Thursday, June 10, 2010

The Stethoscope is NOT an Accessory!

Let me say it again in case anyone missed it:

The stethoscope is NOT an Accessory!

Though I applaud your excitement at becoming a doctor and understand that you have oh-such-strong-urges to let the world know that you are on the path to enlightenment practicing medicine, if you are walking from your home to your clinical exam DO NOT WEAR YOUR STETHOSCOPE AROUND YOUR NECK. You have hands. Carry it in your hands. Or purses. Just don't wear it like a necklace.

*Facepalm*

If I hadn't just witnessed several of you doing it I wouldn't have felt obligated to rant about it.


Example of when it is okay to wear it: when you are seeing patients.

8 comments:

RH said...

What if I hang my giant Flava Flav clock from it? Is it an accessory then?

:)

Bostonian in NY said...

I know a resident that would "accidentally" wear his steth (and sometimes scrubs too) into the grocery store to try and pick up the ladies...never asked if it worked.

Grumpy, M.D. said...

I'm a neurologist. What's a stethoscope?

EMT GFP said...

Even on the ambulance I almost never wear a stethoscope around my neck, as an accessory or as a tool. For us, its a hazard and personally, I don't want an angry patient grabbing it to get me close or to try to strangle me.

Besides, it has germs on it! :)

Albinoblackbear said...

RH--Ok then it is not only permissible, it is awesome.

Then you could easily check BP and resps too right?

BINY--Dear LORD. Is he that desperate? I thought you boy doctors had women throwing themselves at you?

Grump--Heh. Indeed.

EMT--Ewwww! I know! Dirty and grosssss.

Whenever I see people with the cloth covers I completely shudder at the grossness of it all (unless they are anal and washing it q shift but you *know* that 99% aren't). I am borderline OCD and usually scrub mine down with the vioxx wipes.

ulyssesthedog said...

i hear ya on that one! i would say the same goes for 1st and 2nd years and their short white coats outside of clinical practical exams.

and the thing about the guy in the supermarket w/ his full bunny suit? I believe it! sad, isn't it? a woman doctor in scrubs would 1) be mistaken for a nurse, 2) avoided by some men for fear she -gasp- made more money than them or was smarter.

thanks for the post!!!

MRS said...

Hi! I stumbled upon your blog using the "next blog" function. In any event, i work at a hospital and cannot agree more. Ditto with the surgical head coverings and booties. Why oh why cannot people take off their booties while walking down a New York street?

Anonymous said...

A stethoscope is a necessary tool my first aid tool is incomplete without it