Because I’ve worked as a nurse for the majority of my life, listening to music at work was not always an option. When I worked on Psych, at the beginning, I remember we kept a radio behind the desk and did have one of local stations on, depending on who was working. That was over twenty years ago. But typically, in a hospital setting when you walk onto any particular ward, you don’t hear music playing.
At one clinic job I had, I did play an online radio station from my computer but only when the doctor I shared the office with, wasn’t in the room.
The long term care facility I worked at did encourage music, in the dining room or common areas if the tv was off. They played music through an ipad connected to bluetooth speakers strategically placed. Because the residents were mostly over the age of 75, we tried to mostly play music from their generation, of all different genres.
Occasionally a staff person would change the station to hard rock or something newer and more alternative and I’d have to be the karen and say c’mon, they don’t like this, you do, and turn it down!
When I first read this prompt it took me immediately way back to when I was about nineteen and waitressing at a place called Mr Ribs. It was in that space of time between finishing high school and starting college, three or so years where I was just working and trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. If I remember right, the stereo system played CDs and of course I brought in my own when I was working so I could hear what I wanted.
There were two Savage Garden songs on repeat, as well as Rod Stewart’s Da Ya Think I’m Sexy and also some songs from The Full Monty soundtrack. I recall my boss really detesting my choice of music and berating me to turn it down and change the CD, more than once.
Currently I’m working as an Instructor at the college so in the classroom we don’t have music on. I imagine if there was ever a time when I wasn’t teaching and we had a work period or something like that, then either myself or one of the students might put some background music on, through a phone. I’d be okay with that.
In my office, which is actually just a cubicle, it wouldn’t be appropriate to play music, unless with ear buds in, as the space is shared with so many other people.
bloom.planted.north 
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