starting an ADN nursing program... supply questions for any nurses/docs out there

[auralia]

We have not been given much direction with type/brand we should buy for supplies.

I have no idea which stethoscope I should buy. I am between a littman cardiology iv (it's the same price as the iii) and the littman classic iii. I am not certain which one to go with at all. I know the price difference is huge and I have read things from people in both camps. One camp says the cardio is better because of increased acoustics etc the other says the cardio is too good and will make to difficult to "hear what you should be looking for when learning and cause confusion because you hear too much.

Money is not a huge issue but i'd like to keep it under 200$ because I don't want to buy one and then wish I had bought the other... we have saved for me to go to school and have all child care and tuition costs put away in a separate account just to cover these kinds of expenses. I just want the best tool for the job....

or is there a different one that trumps the littmans?

I will get it engraved to deter theft.... thinking my last name (very unique name) and cell phone number or my email address which is my first and last name@yahoo.com

any other supplies etc that I would want and where $ is best spent tips are greatly appreciated!

 

[totallytigger]

Any idea what area you might want to specialize in after school? I've been an RN (ADN) for 26 yrs now and am on my 3rd stethoscope. I started in PACU then SICU then L&D--now charge RN for ortho/med-surg. Each area has unique needs. I bought a lesser expensive Littman for school--then invested in a real good one for PACU/ICU--and kept my original one as a back up. Also, I am never without my scissors and forceps. Scissors for obvious reasons & forceps for many unexpected uses. Invest in good shoes--they will help your feet/legs/back.

 

[Meeko5]

I've had my classic since nursing school 11 years ago. It's a great stethoscope and i have used the cardio and didn't feel I was missing out on anything with my classic.

I did have to replace the tubing after 2 years of homecare nursing, leaving it in my car for years in extreme temps caused it to crack. But the replacement tubing was fairly inexpensive and easy to order.

 

[Meeko5]

And ditto the good bandage scissors. But not TOO good, because you'll probably lose them and replace them several times over. And avoid loaning ANYTHING to the docs, in my experience they almost always forget to give them back

 

[Ralphmiller007]

I'm fairly certain I had a Littmann classic ii during nursing school, and I bought a Master Cardiology when I started in a CVICU. The classic was fine, and I really like the Master Cardiology. One thing I wanted to remind you about (for down the road) is to keep an eye on the warranty. My coworker saved me about $130 when my tubing cracked and she told me about Littmann's warranty repair page, where you can put in the id number that's on the scope to check if it's still in warranty. The master cardiology one had a 7 year warranty, I never dreamed they would still replace it. Good luck with school, it's tough, but the best decision I ever made!

 

[SandyinMonterey]

Invest in socks/stockings that help your legs from feeling like bricks at the end of the day and promote circulation.

 

[auralia]

Dream job? I'd like to be a midwife... Realistically I'm 34 so I don't know if that will happen. If it doesn't I am interested in hospice or nicu.

 

[Fire14]

I love my littman, I also love and gets lots of commets on my clip board that has bunch of nursing stuff on front/back of it. I got it at scrubs store was around 15.00 bucks.

 

[izzymommy]

Dream job? I'd like to be a midwife... Realistically I'm 34 so I don't know if that will happen. If it doesn't I am interested in hospice or nicu.

If you go into NICU you won't use your own stethoscope - with the babies being so immuno-compromised they each get their own (neonatal) scope...

 

[kylathwe]

I personally have a littman cardio and it works well. I have a hard time hearing anything with the really cheap stethoscopes from Walmart or the like.

Don't worry about trying to diagnose new murmurs and all that for now. Most of the time it has to be a severe valvular problem to hear anything unless you know where a problem is in the first place.

Get basic breath sounds and heart tones down and that way when there is something abnormal you can spot it. I'm a CRNA if that means anything to you.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

I bought my ds the Littman cardio one. He also has his name engraved on it.

He works full time on a med/surg unit at a Univ. hospital and he also is per diem at the local school district as a nurse and also a local special needs pre school. He loves the Littman. I didnt know about the warranty that was posted. I am going to ask him if he knows about it.

He has gone through lots of scrub stuff already. He worked at another hospital that required him to wear all white scrubs and shoes. Those are gone now as he can wear any color scrubs and shoes so he is happy.

He spent alot of money on his watch though. I think its more for fashion with him though, lol.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

The classic is more than fine.

 

[auralia]

After buying the horrid scrubs they have picked out for us... in the color i like to call transparent white... and a whole wardrobe of appropriate underpinnings because they are completely see through (my husband didn't believe me... so I brought him to the store to justify the underthings purchase... another person from my class was there trying them on.... he averted his eyes and yelled oh my gosh... because you could see EVERYTHING under her scrubs rt down to the dots on her bra..... any way long story short... I went with the classic because the budget in me couldn't justify the extra expense after the 350$ i spent on 3 sets of see through scrubs (the school I go to mandates that you purchase them from only one store in our town) and the clothing to go under them so I'm not naked at school I decided to go with the less expensive one. Hope I don't regret it and just trade up.

Thanks for the input! always open to further suggestions! Also picked up some compression stockings while I was there.

 

[ElenaRN]

I actually just bought a new stethoscope. I've been using the Classic II SE for my entire career. I wanted to treat myself to a new one and was in debate on which to buy. I work post cath/EP lab so was leaning toward a Littman Cardiology one. After reading reviews I went with the Master Classic. It got great reviews, has a great acoustic rating and was much cheaper than the Cardiology line.

I am very happy with it so far.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I've had the Classic for many years. It's perfect. Be sure to wipe it down frequently.

 

[shrpgrl]

I have been a RN for 23 years and I have found what works best for me is just the $20.00 one. I hear better with that one than my coworkers expensive one. I am on my third one and the main reason I changed was I wanted a different color. Which ever one you get, make sure you get your name one it. Mine has went to the hospital Laundry and made it's way back to me. Another time a doctor picked it up and walked off with it. It ended up 4 floors away in another building and some wonderful nurse noticed it and called me.

 

[MaleficentRN]

I used a Sprague through nursing school. Works well, inexpensive so you don't worry about losing it or a random doctor picking it up and walking away. When I graduated and got a job, only then did I invest in a decent stethoscope. You never know what you'll end up doing when you graduate. As mentioned, if you do NICU you won't even need your own stethoscope.
Invest in pens, invest in a good care plan book, invest in an NCLEX practice program. No one is going to expect you to have the best stethoscope at this stage of the game.
Good luck. It'll be a hard two years, but it pays off in the end in so many ways.

 

[Polishnavy]

I particularly enjoy the Littman earpieces. So much more comfortable. Save some money at this point, though. The Classic will get the job done and won't be so easily stolen. My cardiology stethescope was too heavy to comfortably wear and was stolen. My pediatric classic has served me very well.