"There's No Gangsta Rap in my O.R."

Music in the operating room setting is important, I believe. There can be difficulties prioritizing who listens to what as this piece from the NYT demonstrates. But the priority for who gets to listen to what goes in this order in our lab:

1) the patient (they ALWAYS get priority)
2) the attending
3) the nurses and technicians
4) residents (senior residents supercede junior ones)
5) medical students

So patients are encouraged to bring their own music with them and we play their selection until their either asleep, or drugged enough to not care, then the other priority regimen kicks in. It works well this way.

Oh, and one other song we NEVER play in our EP Lab: Eric Clapton's "Stairway to Heaven."

--Wes