The stethoscope can be one of the most essential tools in your medical supply arsenal. Yet doctors and other health practitioners routinely ignore the significance of this durable tool. In fact, the stethoscope alone has saved hundreds of thousands of lives in its short history.
What's important to realize here is that new technologies do not necessarily make for better care. Today's medical equipment comes with far more bells and whistles than the equipment of 40 years ago. But excellent health-care always boils down to the human element.
Advances in Stethoscope Technology
This is not to say that the remarkable tools available to the physician of the 21st century should be ignored. To the contrary -- electrosurgical advances and innovations like the fetal doppler have engendered a new confidence in doctors. And that confidence will pave the way for more efficient diagnoses and treatment programs.
In the end, you'll want to combine old-fashioned know-how and empathy with the amazing technologies of the modern era. Prepare yourself for some heady confusion in the years to come -- this territory has no roadmap! Stay true to your calling and your personal ethic and you will no doubt earn respect and save lives.