Any EMTs out there? Which stethoscope do you use?

[scamp]

Starting EMT course in a week. I've read in these forums about the Littman Cardio III and its popularity with med students, but I realize EMTs work in different environment. Any advice from those working as paramedics?

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[Batman_formerly lamd]

are you a paramedic or just an EMT-1?

but anyhow....i find that all i need is some cheap piece of crap...all you really need it for is BP and if its too loud...just palpate and the ocassional lung sounds...but usually it's quite enough to hear them either at the field or in the ER

hope that helps

 

[Medic2MD]

Scamp,
I am currently a paramedic (I use the Littmann Cardiology 2 SE) however I would highly recommend not wasting your money on an expensive stethoscope. All stethoscopes do the same thing (amplify sound) and at the EMT level you do not need a fancy stethoscope. Check out galls (http://www.galls.com/index.jsp) they sell many different types of stethoscopes. Really its all personal preference. I can tell you from experience though that my $150 stethoscope would be no more useful to you than a $14 stethoscope. Hope that helps.

PS- Enjoy the EMT class. Nothing is more fun than being out in the field and doing EMS!

 

[scamp]

thanks for the input guys, that's what I needed to hear.

scamp

P.S. Medic2MD- thanks for the encouragment, I'm sooooo excited about this class!!!!

 

[beanbean]

Hi. I've been an EMT (intermediate) for 17 years now (I started in high school). I would recommend trying out a few stethoscopes bfeore making your decision. Many EMTs can hear everything just fine with a cheap Rappaport scope; however, I can not. I have very narrow ear canals and a rigid earpiece is like placing earplugs in my ear. I can't hear a thing. I have a Littman scope and it works quite well. I use the flexible ear piece covers and they are much more comfortable. I have been an EMT instructor for many years in CT and have had students with very specific likes and dislikes about various scope models. Talk to your instructors and other EMTs and see what they like. I find it can be very difficult to hear lung or BP sounds in the back of a moving ambulance sometimes. The engine and road noise can block out what you are listening for. Don't buy an expensive scope just to have a cool toy, but if you find you need one to really hear what is going on with your patient don't hesitate. Most EMT -Intermediates (IV, advanced airway,etc) and Paramedics in my area use Littman. Good lung sound evaluation is critical with intubation, Combi-Tube airway placement, and before giving fluids via IV.

 

[Mik118]

hey i have been an EMT-B for 2 years and an EMT-I for another 2 years in the state of CT. littman cardiologist is amazing.... i got it as a gift and it goes with me on every call i go on and if i forget it before i go to work i am lost without it...... they have some crazy ones they are coming out with that will record lung sounds and stuff its insane but i highly recommen the littman cardiologist!!!

 

[scamp]

thanks everyone, I will definately try some out before I buy.

...do any of you have any words of wisdom about training to become an EMT?

Do you guys work in EDs or with ambulance companies?

Have you enjoyed working in EMS?

Do you see a lot of trauma?

One week til I start my class- I can't wait!

 

[Medic2MD]

I personally have worked as a paramedic in both NYC (currently) and Washington DC (for 2 years) so it is pretty safe to say I have seen a lot of trauma. For the most part I would prefer a good cardiac call over a gory trauma, any day. The reason being as a medic or EMT for that matter there really is very little you can do for traumatic patients (they often need definitive care = surgery). On the other hand a good medical call I can pretty much unload my drug box into a person if they need it. Just go into the EMT class with a good attitude, ask a lot of questions and you'll do fine!

 

[Medic2MD]

Oh yeah and I have worked in the field for virtually the whole time. More autonomy than an ED and lots more fun!

 

[Emergen-C]

I have been using the same junky little non-diaphragmed Littman that came with the first aid kit I got when I finished my EMT-B and it has done the job just perfectly. Tust me--unless you are an EMT-P or an MD and will be needing to differetiate between "rales" and "Wheezes", etc., anything that allows you to palpate BPs and perhaps perform the occasional auscaltation (which will most crtainly then be repeated by RNs, PAs, Med Students, Residents, and Attendings upon your arrival in the ER. Working currently in the ER, I would agree with this ee more addiing that if you have a nice one, you will be lucky to have it around our nek about a wek before someone borrows it and it disappears to some unknown location.

 

[mikecwru]

Originally posted by MD2007Hopeful
I have been using the same junky little non-diaphragmed Littman that came with the first aid kit I got when I finished my EMT-B and it has done the job just perfectly. Tust me--unless you are an EMT-P or an MD and will be needing to differetiate between "rales" and "Wheezes", etc., anything that allows you to palpate BPs and perhaps perform the occasional auscaltation (which will most crtainly then be repeated by RNs, PAs, Med Students, Residents, and Attendings upon your arrival in the ER. Working currently in the ER, I would agree with this ee more addiing that if you have a nice one, you will be lucky to have it around our nek about a wek before someone borrows it and it disappears to some unknown location.

I was an EMT before med school. I would suggest a sprague stethoscope as anything fancier is for listening to heart sounds and mumurs which you don't do as an EMT/medic, only "present" and regularity.

Even with a nice scope, it's hard to hear anything really intricate in a loud truck with the sirens going.

I would DEFINITELY not waste money on a fancy Littman...save that for med school.

mike

 

[UCLA2000]

Littman cardio III is overkill for med students.

 

[Sweet Tea]

Hey!

SAVE YOUR MONEY!!! You definetly don't need a Littman cardiology III or anything fancy like that... like others said, as an EMT-B all you need one for is auscultation blood pressures, and listening to breath sounds. I would recommend getting a cheap one b/c chances are you're going to leave the stethoscope on scene, or at the hospital, or at the station (where people will walk off with it), or run over it with the truck (been there, done that, glad my stethoscope was cheap), and you don't want to have to keep spending a lot of $$ to replace it.

Enjoy EMS! I love being an EMT.

 

[manicmaven]

I think that the lowest end littman would work well. I used the littman 2SE because the cheaper ones picked up so many extraneous bumps and sounds in the ambulance. It was super comfortable and helped me to better distinguish breath sounds. Even if you're just an EMT-B, it doesn't hurt to begin to become proficient at recognizing subtleties if you plan to move on to a career with more responsibility (nurse/PA/Paramedic/MD).

 

[streetdoc]

When i was in paramedic school i bought a $130 master cardiology (i hoped one day i'd be an MD). while doing clinical time inside the walls of a hospital, i could REALLY tell a difference between my nice "ears" and the old cheap ones that i had used earlier. In the back of a truck with a big diesel engine, an annoying radio, and bouncing up and down...it made no difference. so, buy a cheap one and expect to replace it (my nice one got slammed in a door-good thing for warrenties!!)
especially if your a basic EMT...you'll probably rarely get a chance to listen to a truly sick patient and may not make great money to replace an expensive set of ears...now that i think about it, no one in EMS makes enough money to be replacing anything expensive...oh well, back to work for some overtime.

 

[SDN]

Help us with our reviews of stethoscopes, go to:

http://www.studentdoctor.net/reviews/censura.php?tsid=1&cmd=browse&category_id=18

Thanks!

 

[H0mersimps0n]

something cheap because on the road it will get:

-lost
-stolen
-sat on
-bled on (eh)
-thrown around
-stepped on
-driven over (hey it can happen)
-diaphram bent/broken

I bought a $19.99 special and saving my $ for something a LOT better for medical school.

I mean if you're at one of the volly cores that gets 1 call per week or something then maybe you want to get a nicer one, but I work city EMS and we get >200calls/day, everything moves so quickly there's no time to baby a $250 steth. So whatever your situation holds....

 

[kaos]

Originally posted by H0mersimps0n
something cheap because on the road it will get:

-lost
-stolen
-sat on
-bled on (eh)
-thrown around
-stepped on
-driven over (hey it can happen)
-diaphram bent/broken

I'm glad the hospital I volunteered @ found an old stethoscope that nobody wanted and just gave it to me. It works!