Best Stethoscope for PA School

If you’re just starting PA school there will be a variety of tools you’ll be required to obtain. Your school may provide some of the equipment as a part of your fees, other schools will require students to go out and buy them. Most of your own equipment won’t be used after graduating, so I don’t recommend spending a lot on them. The one piece of equipment that will be used after graduating is your stethoscope.

There are a variety of brands of stethoscopes and each boasts different features. There are some that are very inexpensive, but you won’t be able to hear well out of them and they’ll be uncomfortable. One thing to keep in mind when purchasing a stethoscope for PA school is what you plan to do when you’re done with school. If you know you want to go into cardiology you might want to get a nicer stethoscope, or if you want to work in ER where there is more noise you should to take that into account.

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1. 3M Littmann Cardiology IV Stethoscope

My top stethoscope for PA students is the Littmann Cardiology IV. It is a well-rounded stethoscope. It will allow you to hear in noisy environments. It’s not the top stethoscope if you want to go into cardiology, but for most practices it will do well.

When I was in PA school I got the Litmann Cadiology III (the IV was not made at the time), and it is what I still use. The ear pieces are comfortable and you can hear well in most circumstances.

2. 3M Littmann Classic III Stethoscope

If you don’t plan on practicing medicine and are interested in a specialty such as orthopedics (just kidding) you might not need to hear sounds all that well. The Classic III will allow you to hear in a quiet room, but in a noisier situation it might be hard to hear using this stethoscope.

It’s slightly less expensive than the Cardiology IV, and for most office settings it will work well.

3. MDF Classic Cardiology  Stethoscope

MDF has more stylish options that function well. You can get a more basic one in black for less than the Littmann Cardiology IV, but the real draw is the look.

If you’re looking for something that is a little more stylish, but still works well, than this is a great option to check out. Also, you can’t go wrong with the lifetime warranty.

4. Welch Allyn Harvey Elite Stethoscope

The Welch Allyn Harvey Elite is another good option. My roommates during PA school were both medical students and they were given these as a part of their fees, along with the Welch Allyn Ophthalmoscope and Otoscope. (The med school must have had a contract with Welch Allyn).

For my ears it was not as comfortable as the Littmann, but it did perform well. If you were able to get one of these as a part of a set I’d stick with it, but if you’re purchasing it as a stand-alone option I’d defer to something less expensive.

5. ADC Adscope Cardiology Stethoscope

The ADC Cardiology stethoscope is another option to choose from. It is one of the less expensive models on this list, so if you’re looking for a solid performing stethoscope at a more affordable price than this might be a good option to check out.

All of the stethoscopes above will work for general purposes of PA school and beyond. As I mentioned previously this is the one piece of equipment you’ll definitely use for a long time, so it’s worth the investment to get a good one now. With that said if you know you’re going to into a specific specialty you might want to get a stethoscope that will work for that specialty.

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