Which stethoscope do you like?

Nurses Uniform/Gear

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I'm really having trouble deciding on a stethoscope for nursing school. There are too many options!

To all the last year nursing students and new grads: which stethoscope did you use and how did you like it?

How much would you say is a reasonable investment in a scope for a nursing student?

Which one(s) do you think are good enough?

Any tips appreciated:)

Thank you!

I have used various Littman's & think it is 1 of the better steth's available. I also would use caution when putting your pic on a blog. There are other reasons besides posting questionable material. SAFETY should be on your mind. There are people out there with obessive traits, that you will come in contact with during your Psych rotation, ER rotation, walking in from the parking lot etc. They WILL look for you on the Net. Don't make it easier for them. This actually happened to a Student Nurse at my hospital, last summer-during her L&D rotation. He put a gun to her head as she was getting out of her car. She survived, but has not finished Nsg. school. Her entire life changed that day. Stay Safe young sisters :)

Buy the stethoscope from Allheart.com, you'll save a lot of money. I have the Littmann Master Classic II, which is nice 'cause you don't have to flip around the bell or diaphragm, you just push on the center part to use it like a bell and the sides to hear it like a diaphragm. It's $98 on allheart. The regular Classic II is $71. Thinking of upgrading to the Cardiology III eventually though, but for now I like mine.

I have friends that have a $50 Littmann Select and I have not found any amazing difference between my more costly model than theirs.

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I've had the opposite experience. A lot of my fellow students would borrow my stethoscope to hear things that they couldn't hear with theirs. I even had some of the nurses borrow my stethoscope during clinicals. I also had the Master Classic II

My wife (RN-BSN working in ICU) has profound hearing loss, deaf in one ear and very limited hearing in the other. Her Stethoscope had to be the best money can buy. IT IS! While in nursing school it looked like her hearing loss would not enable her to pass labs and clinicals. If it wasn't for this Cardionics E-Scope 7700 Amplified Stethoscope , that would be true. Not only that but in clinics rotation labor and delivery she found a heart murmur in a newborn missed by the Dr. and Nurses. Now that Doctor owns one.

Last year we went to a National Student Nurses Association Convention and meet with a sales rep from Littmann and was told that they have nothing compared to the Cardionics for hearing magnification and they. Now if my wife could get the other nurses to stop asking to borrow hers, but she doesn't mind.

They are not cheap but they are the best. Below is the link to the product with the best. price.

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=221228079756

CARDIONICS E-SCOPE 7700 CLINICAL MODEL AMPLIFIED STETHOSCOPE- 30 TIMES LOUDER THAN REGULAR STETHOSCOPE

I started out with the Littmann Classic II SE, but found that it was difficult to hear from (I have a history of ear infections and a scarred eardrum)... I ended up buying the Littmann Cardiology III which is a THOUSAND times better! I can actually hear what heart sounds are supposed to sound like now! The Cardiology III is pretty expensive (around $160) but totally worth it.

I have the Littmann Cardiology III and absolutely LOVE it :-) I do find it a little heavy when I wear around my neck though so I tend to keep in my scrub pocket.

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
I have the Littmann Cardiology III and absolutely LOVE it :-) I do find it a little heavy when I wear around my neck though so I tend to keep in my scrub pocket.

Wearing it around the neck, your stethescope tubing is exposed to your body oils. That makes the tubing harden and crack. So it's good that it tends to be in your scrub pocket. Of course, Littmann will change the tubing for you if you ever need it done. The bad part is, you have to send them your stethescope and you don't get it back for several weeks.

I'm glad I found this thread! I need to get one too!

My school gave us all the littmann lightweight but it sucks, so I ordered the classic II SE and love it. I wanted the cardiology III but decided to wait till I graduate!

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
My school gave us all the littmann lightweight but it sucks, so I ordered the classic II SE and love it. I wanted the cardiology III but decided to wait till I graduate!

A Littman will last through your entire career -- you won't need another one!

Allheart.com has a great line of stethoscopes for nursing students. I bought their Cardiology 'scope in the all black version for 50$ and can honestly say that it has just as good acoustics as the Littmann Classic. It has a deep bell and large diaphragm just like other Cardiology grade 'scopes. I've had it for 3 years now and have never had a problem being able to determine accurate sounds while in clinicals. When I get my license i'd like to upgrade to a Littmann Cardiology 'scope, but would recommend this line of scopes from Allheart to anybody. Plus, they have low shipping and the Cardiology grade had a 4.5 star or better review.

I have a hand me down littmann cardio 3. Its been in my family for 9 years. Still works great! Just had to get new covers for it.

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