We have compiled a review that will help you find the best penlight for nurses.
Besides, if you’re looking for one of the gifts to get your nurse friend, then this might just be the perfect guide for you!
1. CAVN Penlight with Pupil Gauge
This penlight comes with a Rose Gold or White color choices and comprises an aluminum alloy casing and an LED bulb. It features a 5cm ruler on its side for measurement of pupil dilation on patients.
Besides, the pen has a pocket clip to help keep it intact on your uniform. When you need to use the pen, push the button ON and OFF as you please.
Whether you are on shift at the nursing station, along the corridors, in the ward, or an ambulance, you will find the pen easy to carry.
Pros:
- Has a high light intensity
- Interchangeable lamps
- Concave head that protects bulb from contact with fluids and body
- Easy and convenient to carry
Cons:
- They do not come with batteries
- Produce very bright light, discomfort to patients
General customer reviews:
Customers gave the CAVN Penlight with Pupil Gauge a rating of 4.6 out of 5. Here are a few review extracts:
- “Purchased these for nursing school. Works amazing!” – Danielle Schmidt, USA
- “They are quite bright so useful when the lighting isn’t dark for assessing pupils reactivity.” – Bon, USA
- “Cute pen with good led light…” – Katherine E., USA
Price on Amazon: $8.99
2. FITA Medical Pen Light
This medical penlight boasts an aluminum alloy case ensuring no harm to patients during examinations. It features an ON/OFF button, a ruler, a pupil gauge chart, and replaceable batteries.
A metal clip helps fasten the penlight on your coat or uniform pocket.
Pros:
- Easy to use
- Lightweight and portable
- Made from harmless aluminum alloy
- Easily viewable printed gauge chart
Cons:
- Bulb too bright, unsuitable for checking patients’ eyes
- On/off buttons gets stuck at times
General customer reviews
On Amazon, customers gave this product a rating of 4.7 out of 5. See some of their reviews:
- “This product works very well and has an acceptable battery life and good brightness.” – Sydni, USA
- “A clip to clip on your scrub pockets or wherever you want to clip it.” – Kristi, USA
- “…a good size to carry in my bag for when I might need light.” – L. Willis, USA
Price on Amazon: $8.99
3. RISEMART Nurse LED Medical Penlight
This pen comes with an attractive design comprising a black and silver frosted finish. It has a concave head with interchangeable lamps.
To interchange the bulbs, you first unscrew the holder, replace the light and screw it back. You will find the penlight most useful for eye, nose, and throat assessments.
Pros:
- Comfortable in your hands
- Elastic rubber switch that prevents accidental lighting up while in your pocket
- Concave head protects bulb breakage
- Has two light options for eye and ENT checkup
Cons:
- Not ideal for an eye checkup
- The bulbs do short out quickly
General customer reviews
On Amazon, customers gave this product a rating of 4.7 out of 5. Here are some extracts of their reviews:
- “…I assure you that this will be the last set of diagnostic pen lights you’ll need for a while.” Ray A, USA
- “Warm light for eye inspections and the bright light for everything else.” – Jerry S., USA
- “…Bright, useful even outside medical use, pretty solid battery life, respectable pricing.” – Yang, Canada
“My Daughter has plenty of uses for one as well, as she has two young daughters. The penlight is great for checking their ears and throats, particularly during the cold and flu season.” – Neil, Australia
Price on Amazon: $13.98
4. Weltool M6-Dr Diagnostic Medical Penlight
This high-grade medical assessment device features a grippy texture that helps prevent the pen from slipping through your fingers. Also, the penlight has a waterproof aluminum alloy casing that enhances durability.
A white LED light produces a soft, even beam that covers the area of focus, eliminating the need for adjusting the penlight during an examination.
Pros:
- Yields soft light that does not disturb a patient’s vision
- No dark spots, glare, or uneven lighting
- Has a steel clip to fasten on a shirt, pants pocket, or notebook
- Waterproof casing
Cons:
- It produces a wide beam that does not focus on the eye pupil
- Steel clip breaks after a while
General Customer Reviews
The product has a star rating of 4.7 out of 5 on Amazon. We picked a few reviews. Read them below:
- “The pen feels lighter than it looks, but the aircraft grade aluminum is very good so the pen should last a long time.” – Mrs. Piglet, UK
- “It’s super well made (rugged without being too bulky) making it suitable for use in a doctors office/hospital setting or for field EMS work (my intended use) and feels great in the hand.” – Siacali, USA
- “This penlight is built heavy duty and can withstand the daily drops while on the job.” – Hunter Roberts, USA
Price on Amazon: $19.99
5. Prestige Medical Soft LED Penlight
This penlight boasts a metal construction that makes it durable and a push button. Other features include a measurement tool and a pupil gauge imprinted on the side.
The Prestige Medical Soft LED penlight’s soft light illumination is excellent for eye dilation tests. and if you love colors, good for you as the device comes with five color options.
Pros:
- Aesthetically beautiful
- Good light intensity
Cons:
- Has a plastic clip that can break easily
- General customer reviews:
Star ratings on Amazon, 4.2 out of 5
- “The light has good intensity and works well, besides it is very beautiful, Just as in the photo!” (translated from Spanish) – Natalia D., Mexico
Price on Amazon: $8.50
6. Opoway Nurse Penlight
This penlight features an ON/OFF push button with a ceramic red aluminum alloy casing giving the device a sleek look. It also comes with a pupil dilation gauge which is helpful for practice when you are still learning.
The penlight is compact and easy to fit in your pocket. Besides, it has a metal clip for a tight fit on your scrub pockets.
Pros:
- Has an on/off push button
- Bulb has a 3000-hour life
- Metal clip for easy fit on the scrub pocket
Cons:
- Large and bulky
- It produces dim light
General customer reviews:
On Amazon, customers gave this product a star rating of 4.6 out of 5. Here are some reviews:
- “Nice and sturdy penlight that outshines the competition.” – John, USA
- “Pupils tell you a lot and this is an item I now see as important as a stethoscope in my assessments.” – Jackye, USA
- “Works great and I’m very happy that I can replace the batteries so I’m not constantly throwing away pen lights.” – Jessica, USA
Price on Amazon: $6.99
7. Aokin Medical Penlight
This tool comes with a push ON/OFF button and features a premium aluminum alloy casing. It has a 5cm ruler and a pupil gauge on the side.
Pros:
- It is lightweight
- Convenient for use in a hospital set up
Cons:
- Pocket clip comes off easily
General customer reviews:
The product has a star rating of 4.6 out of 5 on Amazon. Find a few customer reviews below:
- “Cute! Loved it. I haven’t used it yet so not sure how long it’ll last but we shall see! So far so good!” – KMH, USA
- “It’s durable and I like the weight of the metal compared to plastic pen lights…” – Lisa, USA
- “Works perfectly!!” – TMM, USA
Price on Amazon: $5.79
8. Tribe RN Nursing Penlight
This Tribe RN Nursing penlight consists of a pack with two devices, each with interchangeable bulbs. One pen has a soft light ideal for eye pupil tests, while the second comprises a bright light for ENT assessments.
Tribe RN Nursing Penlight has an aluminum alloy case, an aspect that enhances the penlight’s longevity. What is more, you have a choice of three-color schemes gold/silver, pink/purple, and black/mint.
Pros:
- It is durable
- Comes with a lifetime guarantee
- It has a sunken bulb that cushions it from breakage when dropped by accident
- Comes with replacement LED bulbs
Cons:
- Pocket clip comes off easily
General customer reviews:
Customers on Amazon gave this product a rating of 4.8 out of 5. Sample some of their comments below:
- “I like that it comes with the warm light option (which I prefer).” – Matt Altman, USA
- “The light at the bottom is sunken in so it will not be the first thing to connect with the ground when you drop it.” – Monique Ball, USA
Price on Amazon: $15.97
Penlights – A Sneak Peek
There you are, with eight product reviews to help you find the best penlight for nurses. At this juncture, you probably have a question. Why would a penlight be useful for nursing professionals? A penlight helps in assessing a patient’s pupil diameter.
Light stimulation on the pupil triggers two things:
- Pupillary contraction
- Change of size
From your nursing training, you must have covered pupillometry, i.e., the assessment of pupil size and its reactivity to light stimulation. To jog your memory, not again, here’s how it helps:
- Early disease diagnosis
- Disease severity assessment
- Development of a strategy for nursing care and treatment
- Predict disease outcomes
- Recognition memory
Light stimulation causes a pupil to contract in what medicine refers to as the pupil reflex. A penlight is what provides you with the much-needed light…the pun is intended…for assessment of the pupil diameter.
Your eye pupils constrict asymmetrically. One pupil will constrict slowly, while the other may respond much quicker. Penlights for nurses, like the ones we just reviewed above, have a measurement ruler whose role is to measure the pupil diameter.
If you just joined NURSING SCHOOL, you may not have covered this yet. As a senior student, you are already nodding your head and pulling off a familiar smile.
A Helpful Resource for Nursing Students
Nursing is a noble career entailing service to humanity. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) forecasts a shortage of Registered Nurses in the U.S.
Similarly, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 9% growth in registered nurses’ employment between 2020 and 2030. As you can see, there is a SHORTAGE of NURSES meaning the profession has a high employability rate.
Before you qualify to become a Registered Nurse, you must go through nursing school. Being a nursing student is not easy, and many people struggle.
Think of all the resources you must tackle…, and these are just but a few examples:
- Attending lectures
- Taking notes
- Participating in group discussions
- Tackling assigned readings
- Exams
- Med quizzes
- Clinical paperwork
As the list piles up, you start feeling like…” this is not my calling, perhaps I should quit.” Suddenly life becomes complicated.
Meanwhile, your grades start to drop…you feel like Nursing School is a waste of time. But guess what? You are not on your OWN. Someone went through the same journey, became frustrated, and QUIT.
Did you say QUIT? Must you QUIT too? With too many of your peers calling it a DAY, quitting may seem like the easy way out. Fortunately, you have a WAY out of the impending frustration. Have you heard of nursing.com/?
Jon Haws founded nursing.com/ in 2018, then referred to as NRSNG.com. Like you, Jon was a nursing student, too, who underwent all manner of difficulties to become a nurse.
It would be best if you read about his experience. So, in 2020 NRSNG.com became nursing.com/. Jon envisioned having an online learning platform where nursing students would find helpful resources.
Supplementary Resources
Our website provides supplementary resources to help you ace nursing school. Among the lessons you will find include:
- Nursing Care Plans
- Preload & Afterload
- Medication Prefixes & Suffixes
- Lung Sounds
- Heart Sounds
- The EKG Graph
The list is not in any order, but we have noticed that these lessons are the most popular among visitors to our website.
Another thing…, the site has a highly informative blog page. Some of the content is utterly hilarious, and there is serious stuff too. Watch the video on “How Hard is Nursing School…Really?”
Check out the “How to find the RIGHT Nursing School for YOU (2020)” video that is also on YouTube. You will get valuable insights on choosing a school that will help further your NURSING dream.
nursing.com/ is an educational website that focuses on assisting nursing students in passing their tests. Besides, the resources you will find here will help you improve your grades. We provide videos on all topics in the nursing school curriculum.
Nothing is as good as having someone who has gone through a similar experience guiding you on the same. Our founder, alongside a team of other qualified nurses, has committed their time to find content on all areas where students face challenges.
Testimonies to Encourage You
On the website, you will find real-life testimonies of people who faced hardship just like you. Some quit and came back to finish what they started. Take our founder Jon for instance. In his own words Jon, states how he joined when his wife was seven months pregnant. He had no money and ended up graduating with over $60,000 in debt.
Susan was also married at the time she joined Nursing school. Attending school was hard as she had no job. But it was not the job or financial constraints that pushed her to the edge. The concepts she was learning overwhelmed her.
What is more, course instructors kept on assigning mountains of work. The most discouraging part was not finding answers to questions asked in exams, yet they lay in the information provided.
Kati joined pre-nursing school at age 19 and was in a relationship. Since she was also playing basketball, balancing sports and academics soon became an uphill task. In the end, Kati quit the sport to focus on her studies entirely. Sadly, she also broke up with her partner but later reconnected and got married.
Nursing School FAQs
We cannot wind up this post without mentioning something about the common questions people ask. Thankfully, nursing.com/ lists them so well in a highlighted font. You cannot miss this part. We encourage you to start your site visit here.
