Stethoscope for School

TLizS · Dec 8, 2014

I dunno whats necessary but I know the littman lightweight II is suggested a lot here....I just happened to see that the lilac one will be on amazon's daily deals today....looks like starting at 6:00pm is you have prime and probably 6:30 if you don't for anyone looking. Not sure what the deal price will be but regular price is $44.95 soooo it will be discounted from there....

RN403, BSN, RN · Dec 8, 2014

It's necessary to hear adequately so that you get a good assessment and so that you are able to learn and distinguish different sounds. You don't have to pick the most expensive stethoscope, but, you certainly will want a quality stethoscope. As the PP said the Littman Lightweight II is usually adequate for students.

icuRNmaggie, BSN, RN · Dec 8, 2014

To really hear murmurs you need a Littman Master Cardiology. A good investment for anyone working in a Critical Care area.

mrsboots87 · Dec 8, 2014

I agree with getting a littman and get the most expensive one you can afford. I have the S.E.II and it works great for me. My friend has the cardiology III and there really is a difference in what you can hear. I dont have the money for one of those, and as of yet, my inexperience means I wouldnt know what I was hearing with the better steth anyway. But maybe in the future. I had mine engraved and the total cost was around $75. So far I can hear pretty well with it.

2bnursebeckky · Dec 8, 2014

Yeah, I've been looking at the SE II for school. I figure later on down the road I can splurge if I want! :)

TLizS · Dec 9, 2014

I just checked out the amazon deal....it is $35.47 on the lightning deal then there is a $5.00 coupon you can click to apply at check out making it $30.47....a great deal IMO

buttercupp85 · Dec 9, 2014

Be careful on Amazon! They are not an authorized Littman seller. I bought one off amazon, and it was definitely a fake. Felt much too light versus the real thing. Luckily, Amazon has an awesome return policy, so I got all my money back. Here are the authorized dealers, according to 3M webpage:

Where to Buy Littman Stethoscope

NorCalKid · Dec 9, 2014

Do you know anybody that graduated your program? Littmann sent our school a bunch of samples and we could try/use them in our first weeks of lab and buy what worked for us. Not sure if this is common. I would find out if your program does the same.

I found that the cheapest ones didn’t work as well as I wanted but the cardiology ones weren’t necessary as a student.

buttercupp85 · Dec 9, 2014

People in my program that didn't get a Littman regretted it and upgraded the next year. So if you look at it that way, you might as well spend the money now (if that makes sense). I agree you don't need the cardio III but the lightweight or SE classic II. I bought the classic and did not regret it for a moment. I probably spent $80. It's worth the investment honestly.

IrishIzCPNP, MSN, RN, APRN, NP · Dec 9, 2014

I prefer my ultrascope and MDF over littman. I haven't used my littman in forever. I've recently been told the welch Allyn is amazing.

There are better stethoscopes out there than littman.

akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P · Dec 9, 2014

For nursing school, you are going to only need to learn the basics. To that end, you really don't need to spend more than about $75 on a stethoscope that you'll use throughout school and into the first part of your nursing practice. Due to my own background, I would have easily done just fine using a very cheap $12 dual-head stethoscope. I think I've got three of those...and I wouldn't miss 'em if I lost 'em.

To that end, I would recommend just about any stethoscope made by a decent manufacturer that costs between $35 and $75 that has acoustic sensitivity that is similar to a Littmann Classic II S.E. I will also state that the Lightweight is also a decent choice. Several of my classmates used one for their entire school experience and had only good things to say about it.

My own personal "primary" stethoscope is a Littmann Cardiology III and it's been in service with me for about 15 years now. It's never walked away from me because I never lend it out and I always keep it in one of two places: in my pocket or steth holder, or it's in my ears being used. I don't leave it lying around as it will likely quickly grow legs.

Whatever stethoscope you choose, make darned sure that you're comfortable replacing it with a like-kind if it does grow legs. I happened to buy my Cardiology III many years ago when I did have that kind of money around.