Hearing Aids and Stethescopes

[Beenthinking]

I'm considering Nursing or "Beenthinking" about it. I need to know if anybody knows or is someone who uses hearing aids and is able to use a stethescope for heart/lung/bowel sounds and bp's. I have tinnitus is both and wear aids that fit compleatly inside the ear. there's another kind that sits behind the ear with tubes that insert into the ear. I could just pull the tubes out,use the steth and put them back in I imagine but I want to ask the masses here on the board if they have ever seen a nurse work with them.

This is pretty much the last try for a career after the Army. I can't afford not to turn over every rock. Any insight will be appreciated.

[Student4_life]

I am prior service as well, and I also have tinny ears (although not to the extent of yours). There are electronic stethoscopes out there. Some that are Walkman style that would work with in ear hearing aids and others that work like normal scopes but with alot of amplification. So there are tools for you to use, so don't let that stop you.

[Rob27, BSN, RN]

I have never seen a nurse do it, but I have seen a top BMT doctor at UNC do just as you described. I am sure if he is able to cope, you should be fine.

The first time I spoke with him he had left his aids out, and suddenly mid convo he was like wait wait, I didn't hear a thing you said...I forgot my hearing aids. He reached in his lab coat and pulled them out.

[Beenthinking]

The walkman style sounds interesting. The amplified stethescope, although technicaly better, would give me a different assessment from someone with normal hearing. I've used those as a medic on manual pressures and the results are unreliable. I also tried special ear pieces but those pulled my hearing aids right out of my ears and under someones boot(buhbye $2500). I hadn't heard of another type until now. Thank you so much for posting a response. It's been about 6 yrs since I looked into it last.

[ParkerBC,MSN,RN, PhD, RN]

I have hearing loss in both of my ears. I purchased the Litmann 3100. I am able to hear lung sounds and heart sounds fine.

[Beenthinking]

I hear too well with the electronic steth though. Korotkoff sounds diminish at a much wider reading, or not at all, than someone with normal hearing. I guess I'll have to try and adjust the volume control so it can more closely match normal hearing and always use that setting.

[xohaileyyyx3]

I'm happy I saw this post.

A few weeks ago in AP2 lab, I had to listen for my partners heartbeat with a stethlescope and I was so upset because I couldn't hear anything and everyone else could (I was born with nerve damage in my ears)

I'm glad to know there is a way around this!

[Beenthinking]

Just remember that an amplified steth will enable you to hear sounds others can't also hear.

Exanple: It was almost impossible to get a systolic with a manual cuff. You have to crush thier arm with it just to minimize the sound and the diastolic was just as useless. But hey, you could take a pulse from thier toe probably....ha,ha