Which stethoscope do you like?

turnforthenurse, MSN, NP · Jan 7, 2014

I used a Littmann Classic II during nursing school and when I graduated, I decided I wanted to upgrade to the Littmann Cardiology III. The Classic II is a great option for nursing students. It's a solid stethoscope with great acoustics and even though it's a little expensive (I think around $90 now?) it's definitely worth the money. I still have my Classic II and use it as a back-up, or loan it out to my coworkers when they misplace their stethoscopes. Just make sure to put your name on it! Littmanns have a tendency to "walk off" unfortunately

The Cardiology III is better than the Classic II in terms of acoustics but is also more expensive. I work in the ER now where I will also have pediatric patients and the bell side on the Cardiology III can convert to a pediatric diaphragm which is useful.

ahinson07 · Jan 7, 2014

Love my Littmann Classic II SE! Would love to upgrade eventually though ..

brunobyhand · Jan 8, 2014

I start nursing school next week and after doing a lot of research I chose to purchase a Littmann II SE from Medisave online. They engraved my name on the bell for free. I really like it & I suggest it.

Marsha238612 · Jan 8, 2014

I start nursing school next week and I received the raspberry littman cardiology III as a present!!! I'm so darn excited to start school with this beauty of a stethoscope @(^_^)@

Sent via my iPhone using allnurses.com ❤️

Mainergal2000 · Jan 8, 2014

MDF is just like the Littman. Great acoustics. The only difference that I found was the MDF has lifetime warranty and the Littman has either 1 or 2 years only. I actually like my MDF the best.

ElanaJ · Jan 8, 2014

Wow, sounds like most of you agree on littman classic ii. I'll look for that one then. Thank you all for the suggestions!

Exhaustipated, ADN, BSN · Jan 10, 2014

If you have a scrub shop nearby, you might want to stop by and try the steths out. I tried both the Littmann and the MDF and preferred the Littmann. My friend did the same and ended up with the MDF.

sdl11b · Jan 10, 2014

I think im going to end up buying a Littmann Classic II SE. It seems that everyone seems to love it!

ambitiousBSN · Jan 10, 2014

I have both a Littmann Classic II and a Littmann Cardiology III. Both are exceptional quality, but I'm in love with my Cardiology III because of it having a pediatric chest piece. I think it was a solid investment (it was a birthday gift, so lol) because I had my Classic III for the last 4+ years and it's still in perfect condition, so they're built to last.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Jan 10, 2014

I, too would recommend the Littman. I have both a Classic and a Cardiology (both old enough not to have numerals) and they're still functioning well after years (35 of them in the case of the Classic) and years of use.

I would caution you against using your photo as an avatar. You're beautiful but too identifiable. One of these days you're going to post something that you find surprisingly controversial or divisive. You might vent a bit too much about your teacher or your patient or your boss. You might give away one too many details and thus make your patient identifiable. When that happens, you don't want your detractors to be able to print out your post with your picture attached and show it to your teacher, your dean, your boss or hers.

I had an orientee who I suspected of having a poor work ethic and just phoning it in. I tried and tried to teach her, to get her to take responsibility, to take her job seriously. And she didn't. Things moved into the documentation state. She got another preceptor in case *I* was the problem. Charge nurses documented, preceptors documented, even providers documented on the problems Nikki was having with the job. We had meetings with her and had her sign performance plans. She insisted that the only problem she was having were "old dinosaur preceptors" who were "just jealous of her youth and beauty." But what sealed her fate and got her fired was the sheaf of her postings that someone (not me) printed out and gave to our manager. No way should could deny having written those things.

I'm not saying you would EVER be so blantantly disrespectful or nasty as Nikki was, but we ALL post things we think the better of later. Please do yourself and kindness and be less identifiable.

Dollface4k6 · Jan 11, 2014

My boyfriend as a "Congratulations on getting into nursing school!" Gift got me a Littman Master Class II stethescope and while pricier than a lot of the scopes available, it was actually kinda a disadvantage, because it doesn't have a standard Bell/Diaphragm head, but rather a twist to adjust one sided (fancy to look at but more tricky to use in my opinion.) You can definitley get away with using any Littmann Stethescope, I have friends that have a $50 Littmann Select and I have not found any amazing difference between my more costly model than theirs.