I am sure you must have bought some material in the start of your college for practicals. But now we are in clinical years and going to clinical postings so we need to buy a few more stuff.
There are a few things that are necessary and a few things that are optional.
I will tell you a few must-have things first and then I will show you some optional things too.
MUST HAVE THINGS
1. Torch
Torch is a must-have thing in your medical college. You need to have it for examination of the Eyes, Nose, Ears, and Oral cavity.
There are 3 types that students use. I use a simple torch but I will give you links for all 3 types,
2. Tuning fork
Tuning forks are used for the examination of Ear and Nerves. It is advised to buy 3 Tuning forks – 128 Hz, 256 Hz, and 512 Hz. 128 is used for Neurological examination and the others are used for ear examination.
You can buy them individually or you can get a set of the three. Set of Tuning forks as well as a hammer is also available and it is advised to buy that to save money.
3. Reflex Hammer
Hammer is a must-have item for Neurological examination. Buying a reflex hammer has become a little confusing than before. This is because of the variety of hammers available in the market. Before telling you which hammer to buy, I have to introduce you to different hammers. In the market there are mainly three types of hammers you can get – Taylor Reflex Hammer, Queen square hammer, and Tromner reflex hammer.
On the left is the Taylor/ tomahawk tendon hammer. Along the top are queens square/ Babinski hammers, one metal one white plastic handled. Below them is a Wartenberg wheel. The last one is a Trömner hammer, it’s been dissembled to show a brush concealed in the handle and the pinprick tester hidden in the top.
I would recommend buying a Taylor reflex hammer than anything else. The Queen square hammer is recommended if you take up Medicine at the Post-graduate level.
This hammer comes with a sharpened end that gives the feature of a needle that can be used to elicit other reflexes like Babinski’s reflex.
4. Instrument to measure length
If you don’t have an instrument to measure the length during an examination, you can assume that you are going to fail it. Measuring can be measuring the diameter of a lump, length of a liver(on abdominal examination), head circumference of the baby.
You can measure everything using a measuring tape. But measuring the diameter of the lump can be difficult. It is not impossible, you need two cardboard and ask the patient to hold one cardboard and you can measure the distance between the two. The other method is to use a vernier caliper.
5. Stethoscope
This is the coolest equipment that you keep in your posting. But be aware it is not a toy. So u need to buy a good stethoscope for your postings. You may get a chance to hear a murmur. I have heard murmur two times till now. Below is the stethoscope I use. It is not expensive and works perfectly.
