Stethoscope Bling?

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Hello there,

Quick question for anyone who has already had some clinical experience. I was just accepted to my ADN program for Fall 2015 (yay!) and as a congrats gift my family bought me a stethoscope along with a really cute charm chain that hangs from it. I'm just wondering, are these charms allowed in nursing school/clinicals/hospitals? Being where it is located on the scope, I don't see how it would ever really come in direct contact with a patient but I could see why maybe some facilities would be worried about it not being sterile? Anyone have one of these and does your school/facility allow it?

Thanks!!

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

Personal equipment does not need to be sterile, as that is impossible but it needs to be easily cleaned. Hence the only simple wedding band, no necklaces only solid stud (no gemstone ) earrings etc

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I'm going to say they won't allow it. In the beginning of last semester I bought a few of these: CharMED — Home and got chewed out in lab (didn't even take them to clinical) for having them on my stethoscope. The reasoning that was they couldn't be cleaned easily and could spread bacteria.

I will admit I was a little sad that I wasted the money after finding out I couldn't use them.

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Specializes in Labor and Delivery.
I'm going to say they won't allow it. In the beginning of last semester I bought a few of these: CharMED — Home and got chewed out in lab (didn't even take them to clinical) for having them on my stethoscope. The reasoning that was they couldn't be cleaned easily and could spread bacteria.

I will admit I was a little sad that I wasted the money after finding out I couldn't use them.

Bummer because those are super cute!

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Yeah, that's what I was worried about :( too bad. I guess I'll hold off on using mine until I check with my program first. Thanks for the insight!

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Depends on your programs policy. There are a few people with little band type charms on their scopes. One person has a ribbon thing. And there are the name tag tabs.

I opted to get my stethoscope in safety orange so I would limit the chance of it walking off.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Emergency Medicine, C-NPT, FP-C.

It is up to your facility. I know my steth is wrapped in braided paracord and I've never had an issue. But I also demonstrated to my charge nurse that it gets soaked in cavicide to no ill effect. Then again half my ER had scopes like that, and cleanliness in an ambulance tends to be a constant job.

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Then there's that famous TV psychologist that says most people would be amazed at how little others think about them at all. Why do you need to be a "cute" nurse? Do you think any sick person is going to see your little charm bracelet-equivalent (how middle school!) and think that you must be a better nurse because of it?

Besides, once you really start learning how to use that thing for higher-level assessments than BPs in the learning lab and the grossest of lung sounds, you're going to realize that something like that rattling around is going to make it harder to hear well enough to do a good assessment. Yes, it will.

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GrnTea, I think you're taking my post completely the wrong way. Like I said, the charm was a gift from my family and includes charms that have great meaning to me...therefore it is special to me personally, I am definitely not using it in hopes that my patients think I am better, that's just silly. I am a mature adult and I don't appreciate being told that I am acting like a middle schooler. I am taking nursing and my education completely seriously, wanting to use a simple charm on my stethoscope should not make anyone think otherwise. I suppose scrubs with patterns and brightly colored stethoscopes would bother you too, because they're too "cute"? I understand you must have quite a bit more experience in the nursing profession than I do, but I don't think that gives you any right to put me down for asking a simple question.

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Specializes in Labor and Delivery.
Then there's that famous TV psychologist that says most people would be amazed at how little others think about them at all. Why do you need to be a "cute" nurse? Do you think any sick person is going to see your little charm bracelet-equivalent (how middle school!) and think that you must be a better nurse because of it?

Besides, once you really start learning how to use that thing for higher-level assessments than BPs in the learning lab and the grossest of lung sounds, you're going to realize that something like that rattling around is going to make it harder to hear well enough to do a good assessment. Yes, it will.

I can appreciate the practicality of the charms making it harder to do an assessment. I do think they are cute though, is that really wrong? Would I want them so that others could think I'm cute? No! It would be because I like them, whether anyone else would think they are cute is irrelevant to me.

It's the same thing I tell my 6 year old. Don't worry what others will think about your if it's something you like, that's all that matters.

I think it's wrong of you to assume that the OP or others like her who find the charms cute only buy them for other people's sakes and not their own.

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Then there's that famous TV psychologist that says most people would be amazed at how little others think about them at all. Why do you need to be a "cute" nurse? Do you think any sick person is going to see your little charm bracelet-equivalent (how middle school!) and think that you must be a better nurse because of it?

Hmm...I'm confused, because NO WHERE in the OP's post did she state that she thought she was a better nurse for wanting to add a charm to her stethoscope. You have taken a simple question and have completely blown in out of proportion in a failed attempt to put someone down. Why does she feel the need to be a "cute" nurse? Why do you feel the need to ask asinine questions? Please have a sip of tea and sit your ratchet self down! #byeFelicia

OP, bottle line, you gotta ask your program director for the ok and save yourself any trouble. How any one chooses to spend their money is absolutely their business, and if you feel the need to "look cute" and it does not break any of the hospital's rule and regulations then by all means do so because that is your prerogative!

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GrnTea, I think you're taking my post completely the wrong way. Like I said, the charm was a gift from my family and includes charms that have great meaning to me...therefore it is special to me personally, I am definitely not using it in hopes that my patients think I am better, that's just silly. I am a mature adult and I don't appreciate being told that I am acting like a middle schooler. I am taking nursing and my education completely seriously, wanting to use a simple charm on my stethoscope should not make anyone think otherwise. I suppose scrubs with patterns and brightly colored stethoscopes would bother you too, because they're too "cute"? I understand you must have quite a bit more experience in the nursing profession than I do, but I don't think that gives you any right to put me down for asking a simple question.

Since you mention the scrubs, I have often said that so many young nurses come here to complain that nobody takes them seriously, but then they dress as if they were going to a middle school sleepover. Pedi is the only place you get to wear unicorns, rainbows, and panda bears.

If your charm from a family member is so meaningful to you, put it on a chain and wear it around your neck. Stethoscopes are not "bling" holders. My opinion on that (and its interference with hearing subtle sounds) stands.

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