This is a topic where we find many people on both sides of the fence. And for some reason, people get rather heated about it. I know, strange. So today, we are going to talk about the pros and cons, the rights and wrongs about having music in your ultrasound exam room. I can only give you opinions of my own and the opinions that I’ve heard from others. But what it truly comes down to is your hospital/clinics policy, and your opinion on the matter. Let’s dive in.
Pros of Music Playing
Having music playing in the background can have some positives on the exam as a whole.
- It can calm the patient’s nerves: This is an important one. I have worked with some sonographers and even some radiologists where they have played music while scanning or performing a procedure. What I have found through these experiences are that patient’s like to listen to music while getting an FNA or a breast biopsy done, because the music makes it feel like a less stressful exam.
Also, when performing breast ultrasound (a high stress environment), patient’s have spoken positively about the music playing in the room. Of course, in all these scenarios, the patient was asked before hand if they wanted to listen to music. One radiologist gave them the option to choose what we listened to. They found that cool.
2. It can help give positive vibes: A lot of patients that we scan can be in a bad mood for various reasons. Like, they are frustrated about whatever pain they have been having, maybe they are upset that they even had to come in the first place, maybe the patient disagrees with the ordering provider, or maybe they could be suffering because of other person reasons. Music can help alleviate bad attitudes and make people happier. Even if it is for just a short while. In fact, getting people out of a bad situation or a bad rut for a short period of time (like coming to see us) can help tremendously.
3. People don’t always want to talk: Some patients don’t want to sit there and chat with us and I get it. Some people are nervous and shy and some are just flat out introverts. We are strangers to them; they don’t know us personally. It can be awkward for patients to try and spark up a conversation when they don’t necessarily want to. Having music in the background helps that problem and makes it easier for them to maybe not feel like they have to fill the silent void.
4. Makes the silence less awkward for us: Some of us may feel like the vibe in the room is awkward at times. Maybe conversation is not jelling or working out like you wish it was. So instead of sitting in silence, music can help us too feel a bit less weird.
Cons of Music Playing
- Not every patient wants to jam out with you: Patients are here for things that could be causing them TONS of stress. And sometimes, having music in the background can induce even more stress because what they need may be a quiet environment.
2. Can be a distraction: This can be distracting and, in the end, can hurt you and the patient. This may seem strange, but this is mostly for new grads. As a new grad, you need to be focused on what you are doing and really pay attention to detail. You don’t want to miss anything and as a new grad, your chances of missing pathology are higher than of those who have been doing this for a while. As a new grad, I would recommend holding off on having in distractions in the room until you are more comfortable as a sonographer.
3. Can seem unprofessional: Music can come off as unprofessional, especially certain kinds of music. You don’t want to be playing anything with profanity or anything that would come off as inappropriate – we all know these songs…. Ahem WAP… *cough cough* Nothing against the song, but in the profession that we chose, it is not a good choice. I can’t imagine the majority of my patients approving of it either, ya know what I mean? If you are going to play music, keep it to something more along the lines, of country, classics, oldies, instrumental, etc. Anything that is on the safer side. As much as I am a huge metal fan, I save it for after work.
4. Can limit conversation: Songs can range in volume from one to another. So, if you are trying to have a convo with a patient and a loud song comes on, this will hinder that conversation. We obviously don’t want that. It’s best to keep the volume down as low as possible, so that no one is struggling to hear each other. Especially, if a radiologist comes in the room. I would maybe recommend turning the music off beforehand.
Conclusion
What this comes down to is a couple of things. One, check with your work’s policy. Not all places will allow music in the exam rooms. Two, ask yourself if this is something that would work for you and your patients in your work environment. Not only that but another factor to consider is if you work with other sonographers and use the same room. You would want to make sure that your co-workers would be ok with it, and everyone would have to agree on a genre as well.
I know all of this may seem silly, but there are some people who are really rather against it. Consider some of these pros and cons and make your own decision! Circumstances are always different. Music isn’t a bad thing to have in a room, but it can leave a bad taste in certain situations such as, fetal demises, etc. Just keep that in mind!