Nothing special, but exciting to me none-the-less

[Sasha]

a) Do know how to use a stethoscope to listen for breath sounds/heart sounds/ take a bp. Taught by a doctor whom I shadowed with.
b) I don't think i'm gonna let a $130 piece of equipment just laying around
c) From what I have heard can't really go wrong with littman and even on the littman website it recommends that scope for emts/medical students. I have used both cheap and expensive scopes before. Regardless of my route here I will eventually be needing a stethoscope. So why buy and el cheapo when I am gonna need a good one eventually.

I think I might just move on from this forum. Not too much encouragement here.

Of course they're going to recommend it. But here's the thing, the Littmann website isn't there to be your friend and guide you into making the right decision on the perfect scope for you, it's there to make money. You don't NEED the $130 piece of equipment, at a basic and even a paramedic level, all you need is the most basic steth because all you need it for is lung sounds, bps, and occasionally bowel sounds. I chose a Littmann because I liked the bell shape of the lightweight and it's harder to break then a sprauge (and I'm kinda rough on my scopes.)

You say you're not gonna leave it laying around, but it's super easy to loose a scope. Take it off to do CPR and then forget you'd taken it off. Pull it off because it kept getting tangled in your seatbelt and forgot that it's laying in the console in the truck. Even if you have your name on it, some people will rub it off, take the tag off, or even ignore the fact it's printed on the tubing.

Don't catch an attitude. You posted this, people are responding with their opinions, if you didn't want opinions, then why post it?

 

[Sieldan]

Seildan. Here's how to do a BP, R/R put this up not long ago.

Thanks FF-EMT Diver. Unfortunately, its too small to read. Ill try blowing it up in a graphics program.

 

[tydek07]

Im just stoked because the first bits of my gear have arrived. Namely a Littmann Classic II S.E. in orange, and a Prestige Sphygmomanometer. Now I just need to learn how to use them. h34r:

That is all.

LOL, I remember those days... I was excited 3 months before EMT-Basic school started I even had a little calander that I crossed the days off of until the day EMT school started.

Little did I know that I was going to go to Medic school soon after... talk about getting excited about school... waahoo, I probably about stroked out, with medic school fever.

Good luck and continue to keep us informed.

Take Care,

 

[Sieldan]

Yea, were a week into class now. Just started scratching the surface, but ya gotta start somewhere.

 

[trevor1189]

Of course they're going to recommend it. But here's the thing, the Littmann website isn't there to be your friend and guide you into making the right decision on the perfect scope for you, it's there to make money. You don't NEED the $130 piece of equipment, at a basic and even a paramedic level, all you need is the most basic steth because all you need it for is lung sounds, bps, and occasionally bowel sounds. I chose a Littmann because I liked the bell shape of the lightweight and it's harder to break then a sprauge (and I'm kinda rough on my scopes.)

You say you're not gonna leave it laying around, but it's super easy to loose a scope. Take it off to do CPR and then forget you'd taken it off. Pull it off because it kept getting tangled in your seatbelt and forgot that it's laying in the console in the truck. Even if you have your name on it, some people will rub it off, take the tag off, or even ignore the fact it's printed on the tubing.

Don't catch an attitude. You posted this, people are responding with their opinions, if you didn't want opinions, then why post it?

I'm not catching an attitude but why is everyone so against me buying medical equipment that i'll be trained to use. :wacko:

 

[Sieldan]

I think all it is folks trying to prevent you (thats the 'anyone' you) from wasting money. Many of us (myself included) are on tight budgets and if there isnt a need to spend the money on high dollar high performance when we can effectly use less expensive less performance.

 

[Sapphyre]

Because, it's a waste of money.... Once you actually LEARN about all the interventions, you'll find out you really can't do much by yourself. No need to have a c-collar, it's perfectly possible to hold c-spine until EMS arrives. Control bleeding??? Got a t-shirt???? Airway problems??? Buy a keychain CPR mask (or, actually CARRY the pocket mask ARC made you buy for class) and use that. Any of those accidents you rolled up on, where people hurt THAT bad???? Or are you just hoping they are?

Again, take it from someone that's been where you are, save your money.

 

[trevor1189]

well for purposes of this forum lets just say money isn't an issue. But thanks.

 

[trevor1189]

Or are you just hoping they are?

.

Why would i be hoping they are? And yes I have seen some pretty terrible accidents. Including one in which a family ultimately died as a result of.

 

[Sieldan]

Then maybe its just too much scope for EMT-B needs. I dunno. Im just a complete newbie. However, from other ventures, I do know that top notch gear is not always the best thing to have. That ultra sensitive widget in the hands of a novice could cause more issues than a baseline sensitive widget.

Just take the advice, and either use it, or dont. No need to rail against it.

At any rate, hope it works for you, and that you are happy with it. And hell, its new gear, that's always a good thing, right?

 

[Sieldan]

Why would i be hoping they are? And yes I have seen some pretty terrible accidents. Including one in which a family ultimately died as a result of.

Because some folks are like that, not necessarily you.

 

[trevor1189]

No i am not and i resent the implication.

 

[Anomalous]

Because, it's a waste of money.... Once you actually LEARN about all the interventions, you'll find out you really can't do much by yourself. No need to have a c-collar, it's perfectly possible to hold c-spine until EMS arrives. Control bleeding??? Got a t-shirt???? Airway problems??? Buy a keychain CPR mask (or, actually CARRY the pocket mask ARC made you buy for class) and use that. Any of those accidents you rolled up on, where people hurt THAT bad???? Or are you just hoping they are?

Again, take it from someone that's been where you are, save your money.

I believe the class is called "Use of Indigenous Resources".

 

[lightsandsirens5]

I paid $65 for my Littman select one...


Little tip--- they'll teach you to auscultate the brachial artery next to the bicep, but a medic taught me, and I find it so much easier, to do it at the crease of the elbow.

Press firmly down with it, and rest their arm on your leg, and it knocks out a TON of artifacts on the road.

I do the exact same thing.

I got my Littman Master Classic for like $20 from a guy whos wife had HTN during pregnancy. Well, he's a father now and she isn't pregnant any more (obviously) and he wanted to get rid of it. Not a bad deal!

 

[Sasha]

Because, it's a waste of money.... Once you actually LEARN about all the interventions, you'll find out you really can't do much by yourself. No need to have a c-collar, it's perfectly possible to hold c-spine until EMS arrives. Control bleeding??? Got a t-shirt???? Airway problems??? Buy a keychain CPR mask (or, actually CARRY the pocket mask ARC made you buy for class) and use that. Any of those accidents you rolled up on, where people hurt THAT bad???? Or are you just hoping they are?

Again, take it from someone that's been where you are, save your money.

Seriously. C-Collars? Are you going to let go of C-Spine to put on a collar, since you'll ultimately be by yourself? Doesn't the defeat the purpouse?

On the scene of an accident you will to busy holding the C-Spine of one of the occupants. The only way you'd skip that is if they're in respiratory or cardiac arrest, in which case you'll be too busy rescue breathing or doing CPR to use anything else. You've wasted your money, and further increased our Whacker population.

 

[Sasha]

No i am not and i resent the implication.

You sure get easily offended.

 

[Laur68EMT]

I took a moment and went back to look over Trevor's posts. I can see where he feels some people have been assuming and rude. They have. The guy is guilty of being really excited about things. Whatever he buys is his business though when it comes right down to it. In time he will probably look back and laugh that he spent so much money when he didn't need to. Again, that goes back to being eager, young...all that.

Having said that, Trevor...you're going to have to get a thicker skin. A great many people in this profession are short and to the point and that's not neccesarily a bad thing. Just try to take from the responses the advice that is there. It's good stuff.

 

[daedalus]

There seems to be a lot of hostility against students on this forums. You would think other EMTs would want to encourage people to get into the field.

Can you differentiate between s3 or ejection click? No hostility, just putting reason into the n00b's heads.

 

[daedalus]

a) Do know how to use a stethoscope to listen for breath sounds/heart sounds/ take a bp. Taught by a doctor whom I shadowed with.
b) I don't think i'm gonna let a $130 piece of equipment just laying around
c) From what I have heard can't really go wrong with littman and even on the littman website it recommends that scope for emts/medical students. I have used both cheap and expensive scopes before. Regardless of my route here I will eventually be needing a stethoscope. So why buy and el cheapo when I am gonna need a good one eventually.

I think I might just move on from this forum. Not too much encouragement here.

No shadowing will ever prepare you to make clinical decisions based on what your hearing in a stethoscope. Even if you are able to recognize certain sounds, which you will not, you will not be prepared to use knowledge on anatomy and pathophysiology to make understand a finding and make an appropriate decision based on it.

 

[trevor1189]

I have also taken several classes on human anatomy as well so i do no what different heart problems sound like and are signs of. Granted I'm not a cardiologist but I am not just an average joe with no knowledge at all.

You know what if you want to call me a whacker and say I'm wasting my money fine. I'll just ignore your posts. But apparently there are some helpful users on this forum that want to help me learn to be an emt and help people. those are the ones i'll listen to. And I thank THOSE people for their help.