Diagnostic Equipment Question

[Neisseria]

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I am new to this forum so Hello Everyone!
With that out of the way, I am a 1st year medical student and am purchasing my diagnostic equipment off of the web. I have already picked out my stethescope (Littman Cardiology III) so the other big purchase ($400) is the Otoscope/Ophthalmascope kit.

I am interested in going with Welch-Allyn because the Dr. that talked to us about the kits recommended we stick with Welch-Allyn.

My question is.. Which one do I choose?
I like the "pocketscope" which takes AA batteries and is lightweight. It is sort of small though:

My other choice is the larger conventional portable set. It has a rechargeable NiCad battery that must be plugged into the wall outlet:

Which do you all recommend??
Does the Larger (lower) one discharge quickly? or does it last a while?
Is the quality of the scope heads better?
ANY COMMENTS OR SUGGESTIONS WOULD BE APPRECIATED!

Thanks 🙂

 

[Annette]

I got the smaller one, and have used it all of 3 times. Everywhere you need to use the oto/opth set, there will be one.

 

[tussy]

I never got around to buying a diagnostic set and guess what - i never needed it. I borrowed one for my neurology and ophthamology rotations and the rest of the time i just used the one on the ward (yes, most wards have them).

 

[tussy]

Neisseria, Nice user name. BTW, is it N. meningititis or N. gonhorrea????

 

[Firebird]

Most people are indicating that you won't need one. However, I've heard that if you're going to be on rural rotations, then you might need a diagnostic set.

Now, I'm not a med student, yet...but you might give this some thought if you're going to be in a less-than-suburban area.

 

[Winged Scapula]

I wouldn't buy a set unless you absolutely need one. I did and never used it. EVERY clinic and every ward had available equipment.

If you have to I would go with the standard set rather than the pocket set. However, realize this is a highly individual choice. Some prefer the pocket set for ease of use. However, I believe the optics and quality to be less and figured if I kept the set the full size would be more valuable to me as a practicing physicion. Moot point now. 😉

Both work fine and its really a matter of personal preference if you MUST have a set.

 

[Ponyboy]

If you really need to get a optha/otoscope, I would get it from Welch Allyn. You may want to consider getting their new pan-optic opthalmoscope. I don't know how much it is or if it comes in a set but apparently, they're very nice and enable you to see a much larger area of the retina.

 

[turtleboard]

Originally posted by Neisseria:
•Which do you all recommend??
Does the Larger (lower) one discharge quickly? or does it last a while?
Is the quality of the scope heads better?•

Gonorrhea,

The unfortunate reality of life as a third-year medical student at SUNY Downstate is that our main affiliate institution, Kings County Hospital Center, does not have ophthalmoscope/otoscope sets available at the patient bedside. We actually need them from time to time for a complete physical exam.

Anyway I bought the pocketscopes because they were a) cheaper, b) didn't require fumbling with a handle and detachable head (which you could very easily lose), and c) lightweight compared to that baton. In the opinion of this rather inexperienced clinical student, the quality between the two scopes are negligible and does not warrant the extra $100 or so you'd have to shell out.

The battery life on the small set is great. I'm still using the same batteries I put in when I started my second-year in physical diagnosis class.

Do you really need one as a first-year? Good luck.

 

[Neisseria]

Hi again people!

Yeah, The professors say that we will definately need the sets our first year. We are doing some new intergrated curriculum that is new at my school. LSU Medical School(Louisiana). They are bringing in patients with known eye and ear conditions and we will be tested on them.

So back to the subject!
I really like the idea of the smaller pocketscope, but they look cheaper. I like the look of the larger one (it looks and sounds like it is better). The larger one seems like it would have more longevity also.

Oh well. If I had to choose now, I would get the smaller one. We will be practicing in rural parts of town, so the smaller one may come in handy. I guess I was hoping to hear some complaint about either scope so it would make the decision easier!

I guess in the end I can't go wrong.
No offense, but I am definately getting the Pan-ophthalmic scope (aka THE BEAST!)

That monster is huge, everybody and their mama would get a kick out of a med student with that tool! 😀

Oh well, I appreciate ALL the feedback from the forum! What a great site. I plan to frequent here with more questions and hopefully some answers! 🙂 🙂

BTW: thanks for the compliment on the name. I'll leave the species up to your imagination! -- I always liked that name 'cause it smelled fishy! hehe. 🙂

 

[Firebird]

What is that? I take it it's the pan-optic thing...what's it do?

 

[jbfuq]

Neisseria, which lsu are you attending, shreveport or new orleans?

 

[Neisseria]

I'm in Shreveport. jbfuq I see you are in New Orleans, are you in med school there?

 

[jbfuq]

my wife is a first year here in NO.....i am applying for C2006 (was waitlisted this past year) while doing cancer research at the med school.

good luck this year in shreveport!! i have several friends that will be starting there, and a few others that are 2nd years as well.