med supplies

[rsaran]

hey everyone
im in the process of getting my medical supplies for september, and i got a couple of qoutes for what is required on the booklist,
i got one qoute for 1700 cad, and another for about 1500 cad, however BIG has there supplies minus the stethoscope listed for 360 USD, am i missing something here y wud the prices between these three suppliers vary so much???
is anyone that purchased their supplies through the BIG dissatisfied with their products, or is it not up to par with what u need???
any help would be great
thanks

[skin_like_winter]

hopefully this is the appropriate place to drop this...it seems like it kind of runs along the same line the intial poster's question...

...ok, i'm sure it's probably been discussed AND answered on here...several times i'm sure...so I apologize in advance...but...i'm getting ready to place my order with BIG and need some imput. i already know the microscope is a total joke and just a ploy...but is getting the bigtime stethoscope too...is it worth splurging for the 160 one or should i just stick to the 60 dollar one? along the same lines...will the 145 dollar clinical equipment kit suffice or is the 360 dollar one really worth it...am i going to need the oto/opthalmascope that much? i know a ton of kids already on the island check these, so hopefully i can get some expert advice...we're talking about possibly saving about 300 some odd dollars here. thank you very very much!!!

[domdom]

As a student who just finished 5th semester Miami, my advice is NOT to buy the opthalmoscope/otoscope from BIG or the campus store. The product they are selling you is a very poor quality product that is way too overpriced. What they sell to you is good enough for ICM in 4th semester, however, you are not even allowed to attempt to use equipment of that quality for 5th semester ICM in Miami. Many students were very upset when they arrived in Miami and were told their equipment was a joke and it could not be used. You are better off spending the additional money upfront for a good quality Welch Allyn opthalmoscope/otoscope from allheart.com or another website. I spent $450 on a very good quality unit that will probably last me for a few years. Amazingly enough, using the good Welch Allyn opthalmoscope you can really see the arteries and optic disc everytime (and other things you are supposed to see) whereas I never once was able to see any arteries with the cheap product sold by BIG. You can also buy a nice stethescope from allheart.com but a Littman is a Littman no matter where you buy it from. My advice again, definitely purchase a Littman or other great brand and dont try to save money by purchasing a cheap no name brand cause in the end it will cost you more when you end up purchasing two and three stethescopes.

[singer]

Domdom:

My son currently doing clinicals had a Littman Stethescope but purchased the rest of the equipment from BIG and has had no complaints from anyone yet on the quality of his equipment.

[NaggingWife]

My husband also found ot the hard way about the opthalmoscope/otoscope he purchase from BIG. I guess the light is to brite on them. He couldnt see anything. He bought a great Welch Allyn set off of ebay when we got to Maimi. They are expensive but worth it in the end. They are something you will have forever if taken care of poperly. As far as the stethescope goes, to quote Domdom, a Littman is a Littman. We purchased the Littman Cardiology.

[fightintxaggie98]

If you go to www.welchallyn.com (http://www.welchallyn.com), you can get student discounts on their equipment by registering as a student.

[skin_like_winter]

first off, i just want to thank everyone for the prompt and immediate responses. i def appreciate it. my only other question(s) though is that do i need the stethoscope for 1st or 2nd sem at all .yet..or can i put that off till i get some FA checks comin my way? how about the clinical kit...i've gathered i should def invest in a better quality oto/optho than the one offered by BIG and that i won't need it for a couple of sems...but i do i need that basic clinical kit at all in 1st or 2nd sem...can anyone who's going through the new curriculum in particular comment on this? thanks!!!

[JPFL81]

don't buy anything from ebay at all. I thought I was getting a decent welch allyn otoscope/ophthalmoscope and it was a piece of ****.... just a bunch of lazy people selling crap they collect because they are too lazy to get off the computer and find a real job so they are desperate to sell anything... be aware, be safe, and just go to the welch allyn website and buy a good one there you know will last you

[NaggingWife]

don't buy anything from ebay at all. I thought I was getting a decent welch allyn otoscope/ophthalmoscope and it was a piece of ****.... just a bunch of lazy people selling crap they collect because they are too lazy to get off the computer and find a real job so they are desperate to sell anything... be aware, be safe, and just go to the welch allyn website and buy a good one there you know will last you

Im sorry that you had such a bad experience with Ebay. Everyone Im sure has their own opinion on it. Some people get screwed, some don't. I guess you just have to do a little more research on the product you are looking at and make sure you read the buyer feedback that is provided. We have had excellent luck with buying things, even purchasing a car. The Welch Allyn set we bought was brand new and well priced.

[alpathmd]

My mom bought me a fancy Littman III cardiology steth, cause she thought i'd need a good one...

So I had it during my days on the island and then thru the clinical rotations....
now...it's sitting in a box with the rest of my junk.....no use for it in a pathology residency...

[Dru]

My kid did great on EBay...got the microscope, got the opthalmascope and otoscope.

Amazon worked best for books.

[justdoit]

The first time I ever tried to purchase anything on e-bay....I got screwed. I didn't even receive the product and couldn't reach the person on the phone. I kept leaving messages on their machine and sending e-mails....and this person had great feed back. They had their on store and everything. Next thing you know the site that she sold from on e-bay mysteriously disappeared. Hmmm...guess I got scammed, but I know a lot of people that swear by it. It's buyer beware. I would definitely try it again one of these days (maybe).....there's a lot of great stuff on there. Just be very careful and take all the extra precautions that they offer.