you can't change engraving, but it's easy to put in a new diaphragm.

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I have a cheapie then I was given the littman cardiology I I I as a gift. I can hear so much better with the littman. I had intended to purchase the classic se I I but my dad is excited about me getting in and wanted to buy a nicer one for me :) so who am I to argue.

I am sure you can learn whatever you need to with a cheaper one but I am of the thought that I want to make it as easy on myself as possible (hear clearly)....plus I believe in buying quality up front and not having to upgrade later. I think the best quality you can reasonably afford is good advice....don't break your budget....but don't go with the cheapest one out there if there is something better for you within your budget....

I'm with ya for the most part, except I DON'T recommend buying the most expensive one you can afford, to avoid an 'upgrade' later. Simple reason is that, as I described above, a more expensive one doesn't guarantee a better hearing experience. I still have that Littman SE II (it's in a drawer at home) but it WAS the 'more expensive, better quality' option and it failed miserably IMHO.

Another reason is that students are in and out of clinical settings and are notorious for laying down a stethoscope, coming back for it some time later and realizing it grew legs. Of course it can happen to any nurse at any time, BUT I think during student rotations, when it seems they lose them with greater frequency (not used to keeping track of them, maybe?), they might want to risk a lower investment loss. When I worked the floor, we had a BIN in the med room filled with the stupid things, left by students!

I think my Prestige set me back all of $16. Probably about $20 now, I'm guessing. Worth risking a loss, if it disappears, and if it DOES stay put....all the better :)

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Caution: If you have a really good stethoscope, or even one that's really good for you that you wouldn't want to lose, make it theft-proof the day you take it out of the box. No, engraving won't necessarily do it. What you do is unscrew the little ring that holds the diaphragm in place, remove the diaphragm, and on the INSIDE surface of the diaphragm write your name in magic marker BACKWARDS, so that when you replace it your name is now perfectly legible.

This will not alter the acoustic capabilities one bit, but anybody else who has your stethoscope around his neck (yeah, the docs steal more steths than anybody) will have your name prominently displayed. Real deterrent. As a bonus, if you change your name later, you can't change engraving, but it's easy to put in a new diaphragm.

LOL, you were reading my mind as I was typing my post!! :D

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The Littmann Classic II was what my school recommended to me, as well, so that's what I've purchased.

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