^ not even a sphygmomanometer?
You could, but in all honesty I've never seen a doctor carry one around given how accessible they are on wards and in clinic rooms. I don't own one myself.
To expand upon
@iStudent :
- Stethoscope: nearly everyone has a Littmann, and of that brand, I think new med students would be getting either the Littmann Classic III or the Littmann Cardiology IV (more pricey but better sound quality). I wouldn't be getting your child any stethoscope that doesn't have a 'turnable diaphragm' (ie. anything with 'Master' in the name). Get it from a place that offers free engraving, but please don't engrave "Dr" into the engraving either
- Neuro kit: worth getting early, at Monash we learn the peripheral neuro exams in first year. This kit can comprise of a lot or a little, but I'd suggest a tendon hammer (Queen square hammer variety, retractable might be easier to carry but is said to be worse by neurologists), 256 Hz and 512 Hz tuning forks, and a neuro pen torch. Everything else (Snellen eye charts, neurotips, ophthalmoscope, etc.) you can probably find on the wards or is probably over-kill to have as a first year.
- In terms of textbooks, I'd be sticking to Talley and O'Connor, get the latest edition as everyone else has it and I personally think it's an improvement on the previous edition. Wouldn't be jumping to other books until you know what med school your child is going to.
That sounds like a pretty good Christmas pressie to me!