Where do you put your stethoscope?

[newbiepnp, MSN, RN, NP, CNS]

Just finished my first semester (yeah!) and can't get my last clinical rotation out of my head. My instructor stated that we should keep our steths in our pocket and not around our neck. She claimed that it was unprofessional and only doctors and nurses on TV wear them around the neck. Eventhough I've seen plenty of professional staff with it around their necks, I've tried to comply, but twice ended up knocking the cap off of my markers and ended up ruining my uniforms which are white. Also with all the stuff we're expected to carry around in our pockets, it takes me forever to take out the steth without papers, 4x4s, etc. joining up. So, just wondering what everyone else does.

[Future RN- June '11]

I have a stethoscope holder that clips onto the waste of my scrub bottoms. Works real well. Half the time it ends up around my neck though. I too see lots of nurses and docs with the stethoscope around their neck. Haven't ever heard of it being unprofessional.

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

Ummmm, around my neck. What's "unprofessional" about it?

I don't wear clown pants for my uniform, so I don't have room in the few pockets I do have. They are filled with a small notebook, bandage scissors, penlight, two pens, a cheap calculator, and breath mints. There's no way I could stuff a steth in there.

Anyway, I need some spare space for bandage tape, gauze, and flushes, if I need them.

[Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN]

I agree . . ."ummmm, around my neck".

How is that unprofessional?

I'll tell ya . . I heard some mighty funny stuff in nursing school from some of the teachers.

Sometimes I think they are trying to trick us.

steph

[nurse2033, MSN, RN]

I'm a real nurse and I don't play one on TV. I wear it around my neck. You have to be cautious though, it could be used to choke you (if you work in ER for example). I take it off around patients that are twitchy. Have your instructor email me, I'd like to discuss her perspective on professionalism.

[Mike R, ADN, BSN, RN]

I have a stethoscope holder that clips onto the waste of my scrub bottoms. Works real well.

That's what I use. Seriously worth the $5.

[newbiepnp, MSN, RN, NP, CNS]

Thanks, I thought as much. :) On to the next round...mental health. Hmm, some how, so fitting.

[Despareux]

Wearing it around my neck gives me headaches from neck strain. So I use a bat clip. Love that thing. Now I wish there were something similar that would hold my BP cuff.

[choc0late]

I can't stand the feeling of mine around my neck. I have scrubs with cargo pockets so I keep it there. However a warning should be attached to cargo pockets as the steth's eartips tend to wrap around bed rails, IV tubing, or get caught on chair handles, lol!

[soushee]

I wear mine around my neck. I guess all my clinicals must be occurring on TV, because that's what all the real nurses do, too.

[turnforthenurse, MSN, NP]

I have never heard of wearing a stethoscope on your neck being considered "unprofessional." I do it and so do many of the nurses that I know. Sometimes I will carry mine in my scrub jacket pocket. If neither of those work, allheart.com sells a stethoscope holder on the side of your waist. Some uniform stores carry that, too.

[ImThatGuy, BSN, RN]

I put it in the lower pocket of my scrub shirt. We wear black scrubs. I saw that the OP wears white. That sucks.

Anyway, I can't stand it being around my neck. One, it's cold. Two, it's a safety hazard, i.e. grab it and strangle you. Three, I've read about a correlation to that and getting staph on the back of the neck.