Best Stethoscopes For Nursing Students

Your stethoscope may be the most important piece of equipment you buy. You do not need the most expensive one, but do not cheap out either. The single most important factor is acoustics, your ability to clearly hear heart, lung, and abdominal sounds.

You will choose between digital and analog, single and dual lumens, angled and straight ear pieces, and single and dual heads. We asked two nurses, Tina Vinsant, BSN, CCRN, who worked in the cardiovascular ICU, and Margaret Ramstad, MSN, APRN, which stethoscopes they recommend for students and why.

Top Picks

3M Littmann CORE Digital

One of the priciest options, and possibly the best. At peak digital frequency it offers up to 40 times amplification and connects to Eko software so you can see the heart sound waves on your phone. It has noise cancellation, switches between digital and analog modes, and works on both pediatric and adult patients. This is Vinsant's favorite.

"One of my favorite things to do is to give it to someone to try it out to show them how amazing it is. Then I push the button on the Eko device to show them the enhanced sound and they are always blown away," she says.

Littmann Master Cardiology

The best of Littmann's mechanical stethoscopes, and more cost efficient at roughly $200. The single head lets you hear high- or low-frequency sounds by adjusting pressure. Dual-lumen acoustics run inside one tube, which kills the noise of tubes rubbing together, and the ear tubes are angled to the ear canals for better sound and comfort. The updated tubing is more durable, though some find it a little tacky. Despite the weight, this is Ramstad's favorite for its sound quality.

ADC Adscope 600 Platinum Series Cardiology

Built from surgical stainless steel with a non-chill rim for patient comfort. The one-sided head gives an acoustic response like a traditional bell and diaphragm, and the ear pieces are fixed at a 15-degree angle for a better seal. The dual lumen sits inside a single tube to cut rubbing noise. The company has built it without phthalates since 2014. The kit includes an ID tag and two spare silicone ear tips, and all parts carry a lifetime warranty.

MDF MD One

A solid midrange option with a dual-head acoustic chest piece, best for general clinical use. It comes with three earpiece options and can be custom engraved. Lightweight and comfortable, though some reviewers say the color coating flakes off. It is stainless steel with safety-lock ear tip adaptors, and the tubing is latex free, flexible, and thick. The kit includes three pairs of silicone ear tips, a spare diaphragm, and an ID tag.

3M Littmann Lightweight II S.E.

A dual-sided, lightweight adult model with a teardrop chest piece that is easy to position around blood pressure cuffs and dressings. The soft-sealing ear tips cancel background noise and fit comfortably, and the non-chill head comes in several colors. At roughly $55 to $65 it is the budget pick here. Buy from an authorized dealer, since some reviewers report units without Littmann serial numbers.

What to Look For

A stethoscope exists to let you hear and identify sounds, so acoustics come first. Amplification matters, and so does your own hearing. Even minor hearing loss may mean you need a more sensitive scope, or one designed for the hearing impaired. Beyond acoustics, pay attention to the head, ear tip sizes, tubing, durability, and how easy it is to clean.

Type of head. A dual head has a large diaphragm for high-pitched sounds and a bell for lower-pitched ones. A single head lets you shift pitch by changing the pressure you apply.

Ear tip sizes. Comfort matters. Look for at least three tip sizes.

Tubing. It should hold its shape but stay flexible enough to move the head around without losing sound.

Durability and cleaning. You work with many patients, some carrying infectious germs, so the materials should be tough and easy to wipe down.

Test before you buy when you can. Ask colleagues and classmates to let you try theirs.

"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.

What to Avoid

Ramstad's advice: skip the cheapest and the most expensive. "Get a quality stethoscope, but don't be swayed by pretty colors or something unique," she says.

Avoid the Sprague Rappaport style, which runs two tubes from a dual head to the ear pieces. "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 with poor sound, and Ramstad steers students away from lightweight diagnostic models too: midrange price, mediocre sound. The stakes are real. Trying to tell lung, heart, and abdominal sounds apart with a poor-quality scope can lead to 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.