Best Stethoscope for Medical Students

Diagnostics is a branch of medicine that has come a long way.  

That said, some old contraptions are still used today in medicine – simply because they work like a charm and are easy to use.

The best stethoscope for medical students would probably be the best example of this.

These contraptions are as simple today as they were when they were first invented in 1816 by Rene Laennec – a French musician and a doctor.

Ever since then, the design of this contraption didn’t change much, which shows that this simple device has stood the test of time well enough.

In this article, we’re going to present to you a list of products so that you can find the best stethoscope for medical students at an affordable price.

(A word of warning: Be careful when choosing a stethoscope because your patient’s health depends on it!)

Read on to learn more!

Our Favorite Best Stethoscope for Medical Students

Last update on 2024-11-02 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Top 10 Best Stethoscope for Medical Students Reviews- 2022

1. Ever Ready First Aid – Dual-Head Stethoscope

When it comes to figuring out what is wrong with your patient’s heart or lungs, having the best Stethoscope for medical students can rely on is of utmost importance.

If you’re a medical student, you may need an affordable model of a stethoscope because of your large student debt or general expenses, so that this model can be the perfect option thanks to its low price and reliable design.

Here are some of the most important features of this model:

• Professionals & students – … can both benefit from using this tool, as its simple design and the reliable sound-transferring system will allow you to get an accurate sound reading every time.

Even though the price of this stethoscope may suggest that this is merely a training tool that’s only useful for students, it can be used by medical professionals, too.

This stethoscope has a solid sound system because it has two tubes in one, which eliminates some of the rubbing or chafing sounds that can block out the sounds of a patient’s lungs or heart, for example.

Other than doctors and students under the supervision of doctors, stethoscopes can also be used by nurses – if they have the necessary training for it, of course.

• Adjustable ear tubes – Since stethoscopes are devices that you need to wear in a similar way you would a pair of headphones, it is useful to have a pair that comes with some sort of adjustment mechanism to make your ‘wearing experience’ more pleasurable.

When it comes to this stethoscope, you can count on it coming with two adjustable ear tubes.

These ear tubes allow you to set up the two earbuds so that they don’t feel too tight in your earlobe and so you can wear them in a relaxed manner, but also feel secure that they won’t fall on the ground if you shake your head, for example.

• Cosplay-ready – Even though this stethoscope is fully functional and can be used for diagnosing various health conditions, what it can also be used would be cosplay or perhaps gifting it to a kid who dreams of becoming a doctor.

This stethoscope model can be used for these ‘fun’ purposes because it is available in different colors.

So, whether your kids like royal blue, pink, red, yellow, or some other color, you can get this stethoscope in their favorite color! 

Pros:

• Can be used by professionals, nurses, and medical students
• A great gift idea
• Comes in different colors
• Adjustable ear tubes for enhanced comfort while wearing
• Durable tubing design
• A turntable diaphragm allows you to hear both low and high-frequency sounds

Cons:

• Some users disliked this stethoscope’s design and quality of sound

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2. 3M Littmann – Classic III Monitoring Stethoscope

If you require a professional-grade stethoscope that you can use on both adults and children, this model from Littmann can be just the thing for you.

When it comes to the design of this unit, it mostly looks like your regular stethoscope, the main difference being that with this model, you also get a double-sided design, which gives you a better acoustic range to work.

Here are some of the main features of this model in more detail:

• Double-sided design – One of the features of this stethoscope that is immediately noticeable would certainly be the double-sided design.

The purpose of this design is to give you two different options to work with when it comes to listening for your patients’ heartbeat or the function of their lungs.

If your patient is a kid, you can use the so-called non-chill rim, which prevents the slight discomfort some patients may feel by the cold surface of the stethoscopes rim, as it is placed against their skin.

• Diaphragm you can tune – One of the biggest limitations of a stethoscope would be the fact that you can’t tune it.

The kind of diaphragm the model has is pretty much all you’ve got to work with, in the sense that it won’t work any other way.

With this model, you can tune the diaphragm to get the precise reading for different patients.

Also, you can use the thinner side for children or thinner patients, but the other side for bigger patients.

Thanks to this dual design, you probably won’t even have to fine-tune this contraption that often because the two major groups of patients – thinner and thicker ones, so to speak, are already accounted for in a way.

• Simple diaphragm design – The design of the diaphragm is fairly important because of the way it affects the amount of maintenance required to make it work like a charm.

Since this model comes with a rather simple diaphragm design, cleaning it will be a piece of cake because the entire diaphragm consists of just one part with a smooth surface.

So, after you’ve used this stethoscope for a while and you think it’s time for a thorough cleanup, you can rest assured that cleaning this thing won’t take more than a couple of seconds.

Pros:

• Two-sided design
• Single diaphragm build – easy maintenance
• Comes with a special pediatric non-chill cover
• Tunable diaphragm
• Comes in multiple color finishes (such as black, pink, burgundy, blue, and several others)
• Can be used for diagnostics for adults and children
• Soft ear tips for an ergonomic feel
• Stainless steel chest piece
• 5-year warranty

Cons:

• Some users may not like the design of this unit

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3. MDF Instruments – Rosegold MD One Stainless Steel Stethoscope

Are you looking for a stethoscope to give away as a gift or to use yourself as a medical doctor or a student of medicine?

Well, this is possibly the best stethoscope for medical students that comes in a wide variety of designs so that you can choose between different color finishes, as well as combinations of colors!

Also, in terms of the build itself, you can rest assured that you’re getting a high-quality product thanks to the fact that this model is made entirely out of stainless steel.

Here are some of the most important features of this model in more detail:

• Handcrafted quality – Just as is the case with a large variety of different tools and contraptions currently on the market, the majority of it is manufactured through some sort of automated process.

Now, this way, manufacturers can mass-produce whatever they’re making and get a decent profit out of it because they can make their ware more affordable by reducing its price.

That said, out there on the market there are still some brands that make hand-crafted tools, and MDF Instruments represent one of such companies.

By making their stethoscopes by hand, the folks at MDF Instruments can ensure that these audio medical devices are pitch-perfect, so to speak and that the acoustics of the material aren’t compromised by getting ‘attacked’ by various automated machines during the production process.

So, if you’re looking for a stethoscope, you will be able to rely on and have unique acoustic qualities. Getting a model from MDF Instruments can be a good idea.

Also, handcrafted items make for excellent gifts!

• Stainless steel builds – Representing one of the most medical field-friendly materials, medical instruments made out of stainless steel are always an excellent choice due to their inability to rust, so to speak, as well as durability and ease of maintenance.

Other than the tubing and earbuds, the entirety of this stethoscope is made out of stainless steel, so you can rest assured that, as long as you take good care of it, you will be using this tool for years to come.

Also, stainless steel comes with certain acoustic benefits, so you can be sure that you’ll be getting some of the most reliable acoustic feedback when using this stethoscope.

• A variety of finishes – As we said in the paragraphs above, this stethoscope is made out of stainless steel, but this doesn’t mean that you can get this contraption in only that one typical stainless steel metallic color.

Quite on the contrary, you can get this model in a wide variety of finishes, so whether you’re buying this thing as a gift or just for yourself, you’ll have a lot of finishes to choose from.

For example, some of the finishes include rose gold, gold, black, Perla Noire, fuchsia, navy blue, and many others!

Pros:

• Stainless steel build
• Handcrafted
• Safety lock ear tip adaptors
• Comes with three pairs of ear tips – small, regular, and large size
• A wide variety of finishes
• Extra-secure ear-leaf spring construction
• Latex-free design
• Lifetime warranty

Cons:

• Some people may not like the design of this stethoscope

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4. PARAMED – Classic Dual Head Stethoscope

Featuring a stylish design and coming with some spare earbuds in case you lose the existing ones or you don’t think their size matches your earlobe size, this model from PARAMED can be an excellent option for a medical student looking for a stethoscope that will both look stylish on them and do a great job of, well, being a stethoscope.

One interesting thing about this stethoscope that makes it stand out from the rest of the stethoscopes on the market, so to speak, would be that this model has a rotating head that goes 360° and has two sides!

Here are some of the features of this model in more detail: 

• Dual head chest-piece – Many stethoscope models nowadays feature a special design with two different chest pieces.

The one is larger while the other one is smaller and these two have two different functions.

Namely, the larger diaphragm is best used for detecting and recording higher frequencies of heartbeat or some other ‘beat.’

On the other hand, the smaller bell is better suited for those situations when you have to detect low frequencies.

So, you can alternate between these two depending on what type of frequency you’re detecting.

Also, thanks to the unique design feature of the rotating head, switching between these two in the middle of checking your patient is a piece of cake!

• Plenty of accessories – Other than the stethoscope itself, you can also count on several pieces of additional equipment in this offer, including 4 ear tips, a spare diaphragm, a nameplate, as well as an accessory case where you can keep all of these spare parts. (This case can come in quite handy, especially since all of these parts are fairly small and easy to lose.)

Perhaps the four different earbud parts would be the most useful of these accessories.

The thing is, since you will be using your stethoscope often, you mustn’t feel discomfort every time you put the earbuds in your ears.

So, if you want to have some spare earbuds to choose from, getting this model will enable you to do just that fairly easily.

• Latex-free design – … of the tube.

Increasingly, more and more manufacturers are attempting to get rid of any latex in the production of the tubes for their stethoscopes and this stethoscope model is no exception.

This stethoscope has completely latex-free tubing, so you can rest assured that you can buy it for someone you know is allergic to latex, for example!

Pros:

• 360° rotating head
• Two-headed design
• Comes with a variety of accessories (spare earbuds, accessory case, name tag…)
• Latex-free tube
• Can be used by medical students, professionals, and nurses
• Sweat and oil-resistant tubing

Cons:

• This stethoscope only comes in one color – black

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5. Primacare – Sprague Rappaport Style Stethoscope

Representing a stethoscope model that will offer you accurate readings thanks to its excellent acoustic properties, this model from Primacare can be an ideal solution for folks in various walks of all in the medical field.

Whether you’re a nurse, a doctor, or a medical student, you can rest assured that you will be able to use this stethoscope for a wide variety of diagnostics-related tasks.

Here are some of the most important properties of this unit in more detail:

• Rotating head design – Whether you need to check a patient’s chest, back, or some other part of their body, you will be able to place the head of this stethoscope perfectly against the body patient’s body part in question, so to speak.

So, no matter what the patient’s position is and the angle at which you approach him, as long as you have this tool with you, you can rest assured that you will be able to take an accurate measurement with ease thanks to this rotating head feature.

For the record, the rotating angle of this head is 360° and both sides of the head can be used for diagnostics.

• Stainless steel builds – This stethoscope head was made out of 100% stainless steel, which is a material well-known for its durability and reliability – especially in the field of medicine.

The reason behind this is fairly simple – stainless steel doesn’t rust, so you don’t have to worry about it oxidizing in case it comes in contact with sweat or some other moisture.

On the other hand, there’s also ease of maintenance.

With tools made out of stainless steel, you don’t need to worry that much about cleaning, as taking care of such a contraption would be a piece of cake with a simple rag and a little bit of disinfectant.

One more thing – Stainless steel looks good, so you can rest assured that carrying this diagnostic tool around your neck won’t ruin your looks like a doctor or a nurse.

• Flexible tube – … is there to ensure that you can easily maneuver around with this stethoscope so that you can always get an accurate reading.

This stethoscope was built because there are two different tubes, so you get double the quality of the acoustics because the tubes have more space to give you better sound quality at the end of the earbuds.

There is zero latex involved in the materials used for the tubing itself, so you won’t have to worry about getting an allergic reaction if you have an allergy to latex.

Pros:

• 360° rotating head
• Flexible, double-duty tube
• Dual-head design
• Comes with accessories and spare parts
• Stainless steel chest piece
• Comes in several color variations

Cons:

• Some users may not like the design of this unit

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6. MABIS – Dual Head Teaching Stethoscope

If you’ve ever been to a driving school and taken some driving lessons, you probably already know what a car with double clutches and brakes looks like. It is designed so that the instructor can apply an emergency brake or press the clutch pedal in case you don’t do so on time.

Now, similarly to this mechanic, there is a similar one when it comes to medical training – your mentor or professor of medicine uses a special stethoscope which you are using simultaneously so that they can determine whether you can tell different sounds and frequencies apart well enough.

Since both you and the professor hear the same heartbeat or lung movements, the professor can determine whether or not what you’re saying makes sense to them.

Here are some of the most important features of this model in more detail:

• Teaching tool – This model, thanks to its double design, represents a perfect tool for medical students and other professionals within the medical field.

When it comes to diagnosing a patient based on their heart rate or the condition of their lungs, listening to these body parts either via their chest or back is the easiest way to do it.

That said, to get accurate results, if you’re still a medical student, you will need some supervision so you can be sure that the readings you received are indeed accurate and viable.

For this purpose, this model can be a great solution because your professor can take one headset and you the other. Once you’ve taken the measurement, you can tell what your opinion is to your professor so that they can tell you if you were correct or not.

• Long tubing – One of the features that a teaching stethoscope is supposed to have would be tubing that’s long enough so that two people can wear it comfortably at the same time.

If this is not the case, then the effects of using this contraption simultaneously with someone else can be quite comical and impractical in the professional sense.

This model comes with tubes that are 24 inches long, which is more than enough for two people to wear it simultaneously.

Also, this extra length means approaching the patient is a piece of cake, as you don’t need to be a professional gymnast to reach your patient’s chest or back if you have a stethoscope with a long tube at your disposal.

• Chrome finish – Other than the fact that this model comes with this useful double feature, what it also comes with would be a chrome finish for the chest piece.

Since chrome is rust-resistant, you won’t have to worry about the chest piece of this thing getting compromised by the sweat particles from the patient’s skin or some other type of moisture or impurity.  

Also, chrome is well-known as possibly the best-looking metal out there, so if you polish it well before use, you can have a shiny piece of high-quality diagnostic metal hanging from your neck, which you can view as a fashion accessory in and of itself! 

Pros:

• Double design (single chest piece, but two people can listen at the same time)
• 24-inch tubing
• Great tool for medical training
• Chrome, rust-free finish
• Limited lifetime warranty

Cons:

• The double design may not be that useful for professional doctors who just need a regular stethoscope

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7. MDF Instruments – Acoustica Lightweight Stethoscope

Featuring an attractive design as well as some pretty impressive chest piece characteristics, this model from MDF Instruments can be the perfect contraption for a person looking for a stylish, lightweight, and precise stethoscope that they can use for all sorts of acoustic diagnostic purposes.

In terms of design, there is more to look forward to when this model is in question – mainly because this contraption comes in a wide variety of finishes that you can choose from.

So, whether it’s black, purple, red, rose gold, or some other combination of colors, you can rest assured that you will be able to use this contraption with ease wherever you are.

Here are some of the more important features of this model in more detail:

• Chest piece with a turntable – When it comes to the acoustic properties of this thing, the most important thing that you will need to worry about would be the chest piece and what you want to do with it.

Thanks to this model’s turntable design, all you need to do without switching between the bell and the diaphragm is turn the entire head around.

The way you can do this is simply by grabbing onto it and then twisting it in the direction you want.

Since this head can rotate 360°, you will be able to set it up in any position you want with ease!

Also, you can use the bell and the diaphragm for different purposes, as they have different acoustic properties.

• Pyramid chamber design – One of the problems that can stem from bending the tubes to their extreme (due to too much stretching or some other awkward maneuver), is that the sound can get compromised.

To prevent this, what the folks at MDF Instruments came up with is an addition of a small pyramid-shaped object just underneath the spot where two tube channels, so to speak, meet at the Y of the stethoscope.

So, although this addition does make the tubing a tad thicker at that exact spot, it’s nothing too elasticity-compromising, so you can be sure that this safety ‘hack’ won’t make your experience wearing this stethoscope any worse than if this tool was pyramid-less.

• Comfortable earpieces – … come with this stethoscope to ensure that whatever the size of your earlobe is, buying this stethoscope will help you find the best possible size that would fit you for this purpose.

As far as the sizes themselves, you can choose from 3 different sizes-small, medium, and large.

Since you, as a medical professional, or a future medical professional, will be using a stethoscope pretty much all the time, having a model that comes with enough accessories to make you feel comfortable while wearing them while also preventing them from falling out of your ears, this model can be just the thing you were looking.

Pros:

• Patented safety lock (serves the purpose of preventing rupturing of the eardrum)
• Pyramid chamber (prevents the tubing from twisting)
• Handcrafter aluminum chest piece
• A turntable with a rotating stem
• 3 pairs of earbuds
• Full lifetime warranty

Cons:

• Some users may not like the slightly chunkier design of this unit

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8. MDF Instruments – Paws Kaleidoscope MD One Epoch Lightweight Titanium Stethoscope

If you’re looking to buy a stethoscope, you can gift it to a child, a medical student who likes colorful patterns on their medical gear, or a future pediatrician. This model from MDF Instruments offers you several different patterns that you can go.

That said, the qualities of this stethoscope aren’t merely surface-deep.

This contraption is also made out of high-quality lightweight titanium and it comes with three different earbud sizes that you can choose from, depending on your ear size!

Here are some of the other features of this model in more detail:

• Handcrafted – What makes this model coming from MDF Instruments so special would be the fact that it is made by hand by experienced artisans.

Since 1971, this company has been making high-quality handcrafted stethoscopes, so these folks have a lot of experience in making these diagnostics tools.

Other than looking beautiful, these contraptions are also quite durable and won’t break so easily, even if you drop them on the floor, for example.

Also, handcrafted tools and other items are often an excellent choice for a gift, so if you want to buy a friend or a cousin of yours that’s a medical student a useful gift, getting this stethoscope can be a great idea.

• Different finishes – When it comes to the way this contraption looks, what you have is a couple of different colors and patterns you can choose from.

You can choose between black, emerald green, bright blue, purple, and many others as far as colors are concerned.

Also, there are several color patterns and combinations to choose from, so you can get a stethoscope with a pattern finish rather than just a single-color one.

For example, you can get a model with different colors for the tubing and the earbuds!

So, whether you’re buying a stethoscope for yourself or as a gift for someone, you can rest assured that you will choose from a lot of colors.

• Titanium build – … has at least two major advantages over some other metals.

First off, titanium is fairly light, despite its excellent strength and durability. So, because a stethoscope is a contraption you will have to carry around your neck quite often as a medical professional, you can see how a stethoscope made out of lightweight material can be a decent asset.

On the other hand, the fact that titanium is rust-free also means you won’t have problems with corrosion, which is good to know because using a stethoscope involves a lot of contact with the patient’s skin.

Pros:

• Latex-free design
• Safety lock ear tip
• 3 different ear tip designs – small, medium, and large
• Titanium build
• Dual-leaf construction
• Comes with an acoustic pyramid chamber
• Available in a variety of finishes

Cons:

• Some users complained that white parts of this stethoscope tend to stain easily

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9. PARAMED – Classic Single-Head Cardiology Stethoscope

Made out of high-quality stainless steel, this stethoscope coming from the PARAMED company can be an excellent solution for a cardiologist or a student in training for some cardiology-related medical profession.

As far as the design of this unit is concerned, the deal is fairly straightforward – there is a single stethoscope head and the rest of this contraption is just a tube with two earbuds at the end.

As we already stated, the head on this stethoscope is made out of stainless steel. Still, the tubing is made out of a latex-free material, so in case you’re allergic to latex, you can rest assured that wearing this stethoscope model around your neck won’t cause you any discomfort.

Here are some of the other features of this model in more detail:

• Non-chill rim – When it comes to stethoscopes, due to their non-invasive nature, so to speak, there’s not much a patient can complain about when a doctor, a medical student, or a nurse uses it on their body.

That said, one of the few complaints that most patients don’t lodge (but some do) would be that the rim of the diaphragm or the bell of the stethoscope head is too cold, causing them some discomfort.

Now, while this is not that much of a problem for adults, kids may not like it and can even become difficult to work without fear of more discomfort coming afterward if you need to perform some more checks.

So, the folks at PARAMED made sure that this contraption comes with a specialized rim that is room temperature!

• Ergonomically designed – Other than ensuring that your patients don’t feel chills go down their spine every time you attempt to hear their lungs, the designers at PARAMED are also interested in making sure you, the user of the stethoscope, feel comfortable, too.

For this reason, they’re using a special sort of anatomic design that will feel comfortable to wear at all times.

Thanks to the curved tubes that lead directly into your ear, you won’t have to worry about discomfort while wearing these and you won’t have to worry about them falling out of your ears willy-nilly, either!  

• Name tag holder – If you’re a medical student, losing your stethoscope or displacing it can sometimes happen – especially if you have to use it daily.

For this reason, it is useful to get a stethoscope that comes with a name tag holder.

Thanks to this simple addition, even if you do end up losing your stethoscope somewhere in a hospital, you’ve been to or some other place, you are more likely to get it back!

Pros:

• Metal parts made out of stainless steel
• Latex-free tubing
• Comes with a name tag holder
• Capable of capturing both low and high-frequency sounds
• Lightweight design
• Non-chill rim

Cons:

• This stethoscope only comes with one diaphragm (one-sided design with no bell)

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10. BJORN HALL – Scandinavian Design White Stethoscope

It features such functions as a two-sided head that you can rotate around its axis 360° around, as well as a tough and durable stainless-steel build. This model from BJORN HALL can be an excellent tool for anyone in need of a high-quality stethoscope they can use daily.

Some of the medical tasks you can do with this stethoscope would include checking the bowel sounds in your patient’s stomachs, heartbeat sounds, blood flow beats, as well as the sounds that lungs make when you inhale and exhale.

Below are some of the most important features of this model in more detail:

• Lightweight design – … represents an important feature of this model as it means that you can wear this thing around your neck an entire day without worrying about it affecting you negatively in some way.

On the other hand, there’s also the question of ergonomics, which this model also ‘answers’ favorably.

For this reason, the tubing in this stethoscope is made out of a lightweight material that is flexible enough to follow the contours of your body without compromising the quality of the sound you’re getting back from the head.

• High-quality materials – … including silicone earbuds that are there to ensure there’s a snug fit, but also that these buds won’t make your ears hurt after you’ve been wearing them for a couple of hours.

These silicone earpieces come in three different sizes, so you can choose the pair that sits inside your ear the most comfortably.

On the other hand, the stethoscope head is stainless steel, so that maintenance won’t be a problem.

Also, since stainless steel doesn’t rust, you can be confident that this stethoscope will last you for years, if not decades if you regularly take good care of it!

• Money-back guarantee – In case you’re not satisfied with the stethoscope you received, you can send it back, and the manufacturer will issue you a full refund.

This sort of deal also counts if there’s nothing wrong with the stethoscope, but you just decided you didn’t like it as much as you expected to when you first saw it online.

So, if you want to get a high-quality stethoscope model but to be able to return it if you end up not liking it, this model from Bjorn Hall may be just the thing for you.

Pros:

• Lightweight design
• Ergonomic build
• Made out of clinical-grade stainless steel
• Three silicone ear tips
• Double-sided chest piece
• Turntable-style chest piece

Cons:

• Some users weren’t satisfied with the acoustics of this model

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Best Stethoscope for Medical Students Buyer’s Guide

Material

The best stethoscope for medical students is a diagnostic tool that has a few different parts..

The head you use to hear the heartbeat or breathe in and out is typically made out of metal.

Typically, the choice for most manufacturers revolves around titanium, stainless steel, or aluminum. These three metals are favored over others because they are relatively light and, more importantly, don’t rust, making them perfect for making medical equipment.

On the other hand, the doctor’s earbuds to listen to the heartbeat or pulse are made out of silicone or some other similar material.

As for the tubing is typically made out of rubber, with many manufacturers nowadays opting for the so-called latex-free rubber. (Designed to help users that have a latex allergy.)

Double vs. Single Earpieces

A common stethoscope that doctors, nurses, and medical students use regularly has only a single pair of earbuds to be worn and used as a pair of headphones.

That said, there is a special breed of stethoscopes out there that have another set of these ‘headphones’ attached to the same stethoscope head.

While this design may seem curious at first, it makes perfect sense to consider its primary purpose of helping medical professors assess their students’ skill levels when listening to their patients’ various organs.

Double Head Design

The double-head design gives the user more opportunity to hear slight differences in frequency regarding various sounds coming from the human body.

The thing is, the two parts of these double-headed stethoscopes are the diaphragm (the wider part) and the bell (the shorter part).

So, if you want to have more range as a doctor or a medical student, you may want to get a stethoscope that has this double-headed design.

Non-chill Rim

As we said already in one of the reviews in the top 10 list above, one of the rare complaints some patients lodge against stethoscopes, so to speak, would be that when the doctor tries to measure your pulse, heartbeat, or something else, it can feel uncomfortably cold.

So, to enable doctors not to annoy their patients with cold stethoscope heads, an increasing number of stethoscope brands are coming up with a variety of different non-chill rims.

As the name of these curios caps suggests itself, non-chill rims are made to cover the diaphragm or the bell of a stethoscope so that the patient doesn’t feel the bare, cold metal against their skin.

Handcrafted Models

In the world of high-end medical contraptions, handmade tools are more valuable than machine-made ones.

It is widely considered that handmade tools are made more carefully and that more time was spent on making them just perfect.

Also, buying a handmade tool or some other contraption is always a good idea for a gift because handmade tools tend to be more expensive and better built.

How to Hold a Stethoscope?

To use a stethoscope, you first need to figure out how to wear the earbuds and hold the rest of the stethoscope to use on a patient.

First, place the earbuds in your ears.

To ensure the earbuds are tightly in your eyes, make sure to twist them slightly toward your nose so that you hear little to no outside noise while wearing them.

If your stethoscope comes with an accessory bag, you can choose the correct size of earbuds from the package. It is important to wear the size of the earbuds that fit you perfectly because that way you will be able to block out outside sides to the best extent.

Once you’ve done that, take the stethoscope’s chest piece between your middle and index finger while supporting the tube underneath it with your thumb. (This is important because the tubing rubbing against the patient’s skin can create unnecessary noise.)

When it comes to pressing the stethoscope against a patient, optimally, it should be on their skin and not over their clothes.

How to Use a Stethoscope to Hear a Heartbeat?

First, choose whether you want to use the diaphragm or the bell for this purpose.

Next, put the earbuds in your ears the way we explained above and then grab hold of the stethoscope’s chest piece between your middle finger and index finger, with your thumb underneath the tube to prevent it from touching the patient’s skin.

Then aim approximately between the nipples and gently press the stethoscope’s head onto the patient’s chest.

Once you’ve found the exact spot, you will be able to hear a clear heartbeat. Once you hear the heartbeat, you can use a stopwatch to measure the beats per minute if you want.

Frequently asked questions:

1. Do Medical Students Need a Stethoscope?

Yes, they do.

A stethoscope represents one of the most basic and commonly-used tools for medical students, regardless of the branch of medicine they’re studying in.

Of course, if you study to be a pulmonologist, or a cardiologist, for example, you’ll probably need to use a stethoscope even more often.

2. Which Stethoscope is Best for Medical Students?

There are many different high-quality stethoscope models out there on the market nowadays.

That said, the brand that’s the most popular with many medical students would be Littmann. What’s more, many faculties and colleges recommend Littmann stethoscopes as their tools of choice when it comes to heart and lung check-ups.

3. When Should You Buy a Stethoscope?

If you’re going to a medical school, you should get a stethoscope in the first year.

(Some colleges require it from the second year up, depending on the branch of medicine studies you’re going into.)

That said, many colleges will temporarily provide you with a stethoscope of their own.

Also, it’s worth mentioning that it is recommended that you replace your stethoscope with a new one every two years. However, this is often not what students and medical professionals end up doing due to the low availability of these tools on the market.

4. What is the Lifespan of a Stethoscope?

As we already said, most manufacturers agree that stethoscopes should be replaced every two years.

That said, it’s probably no wonder they’re saying that since they want to sell more products.

As far as these stethoscope models are in question, they can typically last way more than two years, some working fine even after a couple of decades of use!

5. How Often Should a Stethoscope be Cleaned?

This mostly depends on the condition of the skin of the patient.

If the patient’s skin is healthy and clean, you can clean the stethoscope once a day.

On the other hand, some patients have skin-related issues or want to be on the safe side. You can also clean the stethoscope after every patient.

This may come across as a daunting task, but it would not be that difficult since all you need to do is use some disinfectant and brush the diaphragm and the bell with it slightly.

Conclusion

All in all, a well-made best stethoscope for medical students as a best friend that will be useful to you well after you’ve finished your medical studies!

We hope you can find the best model for your needs in the list for the best stethoscope for medical students we prepared for you above, and we wish you plenty of success in your medical studies.