Listening to music while working?

[SimtheBull]

Hey guys,

I'm a MS1 and I'm pretty interested in Pathology.

One thing I was wondering...Do you guys listen to music while working??? Or do you find it too hard to concentrate?

Thanks

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[stainedglass]

I listen to earphones when I preview. If I don't, I get distracted by all the conversations going on around me and don't get any work done. I also rock out pretty hard in the gross room.

 

[pathstudent]

I think listening to headphones at work is unprofessional and find it very annoying when I have to try to get a resident's attention who is listening to music. I mean the histotechs and workers in the gross room could say the same thing about needing to concentrate when accessioning specimens but how annoying would that be if you needed them to make more cassettes for you case but you had to visually get their attention to notice you.

I guess it is just the nature of kids today and also the introvertedness of people drawn to pathology who prefer to be lost in their head.

 

[2121115]

Headphones are probably not appropriate for work. However, having music playing during work is perfectly fine and we do it all the time. In the gross room and in the resident room. You would even be hard pressed to walk into an OR that doesn't have some sort of music playing. In the future, as an attending signing out alone in my office I intend to have music going.

Like pathstudent said though, headphones put you in isolation and take away from a general collegial work environment.

 

[yaah]

It doesn't bother me when someone else wants it on - I can tune it out if need be. I occasionally listen to things, usually when I am slogging through things that don't require intense thought.

I don't think headphones are unprofessional, in most circumstances.

 

[mlw03]

i too often have headphones on when i preview to keep outside conversation from distracting me. haven't had an attending complain yet, and i know people have a hard time getting my attention when i have them on. you guys are right that headphones isolate you, and that's how i like it. i also like it when the gross room has music on, and when our autopsy tech puts on the radio.

 

[sohsie]

I think listening to headphones at work is unprofessional and find it very annoying when I have to try to get a resident's attention who is listening to music. I mean the histotechs and workers in the gross room could say the same thing about needing to concentrate when accessioning specimens but how annoying would that be if you needed them to make more cassettes for you case but you had to visually get their attention to notice you.

I guess it is just the nature of kids today and also the introvertedness of people drawn to pathology who prefer to be lost in their head.

Who exactly are you to judge a resident unprofessional? Are you an attending? This isn't the military. If a resident is working on their own, they are not required to snap at attention just because you pass by. If you want someone's attention, knock on their door or tap them on the shoulder.

Just the opposite, wearing headphones is very considerate of others who may not want to hear it. (Disclaimer: I do not wear headphones or listen to music at work, but that is my choice)

What is really unprofessional (but happens all the time in medicine) is when an attending has some skewed view of what is and isn't professional and then proceeds to judge others based their own, made up standard.

 

[green mantis]

I don't know about wearing headphones being unprofessional, but it could be inappropriate at times. Since pathology is a customer service-oriented specialty, I'm not sure what other physicians would make of it if they came buy looking for a report & saw you at your desk w/ your headphones on.

At my residency, there were residents who either listened to their MP3 players or to music on their computers w/ their headphones. I never heard of it being a problem. We had music on in the grossing room, but it couldn't be too loud otherwise it would get picked up by the dictation microphones. (We got some complaints from the transcriptionists.)


----- Antony

 

[DrBloodmoney]

This isn't the military

Hey, hey now.

At our (military) residency, most of the residents preview and read with their headphones on. I usually have music playing all day in my office. Not unprofessional and no one cares as long as your work gets done.

 

[HbyHA]

i too often have headphones on when i preview to keep outside conversation from distracting me. haven't had an attending complain yet, and i know people have a hard time getting my attention when i have them on. you guys are right that headphones isolate you, and that's how i like it. i also like it when the gross room has music on, and when our autopsy tech puts on the radio.

our residents listen to music via headphones all the time when in our large common sign out area to keep the distraction down.

it's so sad to hear that we are being unprofessional. LAME.

 

[mlw03]

i can't imagine anyone will change their routines based on comments here... i don't plan to. when faculty that i know and respect tell me to my face that listening to headphones while previewing is unprofessional, then i'll stop.

the original question was whether or not people listen to music while they work, and i think we've provided him/her an answer. i don't see any value in turning this into one of the many silly arguments that happen here in cyberworld.

 

[GeoLeoX]

Hey, hey now.

At our (military) residency, most of the residents preview and read with their headphones on. I usually have music playing all day in my office. Not unprofessional and no one cares as long as your work gets done.

Amen, bro. My office rocks!

 

[pathstudent]

i can't imagine anyone will change their routines based on comments here... i don't plan to. when faculty that i know and respect tell me to my face that listening to headphones while previewing is unprofessional, then i'll stop.

.

When you see faculty you respect walking around with headphones on, then you should start.

 

[SimtheBull]

Thanks for your answers guys. I used to listen to music on my iPod all the time when I was in front of the scope in undergrad. One thing is that I don't like to listen to mainstream radio stations and now I feel like it would be great if I could have my headphones on with the music I like.

Cheers

 

[sohsie]

When you see faculty you respect walking around with headphones on, then you should start.

# of times I have seen an attending I respect spend all day in the gross room cutting specimens: 0.

# of times I have seen an attending I respect spending hours in the autopsy suite doing a gross dissection: 0.

# of times I have seen an attending I respect play music in their office while signing out a stack of cases: NUMEROUS.

# of times I have seen an attending I respect signing out cases by themselves forced to sit at a scope in a public room where any music being played would be disturbing to others instead of having their own office : 0.

# of attendings I respect who would make an issue out of a resident listening to music over headphones while working by themselves: 0.

 

[mlw03]

# of times I have seen an attending I respect spend all day in the gross room cutting specimens: 0.

# of times I have seen an attending I respect spending hours in the autopsy suite doing a gross dissection: 0.

# of times I have seen an attending I respect play music in their office while signing out a stack of cases: NUMEROUS.

# of times I have seen an attending I respect signing out cases by themselves forced to sit at a scope in a public room where any music being played would be disturbing to others instead of having their own office : 0.

# of attendings I respect who would make an issue out of a resident listening to music over headphones while working by themselves: 0.

very well said. again, i'll suggest that this discussion should be done. we gave the student an answer. a few people out there disagree with the opinion most of us have posted. what point is there continuing to go back and forth?

 

[pathstudent]

Can you imagine a detmatology resident rounding on her patients to simply write notes and listening to headphones? No of course not. That's because dermatology residents are professional. In fact have you ever seen a dermpath fellow previewing and listening to headphones? I doubt it. If you want to side with loserism and give pathologists a bad name when the surgeons walk in the gross room or residents room and see you with headphones on, then do it. The only thing worse would be seen watching tv or taking a nap

# of times I have seen an attending I respect spend all day in the gross room cutting specimens: 0.

# of times I have seen an attending I respect spending hours in the autopsy suite doing a gross dissection: 0.

# of times I have seen an attending I respect play music in their office while signing out a stack of cases: NUMEROUS.

# of times I have seen an attending I respect signing out cases by themselves forced to sit at a scope in a public room where any musR
ic being played would be disturbing to others instead of having their own office : 0.

# of attendings I respect who would make an issue out of a resident listening to music over headphones while working by themselves: 0.

 

[pathcrazed]

Can you imagine a detmatology resident rounding on her patients to simply write notes and listening to headphones? No of course not. That's because dermatology residents are professional. In fact have you ever seen a dermpath fellow previewing and listening to headphones? I doubt it. If you want to side with loserism and give pathologists a bad name when the surgeons walk in the gross room or residents room and see you with headphones on.

comparing a pathology resident previewing slides to a dermatology resident on rounds is wrong on so many levels....
for one, our slides don't talk back, at least mine don't.

to the OP, unless you're pathstudent, it is probably okay to listen to headphones if that is how you work best.

 

[pathstudent]

comparing a pathology resident previewing slides to a dermatology resident on rounds is wrong on so many levels....
for one, our slides don't talk back, at least mine don't.

to the OP, unless you're pathstudent, it is probably okay to listen to headphones if that is how you work best.

No I am just saying walking around writin notes not even talking to patients. Or how about a gas passer listening to head phones while in surgery. Well you listening to headphones while you preview slides an wrote up cases is no different than a gas passer doing it durring a surgery. I swear sometimes I think pathologists deserve their shiity lot in life.

Try to pretend you are a real doctor for five minutes and don't listen to your rock misiv or crunk or euro trance or Mahler for that matter while you are doing payien care.

 

[pathcrazed]

No I am just saying walking around writin notes not even talking to patients. Or how about a gas passer listening to head phones while in surgery. Well you listening to headphones while you preview slides an wrote up cases is no different than a gas passer doing it durring a surgery. I swear sometimes I think pathologists deserve their shiity lot in life.

again...most anesthesiologists use their ears to do their job...

i think it's fine to have your own opinion about it, but your arguments as to why we all need to follow your feelings don't make sense to me....

of course, if/when you ever become an attending, you will have the right to enforce your rules.

but at my program people listen to earphones all the time, and some use earplugs for that matter. I've never heard of anyone here having a problem. including surgeons, internists, dermatologists, etc.

 

[sohsie]

Can you imagine a detmatology resident rounding on her patients to simply write notes and listening to headphones? No of course not. That's because dermatology residents are professional. In fact have you ever seen a dermpath fellow previewing and listening to headphones? I doubt it. If you want to side with loserism and give pathologists a bad name when the surgeons walk in the gross room or residents room and see you with headphones on.

Wow, what a *****ic comparison. Dermatology residents don't wear headphones while rounding because they are rounding. A path resident wouldn't wear headphones while performing an FNA either, but it doesn't mean they can't wear them while previewing cases. Can you honestly not tell the difference between seeing patients and working on your own?

Surgeons, fortunately, are smart enough to make that distinction, so no, they don't think "loser" when they see a pathologist hard at work listening to some tunes. Do you think that they forgot in the span of 2 minutes that they have just come out of an OR where music was playing over a boombox? Do you think they say "Hey, I can listen to music while I slice up a patients internal organs, but the pathologist, no sir, thats unprofessional"?

Have I seen a dermpath fellow previewing and listening to headphones. Absolutely yes. How do I know? Because I completed a dermpath fellowship myself.

 

[pathstudent]

again...most anesthesiologists use their ears to do their job...

i think it's fine to have your own opinion about it, but your arguments as to why we all need to follow your feelings don't make sense to me....

of course, if/when you ever become an attending, you will have the right to enforce your rules.

but at my program people listen to earphones all the time, and some use earplugs for that matter. I've never heard of anyone here having a problem. including surgeons, internists, dermatologists, etc.

If you want the urologist to think to himself " I can get this Jack-off to sign out cases for ten bucks a specimen, then listen to headphones while working. Trust me urologists never listen to headphones while working whether they are interacting with patients or not.

 

[mlw03]

glad to see this remain a fruitful discussion.

as to clinicians seeing us listening to music while previewing and reviewing clinical records, i've seen it numerous times and never have i seen the clinician bothered it.

pathstudent, you can continue making your points, but it doesn't seem like you're swaying too many opinions. are you an attending at an academic program? if so, do you go into the resident office and share your opinions with them if you see them listening to music while working? it's much easier to post insulting comments when you're anonymous, but it's another thing altogether to say to another adult's face that you think they're unprofessional. are you willing to do that? if so, then have that discussion with the residents and other faculty at your own institution. if not, then please just drop it and move onto other more important discussions.

 

[pathcrazed]

If you want the urologist to think to himself " I can get this Jack-off to sign out cases for ten bucks a specimen, then listen to headphones while working. Trust me urologists never listen to headphones while working whether they are interacting with patients or not.

oh you are so right, i can't believe ever i doubted you. finally you gave a rock solid, absolutely stunningly perfect argument as to why we should not wear headphones.

headphones clearly are the reason pathologists are getting paid less these days. those damn iPods are ruining us.

 

[mlw03]

If you want the urologist to think to himself " I can get this Jack-off to sign out cases for ten bucks a specimen, then listen to headphones while working. Trust me urologists never listen to headphones while working whether they are interacting with patients or not.

now we've crossed the line from semi-worthwhile discussion into pure entertainment, so please continue posts like the above.

you continue to miss the point. when people are in a shared office, it's polite to put headphones on if listening to music. i've never seen someone in their own single office listening to headphones because that's unnecessary (and weird). fortunately, most reasonable adults (whether pathologists or any other profession) understand this.

 

[pathstudent]

now we've crossed the line from semi-worthwhile discussion into pure entertainment, so please continue posts like the above.

you continue to miss the point. when people are in a shared office, it's polite to put headphones on if listening to music. i've never seen someone in their own single office listening to headphones because that's unnecessary (and weird). fortunately, most reasonable adults (whether pathologists or any other profession) understand this.

Have you ever heard music when walking into a surgery suite? Well I sure have, but I have never walked into a surgery suite and seen anyone from the head surgeon to the lowest tech wearing headphones, because it was "more polite"

Jesus fricking christ this is why private practice pathologists gripe about the sorry aass state of their profession.

Yeah go ahead and listen to headphones and while you are at it wear scrubs or jeans every day to work.

 

[malchik]

Though it pains me to say it, in this one instance I sort of agree with pathstudent, with the following modification. Music in your office or gross room, OK. In signout rooms during work hours where clinicians frequent, headphones . And leave Mahler out of this.

 

[pathstudent]

Though it pains me to say it, in this one instance I sort of agree with pathstudent, with the following modification. Music in your office or gross room, OK. In signout rooms during work hours where clinicians frequent, headphones . And leave Mahler out of this.

exactly. Like agassi said a long time ago. Image is everything. If you want people to perceive you as a jack-off, then sit there listening to your 50 cent or euro trance while previeving.. You are looking at god damn some 60 year-old lady's ovarian tumor. Show some respect, take off the head phones and get serious. I mean if that was your mother's ovarian cancer or father's brain tumor would you be listening to Taylor Swift or whatever jerk-off music you like while looking at the slides. No of course not, you would treat it professionally and seriously.

Jesus mother frickin christ the fact that the ability to be professional is lost on so many pathology residents is surprising but then again it is not. It is just lie the inability to not wear scurbs every single day or the inability to ever show up on time if at all to conferences. I imagine those people that are skipping an education lecutre, are probably doing it because they have to preview their slides while listening to Blinded By the Light.

We need to figure out how to draw alpha types into our profession to make it succeed. Not some jerk water who wants to listen to ELO while previewing their slides.

 

[sohsie]

exactly. Like agassi said a long time ago. Image is everything. If you want people to perceive you as a jack-off, then sit there listening to your 50 cent or euro trance while previeving.. You are looking at god damn some 60 year-old lady's ovarian tumor. Show some respect, take off the head phones and get serious. I mean if that was your mother's ovarian cancer or father's brain tumor would you be listening to Taylor Swift or whatever jerk-off music you like while looking at the slides. No of course not, you would treat it professionally and seriously.

Jesus mother frickin christ the fact that the ability to be professional is lost on so many pathology residents is surprising but then again it is not. It is just lie the inability to not wear scurbs every single day or the inability to ever show up on time if at all to conferences. I imagine those people that are skipping an education lecutre, are probably doing it because they have to preview their slides while listening to Blinded By the Light.

We need to figure out how to draw alpha types into our profession to make it succeed. Not some jerk water who wants to listen to ELO while previewing their slides.

Well, now you've decided that listening to music at all while signing out is unprofessional. That would be news to the numerous famous pathologists who play music during signout. After all, you said "if that was your mother's ovarian cancer or father's brain tumor would you be listening to Taylor Swift or whatever jerk-off music you like while looking at the slides." Does listening on headphones transform Taylor Swift from inspirational focus to unprofessionalism? Or are have you changed tacks and decided that only certain music is banned?

Wow, you are deluded on so many levels its just too funny. Now I understand where you got your pathology training program rankings. The exact same place where you are getting these arguments. Let me help you out. Brown /= brilliant.

Just to knock down one of your dumb strawmen, I have seen multiple dermatology residents at a very well known training program listen to their IPods with headphones while looking up labs/notes and prewriting their consults before rounding on their patients, in full view of their attendings, and nary a word was said.

So lets see. Urologists are opening pob labs, not because of greed and a tremendous oversupply of pathologists, but rather because they saw a path resident wear headphones while working?!?!?

Surgeons listen to music over a boombox/stereo and not on headphones because they need to be in constant communication with others during surgery. Did you really not realize that? Is that really such a hard concept to grasp?

Speaking of the aforementioned dermatology residents, they also showed to clinic EVERY day in scrubs and saw patients all day in them. What a lack of pride! What a lack of professionalism! Watch out derm, your profession is about to fall apart! (I stood out during dermatology months because I was the only one wearing a shirt and tie)

Have you even graduated high school?

 

[yaah]

exactly. Like agassi said a long time ago. Image is everything.

Interesting analogy. Maybe it would be better to look at slides while high on amphetamines (so long as it's quiet, of course).

I think we should use this opportunity to discuss the pros and cons of wearing scrubs all day instead of professional attire. That's always a fruitful discussion as well.

 

[BierstiefelAndy]

I occasionally enjoy listening to music in my office while I am looking over slides and finalizing cases. I mainly listen to classical music and my windows media player library is full of stuff ranging from classical era pieces by mozart to late romantic work such as those composed by Prokofiev. Regardless of what songs are playing, I keep the volume down so that I don't create a disturbance. If I feel like turning up the volume a bit, then I just close my door. I don't think this gets in the way of or compromises my work in any way. I actually think a bit more clearly and find that I can focus more with the music. Weird, I suppose.

 

[pathstudent]

Interesting analogy. Maybe it would be better to look at slides while high on amphetamines (so long as it's quiet, of course).

I think we should use this opportunity to discuss the pros and cons of wearing scrubs all day instead of professional attire. That's always a fruitful discussion as well.

Agreed. I apologize if I offended any ELO or Blinded by the Light fans. I was trying to be facetious. I have some embarrassing guilty pleasures also when it comes to music.

 

[path19]

I think a much more important has still not been asked. Is it unprofessional for me to read SDN all day at work while listening to music or should I do it without my headphones?

 

[BrainPathology]

If music lets you work more efficiently and keeps distractions from making you lose your focus and rhythm while reading slides you pretty much owe it to your patients to do it.

Headphones do another wonderful thing. They make techs, lower level residents, secretaries and other people think twice before bothering you with something they can figure out on their own.

I never heard anyone say things to me when I worked anyway, headphones, music in the gross room or in a silent room after hours. I usually concentrate so much that my attention had to be gotten by tapping my shoulder anyway.

I'm at work every day in scrubs too, unless I'm presenting at any conference to non-pathology types.

 

[stainedglass]

Wow....who knew people cared so much. Actually, it sounds like only one person cares and that's pathstudent. Truthfully, I always thought that one of the perks of pathology is that you get to listen to headphones while at work!

Right now I have to preview and read in a very social office with people walking in and out all day, signouts going on, phone conversations, and terrible top 40 music in the radio. I simply CANNOT CONCENTRATE without earphones in (couldn't study in med school without music to focus me either). I have seen almost every single resident in my department previewing with earphones in. Sometimes we play music from pandora on our computers, but I always feel bad subjecting others to my (impeccable) taste in music . Yes, sometimes an attending walks up and starts talking to one of us with earphones in and it takes a few seconds to get our attention. So what? No one has ever complained. And when the clinitians occasionally do have a reason to come into the office, I doubt it crosses their mind that we're being unprofessional. They're probably jealous of my comfy chair, latte and ipod

When I start practicing and have an office with a door, you better believe I will be playing my music on a nice sound system! (Just like all the attendings at my program).

 

[2121115]

exactly. Like agassi said a long time ago. Image is everything. If you want people to perceive you as a jack-off, then sit there listening to your 50 cent or euro trance while previeving.. You are looking at god damn some 60 year-old lady's ovarian tumor. Show some respect, take off the head phones and get serious. I mean if that was your mother's ovarian cancer or father's brain tumor would you be listening to Taylor Swift or whatever jerk-off music you like while looking at the slides. No of course not, you would treat it professionally and seriously.

Jesus mother frickin christ the fact that the ability to be professional is lost on so many pathology residents is surprising but then again it is not. It is just lie the inability to not wear scurbs every single day or the inability to ever show up on time if at all to conferences. I imagine those people that are skipping an education lecutre, are probably doing it because they have to preview their slides while listening to Blinded By the Light.

We need to figure out how to draw alpha types into our profession to make it succeed. Not some jerk water who wants to listen to ELO while previewing their slides.

Maybe for the first time ever, I agree with pathstudent. To the older generation in medicine (and not in medicine) headphones look childish and unprofessional and they give off the wrong image. There is a big difference between having general music playing in the background and having headphones on. Of course the setting plays a big part too. If in the resident room where no clinician will walk in, fine. If in the frozen section area, not fine.

 

[rockit]

Can you imagine a detmatology resident rounding on her patients to simply write notes and listening to headphones? No of course not. That's because dermatology residents are professional. In fact have you ever seen a dermpath fellow previewing and listening to headphones? I doubt it. If you want to side with loserism and give pathologists a bad name when the surgeons walk in the gross room or residents room and see you with headphones on, then do it. The only thing worse would be seen watching tv or taking a nap

Residents on medicine and surgery take naps and watch TV ALL THE TIME. I'm starting to think you're not in medicine as you have no idea what happens at any given time.

 

[HbyHA]

Yeah go ahead and listen to headphones and while you are at it wear scrubs or jeans every day to work.

thanks, don't mind if i do.

 

[SmittyDoc]

What about a song that gets stuck in my head?

If I am singing "It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time" over and over (http://www.spike.com/video/peanut-butter-jelly/2684356), I definitely have a hard time paying attention, and it distracts others around me! But if I have a nice, relaxing Kenny G ditty going, we all feel more relaxed and productive.