As nurses move through their work’s motions, tasks, and interactions, something about what they do and how they do it is inherently musical. In some moments, nursing might seem symphonic and melodic; at other times, it might feel funky, punk rock, or even electronic. No matter how we examine it, the musicality of nursing and healthcare is undeniable if you look closely enough.

Solo or Ensemble? 

Musicians may sometimes play solo but often perform, record, and collaborate with others. Some nurses work alone, others work in concert with multiple other players, and many nurses might toggle between the two.

In my current role in a travel medicine clinic, I run the entire show in one of my employer’s little two-room satellite offices. Clients come in for various vaccines, such as yellow fever or typhoid, malaria medicine, and travel health advice, but I work alone in the office all day.

Meanwhile, a busy ICU or emergency department nurse works with many interdisciplinary colleagues. While a small ICU might not have dozens of staff members, enough people are working together that it could feel like a big band.

In a large surgical suite where multiple complex operations are simultaneously performed throughout a given shift by teams of various sizes, it could feel like a symphony due to the amount of collaboration and coordination it takes to keep things running like a well-tuned, disciplined orchestra.

If you think this way about any healthcare-related workplace where you’ve been employed, you’ll immediately recognize how any environment can fit with a musical metaphor. Have you had more solo or ensemble work experiences? Have you been a member of what could be compared to a big band, an orchestra, a quintet, a quartet, or a trio? Every workplace is different, and how we play together says a lot about the efficiency and effectiveness of the work being done by groups of dedicated and skilled healthcare professionals.

Funk, Punk, Jazz, or Disco? 

As mentioned, the operating suite can feel like a symphony orchestra playing pieces written for dozens of players. The compositions can be intricate and complex, and getting them right takes a lot of practice.

For teams who practice street medicine, providing care to the homeless and indigent in alleyways, shelters, street corners, and sidewalks, the day’s work might feel as abrasive as punk rock or sometimes more mellow and sad like the blues.

When nurses are employed performing informatics-related tasks, we can imagine their workplaces and the work they do reflecting electronic music produced by synthesizers, drum machines, and other digital technologies.

For school nurses, looking after hundreds of noisy schoolchildren in a chaotic school environment might feel as loud and brash as a marching band or the music performed at a three-ring circus.

Meanwhile, for the self-employed nurse entrepreneur who works from home or sits with a laptop in a neighborhood cafe or library, their music can likely be whatever they want.

The music of nursing is varied, and there are likely many workplaces where the musicality of the environment may change drastically throughout a nurse’s shift. It’s all fair game and probably sometimes surprising, but always fascinating in terms of the human drama that’s constantly unfolding.

What’s Your Music? 

Many of us have personal soundtracks that run in the background of our minds: the music of our adolescence, commercial jingles remembered from childhood, and the music that we actively listen to as adults. Still, those personal soundtracks may differ wildly from the musicality of our work and workplaces.

The next time you’re at work, consider what music you and your colleagues may be playing in the context of the care you provide to your patients. And if you’re in an environment where no direct patient care occurs, your music may differ from your colleagues on the clinical front lines, but no less evident.

The music of nursing is as varied as the people, tasks, services, patients, and work environments we encounter. But no matter what, each of these scenarios has its music, and it’s up to you to determine what that music is, how it fits with who you are, and if you enjoy making the music your work produces.

And if you aren’t happy, or your musical tastes and preferences have changed, you’re free to find new ensembles to play with to feel more in tune with your personal and professional needs

and desires. After all, if work is a necessary part of life, we could make music that fits the spirit of who we are as people and who we strive to be as nurses doing good work in the world.

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