I know Littman gets rave reviews but.........

Nurses Uniform/Gear

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does anyone care to recommend a less costly alternative to the Littman stethoscope? Every thread I can find on stethoscopes seems to repeatedly mention Littman (which should tell me something!) but I'm not sure I'm willing to spend that kind of money on my first. I'd be curious to know what other types are being used by fellow students out there.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

I bought a Littman Classic II SE. Best money I have spent on stuff for clinical. I listened to some of my friends stethescopes--Pretiges mostly--and you can't hear nearly as well. I can hear the murmurs and S3s and S4s pretty easily most of the time. I wouldn't go cheap--the little bit of extra money will be well spent.

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i am not a student..but..i love my Ultrascope

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You know, you can find Littman Stethescopes on the Internet for about $40. I don't think that is too much to pay for something as good as they say they are! From what I understand, the lightweight one works just fine. Here, try this link (Just for an example!)

http://cpo.to/lightweight.html

Good Luck!!

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Specializes in ICU, nutrition.

I had a cheapie to get through school, and my parents gave me a Littman Classic II SE for graduation. I work with several "old" nurses who have cheap stethoscopes and they do just fine. I personally like the Littman Master Cardiology (about $200) but at this point in my life it's just too expensive.

I wouldn't spend more than $20 on a stethoscope until after I graduated and was actually making some money. lol

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho.

I used a cheapie for the past 9 years of being an LPN, and through my RN program. Only after i graduated did i break down and buy a good steth(littman cardio III). I like the new one, but actually the cheapie did just as much where i work.

With the cheapie i didnt run around crazed when a doc asked to borrow it. Now if they ask, i usually tail them the whole way and dont let it out of my sight. I think I'll probly go get them the cheapie off the CD cart next time they ask to borrow mine. Save myself a little stress. We all KNOW what the stethescope monster is. Worse than the sock monster that visits your childrens rooms for sure.

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You can get a sprague stethoscope for around $15. They have dual tubing so you can hear pretty well with them. They are just kind of bulky to carry around. Then when you graduate you can treat yourself to a Littman or Ultrascope! I have a Littman master classic, it works well and is easy to carry, I think it cost between $70-$80.

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I use the littman classic SE II. it was a gift so i dont know about the cost, but I do know that most of the other students in my class have the prestiges. we started clinical 5 weeks ago and already 3 peoples' prestiges have broken and/or lost the ear pieces!

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my stethoscope is made by a company called "prestige medical" and it's a very good stethoscope. it's lightweight and pretty durable. i've had mine for about 3 years now. mine doesn't have dual tubing and i can hear lung/heart/bowel sounds just fine. i paid somewhere around 13 dollars. this company also makes them w/dual tubing. :nurse:

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There are lots of little gizmos and such that people spend their money on...but IMHO there are two items that need your attention and hard earned cash........ a good stethoscope and a good pair of shoes.........

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I think mine is a Sprague. I bought it in a set with a penlight, bp cuff, scissors, etc. The guy kept telling me about the Littmans, but since I don't work and have to rely on my parents to buy me all this stuff, I didn't think my mother would have been too happy if I had come home with a $200 stethoscope! Now, when I graduate that's what I'll probably ask them for, but I figure for when I'm a student, the cheapie will work just peachy! :b

:nurse:

aimee

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Specializes in tele, stepdown/PCU, med/surg.
Originally posted by memphispanda

I bought a Littman Classic II SE. Best money I have spent on stuff for clinical. I listened to some of my friends stethescopes--Pretiges mostly--and you can't hear nearly as well. I can hear the murmurs and S3s and S4s pretty easily most of the time. I wouldn't go cheap--the little bit of extra money will be well spent.

Don't tell me you picked up S3s and S4s in clinicals? Did the charts tell you the patient had them?

Z

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