What equipment do I need to buy for med school?Please help me out.

[indiamacbean]

Hi I am the lab manager at a large research lab and will be starting at Pitt in the fall. One of the perks of my job is that I can order just about anything I want (yes this is with my PI's consent). Anyhow, I can order scrubs, lab coats, stethescopes etc. Can you SDN'ers help me out by telling me what equipment/clothing I will need during my time in school? Anyone replying from Pitt is an added plus.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Brewster]

I am not from Pitt, but here is what I would recommend:

Definitely get scrubs. You will likely need them for anatomy lab. Get a couple of extra pairs, as you will stink them up while dissecting.

Stethoscope is also a must. You could probably get away without one until third year, although I suspect most schools would like you to have one for physical diagnosis classes in the preclinical years. However, once you hit third year you will definitely need one.

My school also had all of us buy blood pressure cuffs and diagnostic kits (otoscope and ophthalmoscope). Again, you could probably get away without them. but they may be nice to have.

 

[Zeffer]

Get a long lab coat (traditional doctors coat) for your anatomy and micro labs. If you want to have more than 1 white coat to wear during the clinical years get a short white lab coat (the kind that is cut like a blazer). Definitely get a Stethoscope, and splurge a little, you don't need the nicest one but don't buy a piece of crap. Many of my classmates and I went with the Littman Cardiology III. I love it and haven't heard anyone complain about it. You don't really need anything other than a Stethoscope, but is nice to have your own BP cuff, Oto/Opthalmoscope, tunning forks, etc. If you can't afford them don't worry about getting them. Also when you are an enrolled med student Welch Allyn gives you a very large discount on great equipment, so it might be worth waiting to buy the diagnostic sets from them. You can check out the prices on their website.

Another valuble resource other than SDN on this topic is your upperclassmen. They should be able to tell you more accurately what it is you need. Good-Luck and enjoy your pre-clinical years.

 

[tonem]

Welcome to Pitt,

I'd go down to a Goodwill store to pick up some scrubs ($1 as opposed to whatever you pay retail) because you'll probably throw them away after anatomy anyway. You'll be required to purchase all the paraphenalia (even though you'll only use your oto/ophthalmascope maybe 4 times in four years). The good news is that at Pitt AMSA usually sponsors an equipment sale early in the first year as a fund raiser. Reps from all the big suppliers come and do their sales pitch then offer pretty good discounts.

 

[pipper]

Hey,
I am currently a first year at Pitt and hopefully I can offer some insight. It would probably be a good idea to come to Pitt with a couple set of cheap scrubs (I went to Walmart) and a long white lab coat for anatomy. A good anatomy atlas is good too like Rohen's. The oto/othalmo scopes and the B/P cuff and the stethoscope should be bought later at the equipment sale as you don't need them until after Christmas and they give you great discounts. Good luck and welcome to Pitt!!

 

[Rads Resident]

You only need one thing: The Wolf Files!

Just kidding. I'd recommend you find a good PDA. Rapid access to information is an incredible commodity.

 

[endo]

A couple gallons of lube.

 

[eddieberetta]

Since your lab is paying (is this the case?), I would suggest:

1.) Stethoscope - buy the usual cardiology III type deal because anything fancier has an increased chance of being stolen
2.) Oto/ophthalmoscope - these are very expensive, especially the fancy new ones. Buy the best/smallest your PI allows and then DO NOT bring it to school except for cases where you know you need it and then never allow yourself to be separated from it.
3.) BP Cuff, nice metal penlight, Pocket snellen chart, Metal reflex hammer, small retractable measuring tape, 128 and 512 Hz Tuning forks.
4.) I guess you should get scrubs/lab coat as suggested by your peers at your med school. Many hospitals supply these and handle the laundry of these items so I did not need to buy them.
5.) A pocket clinical exam book and pharmacopia would be nice. If your PI lets you buy books you should start a different thread about that.
6.) A PDA? Well then you may as well order a laptop and a car

Cheers