Stethoscope

[araew2129]

My wonderful.mother-in-law has offered to buy me a gift for nursing school to celebrate having been accepted into all the nursing programs I applied to! I will be starting in the fall. Looking into what I need, I am thinking of asking for a stethoscope as I know quality ones can be costly. I have picked out a Littman Classic III or a Littman Cardio IV. I know the classic is what most people get, but would you get the cardio if you could? She gave me a budget of $200, both of these being under that. And obviously I would like to save her money, but if the cardio is better for long-term use, maybe I should get it now (as it is still under budget)? What do you all think? Or is there another item I should be considering altogether (shoes, backpack, ect)?

[TheDudeWithTheBigDog, ADN, RN]

Well it's not so much about the name as the sound quality. The general rule in audio equipment is that you get what you pay for. Diaphragm material matters. Diaphragm shape matters. The shape and space inside the head matters. The matferial that makes up the tube matters. How the earpiece fits in your ears...

The goal for any serious use is always the best quality for the best price. That's why just like the Shure is an industry standard in microphones, Littmann is the current standard in stethoscopes. For a reason. The quality is so good for the cheap price that it's one of the more popular stethoscopes used by locksmiths.

I wouldn't go for Littmann's high end stethoscopes as a student but $90 for a classic iii is in my opinion a smart investment. That sound quality matters, and it's not going to be overkill. You're not going to learn how to listen by hearing muffled barely audible sounds.

[KeepGoingRN]

I would suggest getting the littmann IV if you can afford it. I got the littmann IV my first year of nursing school and I still have it as a RN now. Steths can last you a long time. I actual had a MD borrow it the other day and he complemented how good it was to the one he uses. Also, have your name engraved.