Items in A School
 

I was just curious to see what anyone that's gone through HM A School thought on having medical items with them? Mostly like a stethoscope and such. I've got a few so pretty much I'm curious if it helps, hurts, or really just doesn't matter.

They're going to provide you with everything you're gonna need while in A-school. There's no point in bringing extra equipment. They most likely wouldn't let you use it anyway since it's not Navy issued.

/r
CTT1

My sister bought me a set. I did not get permission to use them during our skills assessment. However, it did prove useful during labs and after school study. I'm half way through HM A School. If you have any additional questions, shoot.

Awesome.

Duke, check your PMs!

How useful do you think it would be to have your laptop there? For transferring notes and such. Also, what about studying the A-school book before?

Hell yeah bring (or rather, procure) a stethoscope, corps school ones suck... provided that you actually give a crap about being able to hear things.. if you just wanna get paid and you're not really passionate about medicine, use navy issued things.

If you get your own, go big and get the Littmann cardiology III (as cheap as $150), Your command will likely provide littmann classics when you arrive, and you wouldn't want your purchased stethoscope to become obsolete to the tools given to assess actual patients when you finish school.

Everyone says corps school stethescopes suck. I can hear accurate breath sounds with a $5 disposable stethescope. There is no reason to buy a Littmann Cardiology III...unless you're out there looking for heart murmurs...which you won't be. As a new corpsman you'll be doing blood pressures and listening to lung sounds at the most. I was a civilian RT before I became and AD one. I've had a Littmann Classic (much better price for someone making approximately $1500 a month) for the 5 years I've been practicing. My husband carried a Littmann classic in combat as well as did one of the RT's I work with now. The instructor that told me to buy a Littmann Classic has been using that same stethescope for God knows how long...but by all means waste money on an expensive stethescope that will probably get lost or stolen.

As stated you have to be passionate about medicine.

I listen for heart murmurs every day, not because I HAVE to as a corpsman, but because I'm always interested in learning and being as involved in every case as possible.

I used to have the same mindset, why get a nice stethoscope when I can hear breath sounds just fine? Till I missed LLL pneumonia in a pediatric patient, then I had a change of heart.

Of course a well trained ear is always the best tool available, but a decent stethoscope certainly doesn't hurt. You are absolutely correct in recommending the classic, which meets a corpsman's needs well. Fortunately as stated many clinics will provide a classic to the corpsman, for their own use or to share, so I wouldn't spend money on it if its going to be free. My department for example has enough littman classics to actually ISSUE everyone in the clinic one, no one has to share one, and there are still a few left in supply in case any go missing.

That's my justification for recommending a better one, because getting a classic or cheaper would be a waste without knowing what you're gonna get in the fleet. Either go big is corps school, or wait until you see the setup at your duty station before you make the decision.

I'm an EMT currently and work in an ER so I already have a Littman Cardiology III anyway, hence why I was asking.

Nice to know that they can be provided but I kind of like mine so if I get the chance to use them, I'm going too lol.

Thanks for the recommendations.

Hooyah to this..

By the way, congratulations, your a school is only 2 months instead of 4 months if you hold an nremt certification.

you can test out of half the classes

Yeah.. Except mine lapses during RTC. I was going to take the refresher classes up coming in my area but my wife kind of dropped the bomb on that. She didn't want me paying the money just for that so I can make A School shorter.

Why'd I get married again? lol