For me, there’s one simple truth in life: Music makes life better. Whether it’s music to chill, energize, get your feet moving or your hips shaking or to help you focus, as a lifelong musician, it is impossible — and scary, actually — to imagine life without music.
I listen to music while pretty much doing anything. When it’s writing, my choice of tunes is almost entirely instrumental. When it’s cooking, I opt for something that turns the kitchen into a dance hall, and when staring out the window, I play works by artists who inspire and fire me up.
It’s exciting to know that many surgeons also listen to music while they work in the OR, and it led me to think about the surgery process and timeline.
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As an artist, I approach projects in three segments: preparation, procedure and celebration. I imagine many other professions might go about their work the same way. After talking to a few doctor friends, I realized a surgeon might follow a similar path when performing a procedure: getting in the right mindset while putting the patient in a calm space as well, staying focused to concentrate without distraction, and then shakin’ a tailfeather when finished.
With that structure in mind, I’ve curated three playlists for orthopedic surgeons. In the first segment, the goal is to calm and center oneself while letting go of distractions. In the second part, the objective is to become laser-focused on work, keeping all distractions at bay while holding attention on achieving a goal. And finally, in the last section, the idea is to take stock of the work and celebrate the achievement.
Medical Bag has launched a Spotify channel that will feature a growing library of curated playlists. The playlists — Orthopedic Surgery Chill, Orthopedic Surgery Focus and Orthopedic Surgery Energize — can be played alone or together as a set, depending on the length of a procedure and the physician’s mood. This last of the three playlists could also be an offering of songs to inspire a patient’s speedy recovery with hopes of getting them groovin’ as soon as possible.
I hope you enjoy the music curated here and find it helpful. I’d love to know what music you listen to while working, so please send any favorites, suggestions or playlists to [email protected].
—Jack Sonni, writer, musician and food lover, known as the “other guitar player” in Dire Straits
