Clinical Practice of Medicine

My name is Dr. Andrew Symons. I am a family physician and director of the Foundations of Patient-Centered Care course (FPCC). This course introduces you to interviewing and examining patients.

Since you will be learning and practicing physical exam skills in the first semester, you will need some medical equipment right from the start. Below is a list of equipment. The only two pieces of equipment you will need in the first semester are the stethoscope and blood pressure cuff (sphygmomanometer). You will need access to an otoscope and ophthalmoscope later in the year.

Students often ask whether they need to purchase equipment or if equipment will be available at school or in clinical settings. Everyone certainly needs to own their own stethoscope. Although our clinical practice rooms have a blood pressure cuff mounted on the wall, there are not enough to allow everyone adequate access for practice. If you do not have access to a blood pressure cuff in seminar, you will be considered unprepared. You will also want to practice measuring blood pressure at home. Not all clinical sites will have readily accessible blood pressure cuffs. So, please purchase a blood pressure cuff.

Although ophthalmoscopes and otoscopes are available on the wall console in our practice rooms, and in many clinical settings, there are times when they are not. For instance, they are usually not present in hospital rooms. In addition, owning your own equipment also affords you more opportunity to practice your skills at school and at home. There will be several times during the second and third semesters when we will ask you to bring in an ophthalmoscope and otoscope to practice those skills on each other. Once again, if you do not have access to an ophthalmoscope and otoscope for these sessions, you will be considered unprepared. Owning your own complete set of diagnostic equipment will serve you well throughout your four years of medical school and into residency. I realize these are costly, but they are worth the investment. I feel it is sort of a “rite of passage” of becoming a doctor. 

In summary, you certainly need to purchase your own stethoscope and blood pressure cuff. You will be expected to buy/have access to the other diagnostic equipment during FPCC and throughout your four years of medical school, and I highly recommend you purchase equipment. 

Students often want some guidance as to how and where to obtain the equipment. I am sure that some of you may be receiving gifts of equipment from friends and family. Some of you may also decide to start shopping for your equipment before coming to school, either at stores or on-line. That is fine, as long as the equipment is of reasonable quality. For instance, you won’t go wrong if you choose name brands such as Littman or Welch Allyn. Please be sure to purchase equipment of ‘diagnostic’ quality, as opposed to, for instance, a stethoscope intended just for obtaining vital signs.  The list below has some examples of equipment.

You may also choose to purchase equipment through the University Medical Book Store or other local surgical supply stores. Some students choose to purchase their equipment from Cara Medical, one of the local supply stores. Their order form is in Brightspace. If you choose to purchase from Cara Medical, make sure your order forms are submitted by July 19.    

Whichever way you decide to go about getting equipment, please make sure to have the stethoscope and blood pressure cuff with you in class on August 27 (for the session where we start to teach you to obtain vitals).

You are embarking on an exciting journey. We look forward to introducing you to the world of clinical medicine.

Sincerely,

Andrew Symons MD, FAAFP
Professor and Vice Chair for Medical Student Education
Department of Family Medicine

Consider the Welch Allyn DS66 Trigger Aneroid with cuff (I like the trigger deflation one-hand operation, but you can also get the standard screw-valve deflation: DuraShock)

They are often packaged in a set which includes pediatric, regular adult, and large adult cuff sizes (more money than buying just the normal-size adult cuff, but you might as well have all the cuff sizes).

Consider 3M Litmann Cardiology IV or Welch Allyn Tycos Harvey Elite

These are usually purchased together as a “diagnostic kit” like the Welch Allyn 97200-MSL

Although the “pocket-sized” otoscopes (ears) are handy, my experience has been that the “pocket-sized” ophthalmoscopes (eyes) are very hard to use well. I would get the full-sized equipment and consider a pocket-sized otoscope as an added purchase at some later date. Keep in mind that even the “full-sized” equipment fits in the pocket of a white coat.

• Reflex hammer
• Tuning fork, 128 Hertz
• Measuring tape
• Handheld eye charts