Stealing stethescopes

[ICU_RN_BSN]

I am about to start Nursing School! Yaayyy! I will be crossing over to this forum in no time I hope! I was just wondering what color stethescope is most common...or which one you think I should get..I about to order my very first stethescope..this expensive littmann one...I hear stethescopes get stolen often so I want one that stands out from everyone else's...it might be harder for them to steal it then. I am not about to spend $80 to just get it stolen. There is like a list of 20 to pick from..all the littmann classic colors I guess.

and if you have any tips or pointers for starting NS I would appreciate it. How do I get on the clinical nurses good sides. Scared after reading (why nurses eat their young.' Please don't eat me!! Haha:D I just want to learn and do a good job.

[FLArn]

Mine is bright pink almost neon, so far none of the docs have asked to use it, let alone steal it! LOL

[ObtundedRN, BSN, RN]

I have a Magna Fortis. They have tons of different colors to pick from. You can also get the tubing in one color, and the binaural headset in another color. Mine is all one color, pretty common color. BUT, the bell has my name engraved on it. So if they try to steal it, I'll know if its mine. It's not like those little plastic name plates for littman that can be easily removed.

[klone, MSN, RN]

Yes, something bright. Fuscia, maybe. That would at least prevent the male physicians from walking away with it.

Avoid black, navy or dark green. My dark green Littman Classic, given to me by my husband when I started nursing school, and had my NAME on it, grew legs and walked away.

[mentalhealthRN]

Name on it or not I have had about 2 or 3 walk away--one in a hospital and one in a small detox center--once out of the building though, where the nurse can use it at her other job--no gettin' it back! In the LTC facility I worked at I had ALL of my equipment stolen--stethoscope (brand new), pulse oximeter, BP cuff, bandage scissors--all of it. The dumb nurse who took it pulled it out and started using it after I quit. One of the nurses saw her using it --with my name on it still! I called the police on her butt as she has a history of addiction and can't even pass narcs there--can't let someone like that think they could get away with it. So I show up with the cops and she has some of it in her car! and some on her cart and because she told the cops that she didn't know it was mine--despite my name still on it.They said they couldn't do anything other then get my things back! So WATCH OUT for your things--its not just nurses it can be CNAs--they are often nursing students--docs--you name it so keep track of your stethoscope! Regardless of the color.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

don't go for basic black -- that seems to be the preferred color. have your name engraved on it and put a patient id bracelet or a dogtag or something visible with your name on it as well. if you're not using it, it goes on your neck, in your pocket or in your bag. most people who lose their scopes lose them because they've left them lying somewhere and either forgot where they left them or abandoned them for long enough that someone else picked them up to use them. don't let anyone use your scope. i still have the same littman i got in 1980. i have a nicer one now, but i've never lost one. i don't let anyone borrow it -- including dh who loses one every couple of years and then wants to borrow mine. i just tell people i have an ear infection -- no one insists upon borrowing it after that!

as far as nurses "eating their young" -- it happens no more or no less than in other fields. and i think the ones who are most convinced they're being eaten are probably the most difficult to work with to begin with. pay attention, step in and get your hands dirty and learn before you've asked the same questions four times in an hour. you'll be fine.

[TakeTwoAspirin, MSN, RN, APRN]

Rather than buy a stethascope that won't be appealing, why not just don't lend it to anyone?! If they ask if they can borrow it, just say NO. It's a piece of personal (emphasis on PERSONAL) equipment.

If you just can't bring yourself to be that blunt, just say you have a raging ENT infection and wouldn't want to be responsible for passing anything on to them. Punctuate this with loud coughing/hacking. They will go away!

[whiskeygirl, LPN]

I bought a Littman Peds for $150 back about 10+ years ago. It was gone inside of 3 weeks of working a new job. I never bought another one over $20 again! I really like that Littman, I could hear everything through it.

Find a good one used. Don't spend major money, it will get lost or stolen at some point.

As for tips for nursing school. Well it's not a tip for school, but for clinicals. Take the hardest patients (medically) on the floor you can. Everytime. You will impress your instructors and the staff on the floor. Plus, it will give you a way to learn the harder stuff with the back up of your class and instructor. It gave me a ton of confidence because it took the fear away.

Good luck

[ImThatGuy, BSN, RN]

Mine's black (wouldn't have a different color), but it says in my pocket when the ear tips aren't in my ears. Hanging it around the neck is for the birds, and leaving a Cardiology III laying around, or any good -scope, is asking for trouble. I'd hate to have to throw down on a fellow employee, student, or clinical staffer. Wait, no I wouldn't.

[tcgirl]

My school only allows us to have black steths, so you might want to check with your instructor to make sure they don't care about the color before you buy one...

[JulVaccRN, BSN]

Mine is neon orange, its an eyesore but everyone knows its mine!

[shoegalRN, RN]

I have a Littman that is navy blue that I got in nursing school. I have it engraved with my name and it stays around my neck when not in use. I NEVER leave it unattended because it can grow legs and walk away.

When I'm off work, it stays in my locker. I have everything marked with my name, pin light, books, shears, etc because you never know how often these things grow legs and walk away.