What type of stethoscope should I purchase for school?

Corpsman514 · Apr 22, 2013

I loved my Sprague Rappaport stethoscope! I used it in my Navy Corpsman days, as a Registered Medical Assistant and will probably purchase another one for back up when I get accepted into a BSN program.

HM-8404, BSN, RN · Apr 22, 2013

When I was contemplating which to purchase a close friend told me to buy my last stethoscope first. She said most likely I would end up with a Littmann Cardiology III eventually so why not get one from the start. She said while in training you are learning what to listen for and a good quality stethoscope will help with that. I have used others to compare sound quality and discovered some are pretty good and others sound like they were made by Fisher Price. I purchased my current one in 2004, it has been to Iraq and used in the field, and I still use it today in nursing school.

One word of caution... No matter which you choose, NEVER hang it on your car mirror. I did this to my first one. Just driving to and from my training site for 3 months, never left overnight, and it developed a permanent "crook" in it.

Sugarcoma, RN · Apr 22, 2013

I couldn't afford top of the line while in nursing school because I had such a tight budget. I had to go with cheap everything, which was unfortunate as I also have poor hearing. For myself the cheapest littmann worked, albeit not that well. I think it was about $40 bucks in 2007.

My advice to you would be to go to a store that sells scopes and try a variety. Find the cheapest one you can actually hear out of and then go home and google it. There were several sites I used to buy my supplies. For general supplies I used allheart, marcus medical, etc. For books I would go to the school, write down ISBN's and google. Amazon and textbooks.com usually had the cheapest prices. Always google and compare. When you find a site with what you need at the best price open another browser window and google promo codes, coupon codes, etc. for that site. Sometimes you will be able to find a discount or free shipping too!

When you are working as a nurse you can then reward yourself with better quality supplies.

msmaggiemo · Apr 22, 2013

I think you should go on Amazon and get the cheapest one in case you loose it, you can always get another one.

That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Apr 22, 2013

I never understood the mentality of buy crap stuff in case you lose it/gets stolen/suddenly explodes.

I liken it to my sunglasses and watches, the nicer ones you have, the better you treat it. I received my Master Classic II SE from my parents before school and have loved having it. It works so good that when my fiance started school, I bought her one too.

Streamline2010 · Apr 22, 2013

Just fyi, at the hospital where we had clinicals, some but not all of the instructors forbade us to wear a stethoscope around the neck because that is considered a safety hazard. We had to carry the scopes in our pockets because having one around your neck put it right where some craycray patient could wrap it around your neck and try to strangle you with it. I decided that carrying it in a pants of jacket pocket was a better idea. If you do that, the weight of the scope becomes a non-issue and you can just concentrate on getting the sound quality and sensitivity that you need at a price you can afford.

itsnowornever, BSN, RN · Apr 22, 2013

Just fyi at the hospital where we had clinicals, some but not all of the instructors forbade us to wear a stethoscope around the neck because that is considered a safety hazard. We had to carry the scopes in our pockets because having one around your neck put it right where some craycray patient could wrap it around your neck and try to strangle you with it. I decided that carrying it in a pants of jacket pocket was a better idea. If you do that, the weight of the scope becomes a non-issue and you can just concentrate on getting the sound quality and sensitivity that you need at a price you can afford.[/quote']
Always hated it in my pocket. Darn ear things would always hook a bed, or a chair...I'd start walking a be yanked back cause it would grab me and some stationary object :/
Posting from my phone, ease forgive my fat thumbs! :)

Nurse_Jessie · Apr 23, 2013

Learning how to listen and how to interpret what you hear is enough of a challenge in Nursing School without having to deal with a poor quality stethoscope to make it more difficult. My advice is to go for the best quality you can afford. I have personally been happy with my Littman Classic II. If you do choose a common color, do get a name tag for it. I lost my burgundy one when both myself and another nurse left our identical stethoscopes at the hospital.

Violach · Apr 23, 2013

I can't believe that people try to steal each other's stethoscopes. Wth?! Thanks for the info... I am in the process of looking at them now, as well.

IrishIzCPNP, MSN, RN, APRN, NP · Apr 23, 2013

I use an ultrascope and love it. They are also very personal and a little hard to grow legs.

grandpaj · Apr 23, 2013

I bought an adscope for school. I think the model # was 603. Amazon.com: ADC ADSCOPE 603 Stainless Stethoscope, Black: Health & Personal Care It was half the price of a Littman, but the acoustics were comparable. I went through two of them because I have a cat that would fish it out of my school bag and chew the tubing, but they're around $45 and have good sound quality. After I graduated, I got an engraved master classic II, which was great until a resident walked away with it. Disappointing, but it happens.

akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P · Apr 23, 2013

I bought an adscope for school. I think the model # was 603. Amazon.com: ADC ADSCOPE 603 Stainless Stethoscope, Black: Health & Personal Care It was half the price of a Littman, but the acoustics were comparable. I went through two of them because I have a cat that would fish it out of my school bag and chew the tubing, but they're around $45 and have good sound quality. After I graduated, I got an engraved master classic II, which was great until a resident walked away with it. Disappointing, but it happens.

Cats do the oddest things... In any event, that's a good price for a decent stethoscope. Too bad it somehow attracted your cat!

In any event, it just goes to show that people should check out stethoscopes in person and not just rely on what others say. A good fit with good acoustics should be the deciding factors as to what you should get. What doesn't work for me? I have found that I don't like the two-tube sprague type, though other people really like them. I'm just more a fan of single tube stethoscopes. And I'm also a fan of not having my stethoscopes being eaten/chewed or growing feet.