Our Best Stethoscopes for Nurses

“Nursing” covers a pretty wide range of professional specialties, from nursing aides to LPNs, and RNs with varying levels of educational requirements and clinical demands. With so much professional diversity, finding the right stethoscope for the job can be a daunting challenge.

We recommend you start your search by choosing the ADC Adscope brand. Our line offers more than a dozen distinct professional models with hundreds of model options. All professional models share some important features:

• All are backed by our Lifetime Warranty, which includes Free Parts Forever.
• All feature binaurals fixed at a 15° angle to maximize comfort and acoustic seal.
• All are built with Adsoft Plus snap-on silicone eartips for wearing comfort and acoustic seal.
• All are manufactured without phthalates or natural rubber latex.
• All are individually acoustic tested in the USA to ensure a reliable aural pathway – something no other major manufacturer does.
• And nearly all are assembled, inspected and packaged in the USA.

But which model to choose? Below are some variables to consider.

How will you be using your stethoscope?

Blood Pressure Measurement

If you’ll be using your scope mostly for blood pressure measurement, we suggest:

• The all-new Adscope Lite 619 ultra-lightweight clinician
• The Adscope 603 stainless steel clinician, our most popular acoustic scope
• The Adscope 612 Platinum Clinician with a sculpted, single-sided chestpiece

These scopes range in price from about $33 to $66. And that’s MSRP, so you’ll likely find them offered for a bit less. (If that’s more than your budget allows, check out our Adscope 641 line, featuring the venerable Sprague design and a retail price around $21.)

Monitoring and Assessment

If you’ll be using your scope for a wider range of monitoring and assessment, but don’t have a top-of-the-line budget, consider:

• The Adscope 603 stainless steel clinician, our most popular acoustic scope
• The Adscope 612 Platinum Clinician, with a sculpted, single-sided chestpiece
• The versatile Adscope 608 Convertible, which goes from a bell and diaphragm to an adult/pediatric configuration in seconds
• The Adscope 615 Platinum Clinician with, an oversized, sculpted, single-sided chestpiece

Ranging in price from about $66 to $85, all four offer outstanding performance, relatively lightweight design, and unmatched affordability.

Diagnosis

If you will be making diagnoses and have a bit more to spend, consider stepping up to our Cardiology Series. 

• The Adscope 606 Ultra-Lite Cardiology is the lightest weight cardiology scope on the market – a mere 130 grams – and weights less than most of our clinician models. And, at $99.99 it’s a relative steal.  
• The Adscope 601 Convertible Cardiology has a bit more heft, along with a chestpiece that goes from a bell and diaphragm to an adult/pediatric configuration in seconds. Or consider the Adscope 600 Platinum Cardiology with its sculpted, single-sided chestpiece for exceptional sound. With MSRPs under $150 and a lifetime warranty to back up the investment, they’re two of the best acoustic scopes money can buy.
• If you need even more muscle, consider the Adscope 658 Electronic stethoscope. The 658 offers a noise-filtering contact microphone that amplifies sounds up to 18X (24dB).