Behind Closed Doors: The Ultimate Summer Surgery Playlist

The sound of the OR during surgery is truly something to behold. No, I’m not talking about the whirring of drills, the sloshing of fluids or the teeth of perioperative nursing staff shivering their way through another long procedure in a room with a thermostat set to Ed Sullivan Theater-level cold. I’m talking about the tunes pumping through the speakers of the majority of ORs across this country.

Music is a big deal in surgery, and most surgical staffs have something playing during their procedures. What’s more, there’s even research out there suggesting that blasting AC/DC in the OR could improve the speed and accuracy of your facility’s surgeons. Despite these promising findings, however, would you really want your gallbladder removed by a doc who’s singing along to “You Shook Me All Night Long”?

But I digress. For your listening enjoyment, I’ve put together a fun, lighthearted summer playlist inspired by the different departments of health care and various specialties of surgery. So relax, kick back and let the sounds of DJ Paula’s Ultimate Summer Surgery Playlist take you away to that special place where the joints are replaced to perfection, hernias are repaired without incident and cataracts are removed at the speed of light:   

• The ER “How to Save a Life” (The Fray) 
• Psych “Goin’ Out of My Head” (Graham BLVD) 
• Pediatrics “Sons and Daughters” (Allman Brown)
• Same-Day Surgery “Drive By” (Train) 
• Operating Room “Cuts Like a Knife” (Bryan Adams) 
• Radiology “Clarity” (Zedd) 
• Anesthesiology “Drifting Down” (Jon Hopkins)
• Pre-op “Nervous” (Shawn Mendes)
• Orthopedics “Broken Bone Blues” (Allen Ginsberg)
• Plastics “Freakin Perfect” (Pink) 
• Urology “Circle the Drain” (Katy Perry) 
• Cardiology “Heartbreak Hotel” (Elvis Presley) 
• ICU “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (Simon & Garfunkel)
• Ophthalmology “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” (Frankie Valli) 
• Endoscopy “I Just Wanna Run” (The Downtown Fiction) 
• Morgue “It’s Too Late” (Carole King) 
• Cafeteria “Best Thing I Never Had” (Beyonce) 
• Blood Bank “I Saw Red” (Warrant) 
• Respiratory “Every Breath You Take” (The Police) 
• General Surgery “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” (U2) 
• Lab “Put It to the Test” (They Might Be Giants) 
• On-call Staff “Nightflyer” (Allison Russell) 
• Pharmacy “I Want a New Drug” (Huey Lewis and The News) 
• Pathology “Pieces of You” (Jewel) 
• Outpatient Discharge “Homeward Bound” (Simon & Garfunkel) 
• Med/Surg at midnight “A Quiet Place” (Garnet Mimms and the Enchanters) 
• PACU “Stop Making This Hurt” (The Bleachers) 
• The OR “Somewhere Only We Know” (Keane) 

I also have to mention my personal favorite, a song dedicated to us veteran nurses who have been working for 45 years (or more) and should retire, but can’t quite bring ourselves to clock out for good: “Queen Bee” by the queen herself, Barbra Streisand. OSM