Sprague ?

Hey all :)

I'm starting a BSN program this fall and I have a question about STETHOSCOPE

I will have Orientation soon and a unifrom sheet was mailed to us. On the sheet there's a (required) order of SPRAGUE Stethoscope. But I was advised by someone who's already in the program to NOT get it from school and get a LITTMANN online.

I need some inputs from those who had experience using a Sprague stethoscope...is it good for a new nursing student? OR should I get a Littmann?

Oh also...How many set of scrubs do I need? We will have 2 days of clinicals. Thanks a ton!

[LeesieBug]

I think spragues are fine...I started with one, and could hear everything I needed to. The only reason I went to a littman was the WEIGHT of that thing! That heavy head on the sprague was killing me, thunking into my collarbone all day...it also made my neck itchy.

I really love my Littman lightweight. Was relatively cheap, too.

One uniform has suited me fine...just depends on how much you mind washing it after every clinical. Ours were so expensive there was no way I was going to buy two. If they were cheap, though, that would be a different story...

[heatherp75]

I had purchased a Sprague stethescope when I took a medical assisting certification course, and yes, it did work. However, I was told this summer at orientation that as a nurse, you need to be able to distinguish different sounds, and since the Sprague stethescopes have 2 tubes attached to the diaphram and the Littman's have 1 tube, that the Littman's are better at hearing a variety of sounds.

I didn't want to struggle hearing sounds in a noisy lab and at clinicals, so I bit the bullet and bought a Littman, and I'm glad I did!

Good Luck!

[Rhoresmith]

I worked as a Resp therapist and know the value of a good good scope. I do not like Sprague at all. Like a previous poster said it is the double barrell thing

good luck!!!!!

Hey all :)

I'm starting a BSN program this fall and I have a question about STETHOSCOPE

I will have Orientation soon and a unifrom sheet was mailed to us. On the sheet there's a (required) order of SPRAGUE Stethoscope. But I was advised by someone who's already in the program to NOT get it from school and get a LITTMANN online.

I need some inputs from those who had experience using a Sprague stethoscope...is it good for a new nursing student? OR should I get a Littmann?

Oh also...How many set of scrubs do I need? We will have 2 days of clinicals. Thanks a ton!

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

Hey all :)

I'm starting a BSN program this fall and I have a question about STETHOSCOPE

I will have Orientation soon and a unifrom sheet was mailed to us. On the sheet there's a (required) order of SPRAGUE Stethoscope. But I was advised by someone who's already in the program to NOT get it from school and get a LITTMANN online.

I need some inputs from those who had experience using a Sprague stethoscope...is it good for a new nursing student? OR should I get a Littmann?

Oh also...How many set of scrubs do I need? We will have 2 days of clinicals. Thanks a ton!

Ok, don't jump on me for being pessimistic, but.....when I was in first semester, I saw a bunch of classmates buying "better" stethoscopes, saying they didn't want to waste money on a cheaper one, or whatever. Thing is, just about all those students aren't IN the program anymore (I'm sure some who bought the Littmans are, I'm just saying that so many aren't).

So, a Sprague for $15.95 will do just fine :) My program is just darned difficult to get through, and too many make the mistake of thinking they got through the science pre-requ's so they won't have any more trouble. And then lots of For Sale notices go up for uniforms, etc

Anyway, I used my cheapie Sprague for the first year, and recently treated myself to a Littman Lightweight. It was about fifty bucks. Like someone else here said, it's alot lighter on the neck, and having one tube is better than two. But for early work, frankly, I heard absolutely everything I needed to, various lung sounds and all.

Buy the cheaper one, and treat yourself to a better one later. You can always sell the cheaper one, or give it as a gift to an incoming student :)

[youknowho]

I started with a Littmann and did not like it at all. I also had a hard time dealing with the $70 price tag for something I did not feel comfortable using. I returned it and bought a Prestige Medical basic sprague and can hear so much better. Weird huh? I plan on asking Santa for an Ultrascope for Christmas, they just look so cool.

[#1rnstudent]

I bought a Littmann Master Classic and a sprague POS (piece of sh#t). I bought the sprague to lend to people who insisted on asking to borrow my steth. NO WAY will I lend my Littmann. The ear pieces on the sprague were never comfy and the entire metal tube part would rotate and never stay in one spot. I could never hear out of it. Anyways, not only did people quit asking to borrow a stethoscope from me, but I could not even GIVE away the sprague POS steth and ended up throwing it out. Go Littmann and you'll never go back. :)

[littlenursey]

Thank u every one for your replies :)

[elizabells, BSN, RN]

Thank u every one for your replies :)

I love my Littman cardio.

And I'd get 2x the scrubs you need for a week, if you can afford it. Sometimes I just can't do laundry every week... :uhoh21: