How to Choose a Good Stethoscope

amygarside · Jun 28, 2013

I choose for the brand and at the same time the color as well.. as long as it serves its purpose and it's durable that's fine.

workingharder · Jun 28, 2013

Since I'm not in acute care and don't use mine all the time I chose an inexpensive model. The expensive ones come equipped with a set of legs.

Guests · Jun 28, 2013

When I started nursing school, I bought a Littmann Cardiology 3. I have a hearing disability and bought the best thing I could find.

I later upgraded to a Littmann amplified scope but I've gone back to the Cardio III because it's (a) sufficient and (b) more compact for carrying around the whole shift.

bluegeegoo2, LPN · Jun 28, 2013

I prefer the disposable stethoscopes. I can hear everything with those, not so much with pricier name brands. It's also lightweight so I don't feel like i have a yoke on. And finally, should I lose it or it finds it's way to a new home, it's cheap and easily replaced without setting me back a wad of cash.

MotherRN · Jun 28, 2013

Where can I get the cheep disposable ones? I used one like that while in school (I inherited it from a classmate whose mother was an RN) but have since lost it. I could always hear out of it. The worst I could say is that it hurt my ears since it had no cushion.

ambitiousBSN · Jun 28, 2013

I chose based on the brand. I have both a Littmann Classic II, and now a Littmann Cardiology III as I head into nursing school in the fall. My first stethoscope was a regular dual-tubed steth, and when I first got my Classic II, the sound quality was simply amazing. I now know what they mean when they refer to it as "Littmann quality." :up:

myjade_84 · Jun 29, 2013

The brand matters to me too. I'm using Littman II SE Lightweight right now and i'm satisfied with it.

Kidrn911 · Jun 29, 2013

Littmann classic II, I actually should get an amplyify one because I have hearing loss in left ear. I choose Orange so it stands out and Docs don't run off with it.

bluegeegoo2, LPN · Jun 29, 2013

Where can I get the cheep disposable ones? I used one like that while in school (I inherited it from a classmate whose mother was an RN) but have since lost it. I could always hear out of it. The worst I could say is that it hurt my ears since it had no cushion.

allheart.com. :)

mwlude · Jun 29, 2013

Choose your stethoscope based on what sounds good to YOU. if you can hear what you need to out of it then thats all that matters. I went with an MDF procardial C3 or whatever its called for a few reasons. i spent a length of time listening with various stethoscopes and the one that hit the mark with me (over all the littmans) was MDF. super loud and clear. a few things that can effect sound quality are tubing length and wall thickness as well as diaphragm and type of metal used for the head piece.

regardless of what people say do not go cheap right off unless you either cant afford a high quality stethoscope or the cheap ones work best for you. this is a tool you will use for the rest of your career in healthcare so get what you want to start. They only get stolen if you are careless and leave it all over the place so it can be stolen.

good luck!

bluegeegoo2, LPN · Jun 29, 2013

They also get "lost" when you let someone borrow it "for a minute" and they never bring it back. My mistake and lesson learned.