What stethoscope do you suggest for a student?

Nursing Students General Students

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Can anyone suggest a particular brand/ model? I would like something moderate to high-end, but not digital, with good sound quality.

i just ordered a littman cardiology iii from steeles.com, i have to have dual diaphragms, and they will engrave the diaphragm for you. the prices are not bad either. i ordered dog tags for identification also. heard too many stories about them walking, so i will be holding on tight.

kc

engraving_3mcardiologyiii.jpg

hey kc, i also start at north harris this fall. just wondering, where did you find out that we needed to buy our stethoscope? i have been reading the website and handouts up and down because i thought we would need to buy that soon, but couldn't find any information on it. thanks in advance =)

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My DH is a bone marrow transplant nurse, and they have a draw full of stethoscopes on their unit. He brought me home a Littman Classic II SE and a Prestige Medical Sprague. I listened to him, me, the cats, and the grandchildren and honestly couldn't tell the difference. I bought the Sprague($14.95). (Besides, it comes in pink....can't beat that.)

M

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I have a Littman Cardiology III which I love so much I splurged on a Littman Master Cardiology, but for school I would suggest the Littman Cardiology III. I tried some other stethoscopes and could tell the difference in sound quality and a big difference in ear comfort level.

I got it from allnurses.com

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I love my Littmann stethoscope. I paid $110 with my name engraved in it. It is worth it.

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I remember always reading "Littmann, Littmann, Littmann", but I didn't have the money to fork out at the time. I emailed this stethoscope to my instructor and she said that should work fine. After reading good reviews about this model, I decided I'd get it.

A classmate has a Littmann and it looks very similar to mine. I have had NO issues hearing anything with mine and it was a VERY decent price! Just under $25...and I found a coupon by doing a google search.

http://www.allheart.com/ahdst0500blk.html

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Here's my problem with buying a Littman for nursing school. I had one when I went through LPN school and was Heartbroken when it turned up missing.:bluecry1: Never retrieved it. I'd wait till school is done before making that kind of investment.

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Specializes in CICU.
My DH is a bone marrow transplant nurse, and they have a draw full of stethoscopes on their unit. He brought me home a Littman Classic II SE and a Prestige Medical Sprague. I listened to him, me, the cats, and the grandchildren and honestly couldn't tell the difference. I bought the Sprague($14.95). (Besides, it comes in pink....can't beat that.)

M

Ha! I got a pink Sprague too - mine was $11.78 on Amazon, I bought it for replacement parts. My 13 year-old, beat-up, green Sprague is going to school with me, no one is going to want to swipe it... But, my name is on it in magic-marker just in case :D. Even if someone does take it - I have certainly gotten my money out of it at this point(I probably paid $8 or less when it was new).

And, FWIW, I could always hear lung sounds and BPs just find with my green cheapie - even in the back of an ambulance. It was good to me in EMS clinicals - I will consider it a good-luck charm for nursing clinicals!

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OP,

why didnt you want a digital?

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Specializes in Med Surg.

i use the littman lightweight...it was under 60 bucks

when i was working as a nurse apprentice...95% of the nurses on the floor had the same exact one...

no one bothered getting anything fancy...

it does the job...and it doesnt hurt my ears

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Specializes in Emergency.

OK,

Heres my humble opinion:

I graduated a little over a year ago, and for my first few semesters in school, I used the $16.95 special from the uniform store. Its' very inadequate. Around X-mas time, I asked my parents for the gift of a Littman Cardio III. I work on a cardiac unit now, and it has been one of the most important pieces of equipment in my short career. This stethoscope can be used anywhere even if you are not a cardiac nurse and the sound and clarity are awesome. It runs about $175, but well worth it. Just be sure to keep it close to you and have a good ID on it so it doesn't disappear. Best stethoscope I've ever had.

Amy

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Specializes in Hospice, Intermediate care unit.

For anyone looking for a littman go to www.uniformcity.com and go to accessories and they have littman lightweight for $44.99 and if you want some scrubs as well you can buy some there also...Good Luck!!!!!!:yeah:

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