Do medical schools provide stethoscopes?

[MintChocolateChip94]

I will be attending medical school this fall. I was wondering what I need to purchase for med school. Do most medical schools provide you with a stethoscope? Is that even necessary for your first two years of medical school? What else will I be needing to buy?

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[deleted480308]

just call your school, this thread is useless

 

[Psai]

your school isn't going to provide anything you need

 

[Law2Doc]

Your school will often arrange for a group discount on stethoscopes ( as well as otoscopes, blood pressure cuffs etc). You can probably get one used cheaper on eBay. In a pinch, you can hit a supply closet and snag one of those cheap ones they stick in the MRSA rooms. You won't hear squat, but that will be true when you round on mrsa patients anyhow.

 

[Mad Jack]

You will need a stethoscope in year one of many (if not most) programs. We have standardized patients from month 2. I have never heard of a school that provides you with one.

Buy one. Compared to all of the hundreds of thousands of dollars you're sinking into medical school, 100-200 bucks is nothing. It's actually one of the highest yield purchases you'll make.

 

[MintChocolateChip94]

You will need a stethoscope in year one of many (if not most) programs. We have standardized patients from month 2. I have never heard of a school that provides you with one.

Buy one. Compared to all of the hundreds of thousands of dollars you're sinking into medical school, 100-200 bucks is nothing. It's actually one of the highest yield purchases you'll make.

Thanks for the honest answer. Is there a particular brand that you recommend? I don't known much about stethoscopes. They have all types on Amazon from the price range of $20-$500. I'm going to assume that the twenty dollar ones aren't recommended.

 

[deleted480308]

Thanks for the honest answer. Is there a particular brand that you recommend? I don't known much about stethoscopes. They have all types on Amazon from the price range of $20-$500. I'm going to assume that the twenty dollar ones aren't recommended.

littman classic has great reviews and is enough of a quality to get you through residency (based on multiple recommendations from doctors and nurses that have had them last 10+ years

 

[Ophthoseidon]

Our school provided us a Cardiology III for "free"

 

[Mad Jack]

Thanks for the honest answer. Is there a particular brand that you recommend? I don't known much about stethoscopes. They have all types on Amazon from the price range of $20-$500. I'm going to assume that the twenty dollar ones aren't recommended.

I use a Littmann Cardiology III that I was given as a gift by my gf before I started school. If she hand't bout me it, I would probably still be using my Classic II SE. The only real bonus to the Cardiology is that it has both pediatric and adult heads, saving me the trouble of having two stethoscopes.

Here's the thing though- most people are careless with their first scope until they're used to not losing the damn thing, so I generally recommend something cheaper to start with. ADC makes great, affordable products, and are usually what I push for as a first scope. The Adscope 603 provides superior sound quality when compared to the Littman Lightweight (the closest price Littmann) while being half the price of its comparable model (the Littmann Classic II SE). It's good enough that you won't have a problem with the sound quality when doing cardiac and respiratory exams, but cheap enough that you won't have a stroke when you lose it. If you want slightly higher sound quality and a pedi option, get an ADC Adscope Cardiology. Really though, I'd just start with the 603 and upgrade later.

Amazon product ASIN B000NIB6IY
Amazon product ASIN B000NIB6J8
Let me also say that I'm a big fan of Littmann's products- their quality of both build and sound is excellent. However, I really don't encourage getting one right away, largely because you'll probably misplace it or it'll grow legs and walk when someone else eyes it and you're not around.

 

[Psai]

Our school provided us a Cardiology III for "free"

Cornell provides their students with ipads for "free" as well
at least tuition is only $52,400 though
btw you gotta give it back

 

[notbobtrustme]

Cornell provides their students with ipads for "free" as well
at least tuition is only $52,400 though
btw you gotta give it back

lol wot? After all the ears I've seen on rotations, there's no way anyone should be getting a 2nd hand stethoscope.

 

[notbobtrustme]

I think he meant the iPad

reading is hard yo

 

[sinombre]

If by "provide" you mean "force you to purchase a specific kind," then yes.

 

[CrimsonKing]

Ours were provided at U of M. Got them on white coat ceremony from the school.

 

[Roxas]

If by "provide" you mean "force you to purchase a specific kind," then yes.

I don't know how many schools do this, but I hate that mine did this with our laptops. Especially since they chose incredibly underpowered POSs

 

[caseyjones]

Tulane gives you one at white coat

 

[Jabbed]

Agree with the above posters. Buy a ADC scope. It's not like you'll have any idea what you're listening to anyway.

 

[Mad Jack]

Agree with the above posters. Buy a ADC scope. It's not like you'll have any idea what you're listening to anyway.

 

[TheLionheart]

Some schools do, but they seem to be in the minority. I'll add UA-Phoenix to the list of ones that do provide you with one.

 

[cyberchicken001]

Einstein gives you Littman Cardiology III

 

[zeppelinpage4]

Thanks for the honest answer. Is there a particular brand that you recommend? I don't known much about stethoscopes. They have all types on Amazon from the price range of $20-$500. I'm going to assume that the twenty dollar ones aren't recommended.

Most of my classmates got the Littman Cardiology III, a few have the Littman Classic.

I was afraid I'd lose or break mine, so I got a cheaper ADC brand Cardiology stethoscope (adscope 601 I think) instead of the Littman.

 

[Law2Doc]

Buy a cheap one. If your school gives you one it will still be a good idea to have a spare, particularly during residency, to stow in your locker or car trunk. These things walk off all the time -- where do you think all the ones you see on eBay come from?

 

[Psai]

Buy a cheap one. If your school gives you one it will still be a good idea to have a spare, particularly during residency, to stow in your locker or car trunk. These things walk off all the time -- where do you think all the ones you see on eBay come from?

Ophthalmologists

 

[Derv]

MUSC gave us a nice one at our white coat ceremony provided by alumni donors

 

[Law2Doc]

Ophthalmologists

Nah. They don't need your $40.

 

[cbrons]

I will be attending medical school this fall. I was wondering what I need to purchase for med school. Do most medical schools provide you with a stethoscope? Is that even necessary for your first two years of medical school? What else will I be needing to buy?

My school didnt even provide gloves for anatomy lab.

 

[Mehd School]

Seriously?

Mine didn't either. When your class size is 200 plus 60 or more masters students taking gross with you I can understand why they didn't provide them. I spent $10 on discount gloves in one semester by myself.

My school didn't give us any equipment, but they did sell us a welch allyn kit at a discount. You can buy the kit online for $1800 and we got it for $1000. I haven't used anything other than the harvey elite stethoscope. It's heavier than the littman cardio III but I think it sounds better. I'm going to hang onto it but sell my kit to a first year next fall.

 

[Psai]

Mine didn't either. When your class size is 200 plus 60 or more masters students taking gross with you I can understand why they didn't provide them. I spent $10 on discount gloves in one semester by myself.

My school didn't give us any equipment, but they did sell us a welch allyn kit at a discount. You can buy the kit online for $1800 and we got it for $1000. I haven't used anything other than the harvey elite stethoscope. It's heavier than the littman cardio III but I think it sounds better. I'm going to hang onto it but sell my kit to a first year next fall.

You got robbed

 

[Mr. Mojo Risin]

Mine didn't either. When your class size is 200 plus 60 or more masters students taking gross with you I can understand why they didn't provide them. I spent $10 on discount gloves in one semester by myself.

My school didn't give us any equipment, but they did sell us a welch allyn kit at a discount. You can buy the kit online for $1800 and we got it for $1000. I haven't used anything other than the harvey elite stethoscope. It's heavier than the littman cardio III but I think it sounds better. I'm going to hang onto it but sell my kit to a first year next fall.

Mine didn't give us gloves for anatomy lab either, but damn, $1,000 for a diagnostic kit? I thought I got suckered into the $550 WA kit I got. I must admit I splurged on the WA stethoscope. Chalk it up to medical equipment naïveté. Just hope I don't lose it. I'm not one to lose things but apparently they grow legs.

Is your kit the upgraded battery version? I bet you can't wait to sell it.

 

[Roxas]

We also had to buy our own gloves. And pay extra to have our name and school logo embroidered on our white coat, and buy print credits..... Maybe other schools (i.e. public schools) are different, but it seems like a safe assumption that despite pretty outrageous tuition costs, your money rarely finds its way back to you in any tangible way.

 

[Psai]

The outrages in this thread are appalling. 20 years ago, medical school cost maybe 1/6 of what it does now. We learn more facts than before but are we getting value commensurate with the increase in cost?

 

[pkwraith]

There was a time when I would've recommended a decent one like Cardio III or equivilant. Then, mine walked off. Now, I rock a cardio II. Go with the cheapest you can get away with (not the $20 one). If you need a good one in residency, you can buy one then.

 

[cidem2065]

Let me also say that I'm a big fan of Littmann's products- their quality of both build and sound is excellent. However, I really don't encourage getting one right away, largely because you'll probably misplace it or it'll grow legs and walk when someone else eyes it and you're not around.

Does engraving your name on it help prevent the five-finger discount? I have two Littmans and one has my name in the bell and the other has one of those tags that go around the tubing intersection. I don't trust the tag at all.

 

[cidem2065]

Don't think anyone planning on stealing your stethoscope is looking that closely. More like just swipe and go.

Also I think most stethoscopic thefts that happen are truly dickish but not with criminal intent. As in - I need to listen to this guy's lungs right now where can I find a stethoscope? Oh there's one in that coat pocket, I'll bring it back later. (Then they forget and leave it in a patient room or a nurses station.)

I'm familiar with that. Since my name is on it it usually ends up left in the back of a truck or my mailbox but everyone I work with knows me. It's probably a lot less likely to go that well in a large hospital or big class.