i am a new member of allnurses and am learning alot. thank you for this wonderful site. i am a sophmore bsn student at a university in pa. i am purchasing my first stethoscope. can anyone give me some information on these two stethoscopes and their differences? i am not worried so much about the price as i am about the acoustics. the one they sell at school is a generic one and i am told is awful. and advice for this new student would be appreciated. :wink2: thanks again!
My school required a minimum of a Classic II SE. I got as a present a Cardiology III and love it. I also bought a Master Cardiology and found it is not too significant a difference with the Cardiology III. Then I got a Classic II SE because they had a special edition breast cancer one, but I did find there was a difference between that and the Cardiology III. So I ended up loaning it out. The Classic II SE is the lightest, but to be honest with you, weight doesn't really matter to me as much as quality of sound.
The Cardiology III is probably the heaviest of the three, but like I said the sound is really good and I love mine.
Get what you can afford - as a student, you really don't need the super fancy multi-hundred dollar steth, so don't fell pressured into buying one. I have the Classic II SE, which my school recommended, and it's a very functional stethoscope. Most of the nurses I worked with in clinical had the same one or one of similar quality. I've never seen a Cardiology series, but I did only have 2 days in CVICU. For school and for med-surg (and for most ICUs) the SE is just fine. If you wind up in a specialty cardiac unit, you may choose to invest in a better one someday. Now, if you have someone out there with deep pockets who's looking to get you a present, get the top of the line - and then NEVER let anyone else touch it, cuz you'll probably never see it again.
i am a new member of allnurses and am learning alot. thank you for this wonderful site. i am a sophmore bsn student at a university in pa. i am purchasing my first stethoscope. can anyone give me some information on these two stethoscopes and their differences? i am not worried so much about the price as i am about the acoustics. the one they sell at school is a generic one and i am told is awful. and advice for this new student would be appreciated. :wink2: thanks again!
the master classic ii will have a higher acoustic rating than the classic ii s.e.. i have a classic ii s.e. and i love it and i can hear things very well with it. that one has an acoustic rating of 7 and the master classic ii has an acoustic rating of *i think* an 8 or a 9.
Get what you can afford - as a student, you really don't need the super fancy multi-hundred dollar steth, so don't fell pressured into buying one. I have the Classic II SE, which my school recommended, and it's a very functional stethoscope. Most of the nurses I worked with in clinical had the same one or one of similar quality. I've never seen a Cardiology series, but I did only have 2 days in CVICU. For school and for med-surg (and for most ICUs) the SE is just fine. If you wind up in a specialty cardiac unit, you may choose to invest in a better one someday. Now, if you have someone out there with deep pockets who's looking to get you a present, get the top of the line - and then NEVER let anyone else touch it, cuz you'll probably never see it again.
Ditto here! There are many great stethoscopes out there, but like others have said, you only need one that will get you through school. I have used cheap scopes and high end cardiology ones as well. My opinion is this...buy what you can hear out of the best and can best afford. After school, you may see one that is better than yours, but don't feel pressured to buy something that you don't like. I have used the classic II and it is good, the master classic is even better and weighs more. You can feel the difference in weight and size in your hands. I personally use a Littmann Select at work and it does me well, while my Cardiology III is at home in a drawer as my back up. Just as someone else said, no matter which one you buy, cheap or expensive, make sure you label it and don't let anyone else touch it unless you are watching them like a hawk.
NurseJeanB
453 Posts
Hello,
My school required a minimum of a Classic II SE. I got as a present a Cardiology III and love it. I also bought a Master Cardiology and found it is not too significant a difference with the Cardiology III. Then I got a Classic II SE because they had a special edition breast cancer one, but I did find there was a difference between that and the Cardiology III. So I ended up loaning it out. The Classic II SE is the lightest, but to be honest with you, weight doesn't really matter to me as much as quality of sound.
The Cardiology III is probably the heaviest of the three, but like I said the sound is really good and I love mine.
Regards,
Jean