The Ultimate Guide to the Best Stethoscope for Nursing Students
What’s the best stethoscope for nursing students?
Buying your first stethoscope at Nursing School is an exciting and daunting Task.
We all remember trying to choose the best stethoscope for the first time. There are many things I wish I knew then, that would have saved me buying the wrong stethoscope, only to have to buy a better one a year or two later. On this page we rank and review which ones we believe are the stethoscopes for nursing students, and break down how to choose the right one for you.
First decide: do you want to invest in one now that will last you through your whole nursing career? Or do you just want one that is good enough for now, and then expect to upgrade after nursing school? Neither of these is right or wrong, and it comes down to personal preference. We’ve ranked the best stethoscopes nursing students for both of these options below. These are the stethoscopes we recommend as the best stethoscopes not just for nursing school but your entire nursing career. Or explore the menu for individual stethoscope reviews.
Best Stethoscopes for Nursing Students 2018 Reviewed
| Image | Product Details | ||
|---|---|---|---|
 | Best Choice OverallLittmann® Master Classic II Stethoscope
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| Check Price → |
 | Our #2 ChoiceLittmann® Classic III Stethoscope
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| Check Price → |
 | Our #3 ChoiceLittmann Classic II S.E. Stethoscope
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| Check Price → |
 | Best Value for BudgetLittmann® Lightweight II S.E. Stethoscope
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| Check Price → |
 | Our #5 ChoiceLittmann® Select Stethoscope
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| Check Price → |
If you know what you’re looking for and just want to know what the top stethoscope for nursing students are, browse our top rated choices above.
One of the most important pieces of equipment a nursing student can invest in is their stethoscope.
It will be your go to tool when assessing patients.
In addition to listening to the heart and lung sounds, it’s also used with a sphygmomanometer to measure blood pressure.
It can also be used to listen for other internal body sounds such as intestinal or gastric sound.
You’ll need a decent one to get through nursing school. The right one will also help make your future job after nursing school easier. It’s much better for your own learning to invest in a high quality stethoscope while still a student, to give youself the best chance of becoming familiar with stethoscope skills. If you try to learn with a cheap stethoscope, you may never learn to hear the subtle sounds that make all the difference.
We’re going to review what you should look for in a good stethoscope for nursing school.
Now, if you don’t know much which stethoscope to get or what to look for, continue reading.
Top Stethoscopes for Nursing Students
- Littmann Lightweight
- Littmann Classic II S.E.
- Littmann Pediatric
- Littmann Master Classic II
- Littmann Cardiology III
Benefits – What will It Do For You?
The benefits of a good stethoscope are numerous.
- Acoustics. It makes a basic physical exam easier. And you’ll get accurate assessment leading to proper diagnoses.
Blood pressure, heart and lung sounds and digestive noises are all easier to assess with clear acoustics. The best stethoscopes are allow you to clearly hear important bodily sounds while ignoring added extra sounds from clothing or rubbing. At first to the untrained ear the difference is unnoticable. As your stethoscope skills improve, you’ll find the difference so startling you’ll never go back to using a cheap stethoscope. (Provided you gave yourself the best opportunity to learn with a good stethoscope.)
- Comfort. Don’t put yourself through agonizing discomfort or worse pain when using one.
Make sure you get one that’s easy on your ears. A good ear tip will help ensure you don’t have pain when using it. During nursing school you’ll find yourself wearing your stethoscope for hours. Higher quality stethoscopes will be perfectly ergonomically balanced so they don’t constantly slip off your shoulders or rub your skin. You definitely get what you pay for with comfort.
- Ease of use. You have to be able to use it correctly.
Don’t get one that needs fine tuning of diaphragms or frequent adjustments.
- Quality. The Littmann stethoscope is known for quality.
Other manufacturers to consider are MDF Stethoscopes, Ultrascopes, and Welch Allyn. All are very good for nursing school and later nursing career.
Cost – Get One That You Can Afford
For most, cost is the biggest factor when it comes to selecting the best stethoscope for nursing students.
Many of the best stethoscopes can cost hundreds of dollars.
There are several good options that will not break the bank but that will still provide the necessary features a student nursing needs.
Thankfully, the Littmann Lightweight is an effective, low cost stethoscope that will help you get through school. Check it our here.
Other minimal cost options include:
After nursing school is complete, it is a good idea to upgrade to a better and more expensive, model like the Littmann Classic II or even the Littmann Master Classic.
For some nursing students, especially those who specialize in cardiology or pulmonology, an even more specialized upgrade may be needed. These include the Littmann Cardiology III or Littmann Master Cardiology.
If you go into pediatrics, there are pediatric stethoscopes.
With pediatrics, you’ll need one just for this purpose. Don’t try to “get by” with an adult one.
The bottom line is that the expensive stethoscope can wait and will even make a great graduation gift if you have family members who are so inclined.
School Requirements
Each school sets out a variety of requirements that the stethoscopes should meet or exceed.
Thankfully a good quality but basic stethoscope, like those mentioned above, should meet all of those requirements. When in doubt, always ask your adviser for clarification.
Anatomy of a Stethoscope – Must Know the Parts
A good starter stethoscope has three parts:
- Headpiece
- Tubing
- Chestpiece (or head)
Each of these serves an important purpose.
The Headpiece
The headpiece, for example, has the ear tips. Comfortable ear tips can make a huge difference during an eight-hour shift.
The Tube
The tubing length is also important.
It should be long enough to allow you to stand at a comfortable distance from the patient but short enough to be snug at arms length.
This keeps the tubes from rubbing together and creating interference.
In certain stethoscopes, such as Littmann models, feature heavy double layer tubing in place of the standard two tubes.
This tends to minimize the interference and make quality better.
If you get a stethoscope and the tubing is too long, it is easy to get it cut to meet your needs.
By far, however, the most important feature on the stethoscope is the chestpiece.
The Chestpiece
Two Sided Chestpieces
The chestpiece of a standard stethoscope contains two sides.
The first is the diaphragm.
This is the larger, flatter side of the stethoscope.
It is used to hear higher pitched sounds such as normal heart and breath sounds.
The other side of a standard, or dual head, stethoscope, is called the bell.
The bell is a smaller, concave head that allows you to hear lower pitched sounds such as digestive noises and heart murmurs.
In some of the more expensive models, the bell, with firm pressure can double as a pediatric-sized diaphragm.
Single and Triple Head Chestpieces
Other, more specialized, types include the single and triple head stethoscope.
The single head can be tuned to low or high noises. Examples of this type include the Littmann Cardiology STC.
The triple head is an extremely specialized piece of equipment.
It is used mostly by cardiologist and pulmonologists.
It makes it easy to hear certain sounds without relying on cooperation from the patient.
The bottom line is that a nursing student would never need a single or triple head stethoscope.
Click here to get insanely detailed information on the parts of a stethoscope.
Location – What is Your Speciality
During nursing school, you will rotate through many different locations in the hospital.
Because of this, a good quality set of ears is imperative.
For example, a noisy environment, such as an ER, tight fitting ear pieces are important.
Some kits come with multiple sizes. Others simply adjust to the various ears that use them.
Another example of a floor that has particular needs is pediatrics.
Very young children have very small bodies, of course!
Because of this, a smaller diaphragm is sometimes needed.
Some come with a smaller diaphragm that can be screwed on.
Others allow the bell to be used as a pediatric diaphragm when firm pressure is applied.
In the intensive care, cardiac care, pediatric intensive care or neonatal intensive care unit, a good one is especially important.
Heart and lung sounds are often softer.
Also, it can be very loud with monitors going off.
Also, in pediatric and especially neonatal, intensive care, the smaller diaphragm can make the difference between hearing a problem and it going unnoticed.
In surgery and recovery, the biggest factors are tube length.
Sitting slightly further from the patient allows you react faster if a newly waking patient is combative.
Using a model with dual layer tubing allows you to buy a model with longer tubing.
Now, it can seem hard to get one that meets all of these needs.
The bottom line, however, is that quality can adjust to meet the needs of changing floors.
Amplified Stethoscopes
In some instances, a special sort of stethoscope is necessary. Especially for those that are hard of hearing.
For example, nursing students with a hearing impairment can utilize one designed specifically for this purpose.
It can be amplified through the hearing aid or cochlear implant.
Others who need amplification can amplify through a smart phone or PDA.
There are even electronic stethoscopes that amplify the sound.
Tips for the Care and Maintenance of your Stethoscope
After investing a bit of money into a quality stethoscope, there are several tips that will help you maintain it.
The first, and most important, tip is to get a name tag.
Name tags come in several styles.
The first and most common, is a name tag that slides on the neck of the stethoscope.
It is cheap but removable.
These are available wherever stethoscopes are sold.
An equally removable, but more stylish option, is beaded name tags.
With this type of name tag, a beaded band is wrapped around the neck of the stethoscope.
Materials to make this can be purchased at craft stores. Completed bands can be purchased online.
For a more expensive one, permanent options are also available.
The most common permanent name tag is engraving.
Your name is engraved onto the chest piece.
Other permanent name tags hook onto the tubing and render the it unusable if it is clipped.
There are just a few more tips to ensure yours is well cared for. These include:
- Never submerge or sterilize it. This will damage the acoustics.
- Keep it clean. Wipe frequently with alcohol-based cleaner or wipes to eliminate germs.
- Check the earpieces frequently for lint, dust and debris
- Avoid exposing it to extreme hot, cold or solvents of any kind.
- If you wear it around your neck, wear it under a collar to keep the tubing flexible.
- Many people also recommend not loaning yours out.
- People tend to accidentally walk off with them. A name tag, complete with contact information will help you get it back should you set it down, loan it out or set it down during a code.
What to Look For in the Best Stethoscope for Nursing Students
All of this can seem confusing.
Each one boasts different features.
Fortunately, there are plenty of quality options that won’t break the bank.
There are a few must have features you should always look for.
These include:
- Solid chestpiece
- Durable diaphragm
- Bell made from high-quality, flexible materials
- Thick, nonlatex tubing with large, internal bore
- Angled, soft sealing ear-tips
- Clear and crisp sound quality
To get all of these features, the cost should be around 60 to 90 dollars.
If it’s less than 20 dollars, you should be concerned about its craftsmanship.
Here’s the kicker…
You can often get a much better deal online with sites like Amazon.
Some quality models are sold for as much as 40 percent off retail.
So, what’s the bottom line?
After considering all of the above, selecting one is still not easy.
However, a quality stethoscope will work well, fit well and last for the duration of schooling.
After you upgrade, it will provide a great back-up.
In the end, a good one is an investment in your future.
Following these tips will help you make it a solid choice.
Selecting a quality model and getting your stethoscope engraved or simply getting a name tag will help you as you begin your career.
Our recommendation for the best Littmann stethoscope for nursing students for cost, quality, comfort, and durability is the Classic II SE. Check it out here.
Top Stethoscopes for Nursing Students
- Littmann Lightweight
- Littmann Classic II S.E.
- Littmann Pediatric
- Littmann Master Classic II
- Littmann Cardiology III
Don’t take our word for it, check out the comparison tool bellow.
Simply click and hold down the stethoscope name and drag it to the open spot.
It’ll show you the details of the stethoscope so that you can compare them to others.
And it has two tabs, one for the detailed review that you can click and the other the price.
It’s a pretty neat tool, have fun with it!
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Best Stethoscope for Medical Students
Tags: Best Stethoscope, Best Stethoscope for Nursing Students, reviews
Categorised in: Stethoscope Articles
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