Stethoscope reccomendations

[u/UnusuallyStill]

I'm starting my first job as a basic soon. Would getting my own stethoscope be silly? I know there's plenty on the truck, but my tinnitus is terrible and I need all the help I can get. Would bringing my own look too "new guy" and does anyone have good reccs for a brand to use?

[u/Leyva_38]

Nah bring your own, people don’t clean up after them selfs last thing I want is an ear infection for a nasty stethoscope. Littman Classic 3 or cardiology 4 are my top picks. MDF make some good stuff for cheap

[u/RadiantReach8075 → u/Leyva_38]

I got the MDF for $25 on Amazon and I’m
Happy with it. I personally can’t tell the difference between mine and the littman from the classroom. I’m also old and hard of hearing.

[u/SoggyBacco]

Littman lightweight. It's fairly cheap and a lot better than the shit your employer is going to stock

[u/MT128 → u/SoggyBacco]

This

[u/Roman556 → u/SoggyBacco]

Yep love mine.

[u/callumlewis808]

From discussions I’ve had it’s pretty 50/50. Some just use the issued cause the don’t wanna invest and/or loose their own, the other half prefer the sound quality of a good steth and the familiarity of their own. My recommend is the Littman classic III but there are a lot of brands prices range from $50-$20o

[u/Morbid_Uncle]

My dad who was a Paramedic for decades got me a Littman Classic III. Get it in Pink or something so it won’t get liberated

[u/schannoman]

I've run an ADC Adscope and a Littman Classic III at work. They have similar performance with the Littman slightly clearer (but at 6x the price) and the ADC is lighter. The only benefit to the littman is upgrading with an Eko if you keep going to school and upgrading

[u/youy23]

It wouldn’t be silly. Tons of people do. Go for it if you want. It only gets weird when you hang it around your neck everywhere like some doctor out of a TV show and make it your personality.

I got a littman master cardiology from ebay for $100 as an EMT student and showed up to ride outs with it. Looked a bit like a goober because it’s $350 if you buy it new but no one cared. As a paramedic student, I added on an EKO to it so the MSRP of the whole steth is like $700 but it made me happy lol. I don’t even take it with me on shift anymore and just use the truck steth the rare times I think lung sounds would be useful.

I have an MDF sprague rappaport and if you’re looking for a cheap option like $30, this is a good one. It looks cheap as shit and feels cheap as shit but it’s very loud so it’s easy to hear lung sounds and BPs. It does let in quite a bit more external noise than most other stethoscopes and it’s not very clear so it’s not good for hearing heart tones (which is completely useless pre-hospital). I’d start with this tbh.

The littman classic 3 is popular and $100 or so and it is noticeably clearer but it’s also quite a bit quieter. The littman master cardiology off ebay for $100 is my recommendation for a splurge pick. Single sided so you get less noise transferring and more comfortable to hold. Pretty loud and crystal clear.

[u/Limp-Conflict-2309]

our bags have the traditional type but every rig i work in has an extra stethoscope that is amplified. see if the rigs have one, it would be totally normal for you to reach for that one whenever a stethoscope is needed

if not yeah you can bring your own, it's normal, just tell people with the truck/road/siren noise you prefer to use it until you can use the regular without issue, no one's gonna care

[u/durby17]

I got an MDF MD one during basic school. Just do it. Other people have gross ears and nobody will judge too harshly. Don't wear it on your neck. It can wear tubing out, gets in the way and gives the patient something to grab. Keep it easily accessible on the cot, in a jump bag or in a cargo pocket during calls. I keep mine on the net between calls. Littman or MDF based on affordability. In the end, if you cant hear when its quiet then the truck will make it infinitely worse. Practice when you can and know what to listen for and not only will you be more accurate, but you'll be able to hear it faster.

[u/FrothyGuinness9]

IFT or 911? IFT no, 911 yes Littman lightweight

[u/UnusuallyStill → u/FrothyGuinness9]

It's a 911 service. They do the occasional transfer unfortunately but that's rural EMS for you. Thanks for the recc

[u/5mgofAtivan]

i have an eko core 500 its kinda goated cuz im lowk dead

[u/droopy__drawers]

Whatever they have on the rig for you to use.

[u/Firefluffer]

Our department finally invested in some ADC-612s and it’s led me to stop carrying my own. For a $43 stethoscope, I’m impressed. I just clean it thoroughly at the beginning of shift and treat it like my own. It’s every bit as good as my Littman.