Best Stethoscopes for Nursing Students

Our team independently chose these products. If you click on a product link, we may earn a commission. Learn more here.

A stethoscope may be the most important piece of equipment a nurse purchases. You don’t need to buy the most expensive one, but you also don’t want to rely on the cheapest.

The most crucial factor in choosing a quality stethoscope is the acoustics, or ability to easily hear heart, lung, and abdominal sounds.

Nursing students may choose from:

Tina Vinsant, BSN, CCRN, worked in the cardiovascular intensive care unit and Margaret Ramstad, MSN, APRN, takes a holistic and functional medical approach to healthcare. We asked these two nurses what the best stethoscopes are for nursing students and why they recommend them.

As you are seeking the best stethoscope for your nursing practice, consider the following options. These choices rank highly with our nurse experts. Below are the pros and cons of each.

Nurses use a stethoscope to assess the chest and abdomen of their patients. When the quality of that stethoscope is questionable, the assessment can be too. When you’re shopping for the best stethoscope for your nursing practice, there are several factors to consider. But the most important factor is the acoustics.

After all, the primary function of a stethoscope is to allow you to listen for and identify sounds. The acoustics allow amplification of sound to the user. Added to this, not every nurse has the same hearing ability. Even minor hearing loss may mean you need a more sensitive stethoscope, or possibly one designed for people who are hearing impaired.

Quality of stethoscope and acoustics is impacted by:

The quality of acoustics begins with the type of head on the stethoscope. This is the end piece you lay on a patient’s chest or abdomen.

Some have a dual head, with a large diaphragm surface for high-pitched sounds and a bell on the opposite side for lower-pitched sounds. Single-head stethoscopes allow the user to hear different pitches based on the pressure applied to the head against the patient.

The stethoscope should also be comfortable to use. Choose one with at least three different sizes for ear tips.

Stethoscope tubing should hold its shape but also be flexible to allow the user to move the head around on the patient without losing the ability to hear.

Finally, the stethoscope should be made of durable materials and easy to clean. Nurses work with many patients, many of whom may be carrying infectious germs.

Knowing the factors that are important in an effective stethoscope is important, but testing your choices may be the best method before purchasing one. Since you have a wider choice of stethoscopes by purchasing online, consider asking your colleagues and other nursing students to try their stethoscopes.

” … it really does matter which stethoscope you get. If you want to hear all of the sounds you learned about in nursing school or you want to catch that murmur no one else caught … you need a good quality stethoscope,” says Vinsant.

It is just as important to know what to avoid when you’re reading nursing stethoscope reviews. Ramstad advises students not to buy the cheapest or the most expensive stethoscope.

“Get a quality stethoscope, but don’t be swayed by pretty colors or something unique,” she says.

She also advises students to learn with quality equipment, which can improve the learning curve and might make it easier to identify sounds. For example, the Sprague Rappaport style stethoscope has two tubes originating at the dual head and ending in the ear pieces, interfering with sound quality.

“Sprague Rappaport styles are too noisy in general due to the two tubes rubbing together and the two heads often become loose. Drop it once and you’ll need to buy a new one,” she says.

Stethoscopes sold as “student” scopes are often cheaply made and have poor sound quality. Additionally, Ramstad warns students away from lightweight diagnostic stethoscopes. They are generally at a midrange price but the sound quality is mediocre.

Ramstad points out that trying to differentiate lung, heart, and abdominal sounds with a poor-quality stethoscope could result in patient injury.

“This was a lesson I realized when I bought my first Littmann Master Cardiology, which I still swear by today. It was heavier, but the sound quality was night and day,” she says.