About Those AirPods

By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN

As new generations of nurses enter the workforce, they inevitably test organizational rules. We worked through battles about tattoos, nose rings, and cell phones. Today, nurse leaders fight the battle around nurses wearing AirPods while working. Frontline nurse leaders are exasperated with repeatedly explaining why this is a patient safety issue (not hearing alarms, not hearing patients falling out of their beds) and the impact on the patient and family experience.

Their warnings often fall on deaf ears as some younger staff who wear AirPods daily also seek to wear them at work. There are even TikTok Videos on how to hide your AirPods from your leaders (thick headbands and Princess Leia hairstyles are among the suggested strategies).

One leader commented that she was not surprised that nurse-patient communication scores are plummeting because some staff actively avoid communication by wearing AirPods. When she questioned why they thought this was appropriate in the work environment, she was told it was their way to cancel noise and reduce stress levels. She noted, “They can’t hear me when I approach them, so I can only imagine what patients and families are experiencing. I feel like a classroom monitor between the cell phones and AirPods. Is it that hard to engage without your own personal soundtrack?”

It may not be enough to tell young nurses that it is against hospital policy and that they can’t wear them. Nurse social influencers on TikTok and Youtube now flaunt the wearing of AirPods and the music they listen to while at work.

I would start with a robust explanation of why they should not wear them in clinical environments. Explain the professional liability if a patient falls or nurse fails to hear an alarm while wearing their AirPods. Not only is it a serious patient safety issue, but they also risk the professional license that they have worked hard to achieve. I would urge them to consider the practice through the patient’s lens – how would you feel if someone who was responsible for your care walked into your room and they were tuned out listening to music or a podcast?

One nurse manager in a recent session told the group that she was having success curbing the practice by relentlessly holding staff accountable. I tell all my new staff that they cannot wear AirPods and “if I see them, you are in big trouble – it seems to be working as the word on the unit is that Ashley will go nuts if she sees you wearing AirPods. I don’t do nice when angry, and my staff know it.”