Geez! Just spent over 1100.00

[adria37]

:angryfire: Did everyone else have to buy all this equipment for class? I just spent over 1100.00 on a Littman stethoscope (Cardiology III), otoscope and accessories (650.00), tuning forks, b/p cuff child and adult (140.00), tape measure, pen light, ect. for physical assessment class (have to have the right brand). This is ridiculous, clinics have this stuff and why am I paying such a high tuition if I have to provide all the tools The 1100.00 is not including all the books either!

[texas-rn-fnp]

I will need to purchase all these items soon too. I didn't think about the drugs reps, but hey ytou never know...

Some of the equipment, like BP cuffs are nice to have at home to check yourself and your family. I would expect all clinics and hospitals to have their own. Stethoscope of your choosing is obvious essential. Oto/oph.-scope is good to have. Every, and I mean every, place I have ever been has either not had them, had them and were broke, missing peices, or only had one that was falling apart. There are some nice ones out there that are combos. I will be watching Ebay. I haven't investigated them recently (but I need to), but I remember using a nice one from a Ped. that was a combo that he bought new on Ebay for around $300.

Tuning forks are plentifully free from drug reps along with hammers (and pens and notepads) from drug reps. Wheel of conception comes in handy too.

A PDA would probably be essential. Those are less expensive every day. There are numerous references available (some even FREE!) for the PDA. Don't expect that your facility will have what you need, or in a recent edition. Lots of places are cheap on that. I remember the undergrad days when my clinical preceptors would haul a cart of reference books on to the floor every day for the students to use. Wow! That was the day.

Now that you paid all this money for nice equipment, hold on to it! It will walk it a second! Obviously coworkers might borrow them and forget to return them, but I have seen many friends and family straight out steal stuff. One Obstetrician got his PDA stolen out of his overcoat while he was a the perineum delivering the baby and the coat was even in the room with him, the patient, and everyone else. Sad.

[Dixiecup]

I know this is an old thread but thought I would respond for those who might be just starting the program.

Our program told us we needed to purchase these items also.

I did not purchase even one of the items on the list and never needed any of them. (with the exception of the PDA and I held out till the last semester and they insisted so I finally upgraded to an iphone because I needed a new phone! But I never used it for school!)

[t2krookie]

http://www.colonialmedical.com/product.php?productid=17068

Lol, Dixie, I was just trolling around here looking for tips myself, and decided to look up this listing for the oto/opt kit for 299. The internet is a wonderful thing :)

[VivaRN]

Eh, we had a choice of purchasing those items but I and many others did not. I love my stethoscope and have had it since the week before I started my BSN. It's fine.

I do not have my own BP cuffs, otoscope, tuning fork or anything else. Everywhere I have worked or volunteered has had them. I have never felt like I needed it for anything.

[Spacklehead, MSN, NP]

It was recommended we buy some of that stuff, but not required. I wound up borrowing most of it from the school - the lab coordinator would let us sign out what we needed and keep it for the whole semester. I also didn't buy the Cardiology III steth. I already had the Master Cardiology steth and just continued to use that one.