The five tools..

Relatives practitioners often use otoscopes & ophthalmoscopes to check the ears & eyes, & that tiny patella hammer is still used to check that famous knee-jerk reaction, but plenty of doctors have not used these instruments since early residency in hospitals.

Looking through a first aid kit, or even a child's "doctor set," you might think you know what doctors use on a daily basis. You will find Neosporin, Band Aids, Tape, & maybe even Aspirin. What you might be surprised about though is how off those kits are. Nurses, not doctors, use most of those items; plenty of of doctor's essential tools cannot be carried in an 1800's-style tiny town midwife bag.

While a specialist's tools are very diverse, ranging from MRI machines, to surgical tools, some common doctors tools are basically those machines you find in any hospital room.

Any reputable doctors office or first aid center will surely have an AED machine. Also called an Automated External Defibrillator, these machines are used to get the blood flowing in the event of a heart attack; they are also the alternative choice to CPR.

Another common tool in hospitals is the EKG machine. If you have ever stayed an extended period of time, you were probably hooked up to two of these machines. Over a definite period of time, these machines record the activity of the heart, & measure for an abnormalities or weaknesses in the heart's rhythm.

In hospitals, you are likely to see hundreds of patient monitors. These machines monitor patient's vital signs & emit audio warnings when something changes for the worst. These monitors are used during surgeries, recovery & in any trauma situations.

Much to your surprise, the blood pressure monitor is & a very valuable tool for a doctor. Two of the first indicators of problems can be a drop or rise in blood pressure, & these monitors give the doctors ample warning time to correct the situation before anything detrimental occurs.

Two of the few tools that you will find in your childhood doctor's kit that is actually accurate is a stethoscope. Doctors & nurses use these on a daily basis to accurately measure the patient's pulse. While it is possible to feel a pulse without a stethoscope, the technology of this tool is still very valuable to doctors, nurses, & your child's play-acting.