I ’m retiring my first stethoscope

I retired my first stethoscope today. I bought my Littmann Cardiology III during my first term of medical school in 1999. It came with a penlight, otoscope, ophthalmoscope, manual blood pressure cuff, tuning forks and reflex hammer, all contained within a traditional black leather physician’s bag with my initials in gold. Receiving your medical student diagnostic kit is one of the rites of passage for all of us who enter this profession. I still own all of these items. Most are in that same black leather bag on a shelf in my office. But it was my stethoscope that I have used most often since then, well, until today. That stethoscope was with me in the Caribbean where I placed it on the bodies of mock and real patients. I listened to patients with dengue fever, Jamaican vomiting sickness, as well as diabetes and heart disease. I almost lost it on a bus outside of Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. An old man with hardly any teeth ran after me when it fell from my white coat on the seat beside him. I was so appreciative; I gave him a hug and bus fare. Continue reading ... Your patients are rating you online: How to respond. Manage your online reputation: A social media guide. Find out how.
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Physician Allergies & Immunology Cardiology Source Type: blogs