Living in Tennessee as I do, I hear a lot of country music.  It occurred to me recently that no one has ever written a hit country song about nurses.  I trolled the internet to confirm my suspicion, and it seems to be true.  I think this is an egregious omission.

Nursing as we know it and country music were born around the same time.  I have my doubts about whether Florence would approve—she was, after all, pretty uptight—but I think it’s time we call on country music artists to fill this gaping void in the country music canon.  The themes of a nursing career and the themes of country music are naturals together.

Tragic Incidents

“Phantom 309” immortalizes a truck driver who crashes for the sake of others.  Randy Travis’ recent “Three Wooden Crosses” honors teachers, farmers, preachers, and prostitutes in a car-wreck scenario.  Isn’t there a place for a dedicated ER or OR nurse in a song from this gut-wrenching sub-genre?

Loneliness

Anyone who has ever done 1:1 or private duty with a sleeping patient on a long, dark night of the soul knows all about this one.  The subconscious thoughts of the protagonists, if they are of opposite genders, might make a great male-female duet in the Tammy Wynette-George Jones tradition.   Read more…