Training and working in the healthcare field is often busy, to say the least, and yet, students and providers alike want to continue their education, both in formal settings and on the go. Podcasts have quickly become an excellent medium for condensing specialized knowledge into episodic chapters that can fit within the frame of your existing activities. We’ve compiled a list of some of the best podcasts for healthcare students and professionals, with focus on specific disciplines.
1
Ethics Talk
Ethics Talk is a podcast aired by the American Medical Association, discusses questions of medical ethics with expert guests from across medicine. Episodes vary in length from 10 to 45 minutes and cover a wide range of topics, including gene editing, maternal mortality, medical-legal partnerships, and more. Anyone studying or working in healthcare would benefit from learning about the ethical conversations taking place in the field, and Ethics Talk provides a summative overview in efficient and concise episodes. You can listen to Ethics Talk at the AMA’s Journal of Ethics website.
2
Straight A Nursing
Join Nurse Mo as she reviews content relevant to new and seasoned nurses alike, especially nurses in training. She spends episodes reviewing a specific condition or type of medication and dedicates some episodes to developing soft skills, study habits, and career development. Nurse Mo’s identity may be anonymous, but the podcast has a personal touch, like her inclusion of mnemonics that she has utilized to distinguish between different medications or procedural techniques. Episodes tend to be between 20 and 45 minutes, depending on the topic. Listen to the podcast on the Straight A Nursing website.
3
This Won’t Hurt a Bit
For those of us looking for a podcast with a little bit of pizazz, This Won’t Hurt a Bit will give you episodic information about medicine, science, and history while still managing to hit your funny bone. Physicians Mel Herbert and Jess Mason dive into an issue of interest, provide its history, and aren’t afraid to laugh along the way. Episodes are about 30 minutes in length and break down terminology to make it relevant to healthcare professionals and the general population alike. While they may currently be on a long hiatus, their existing catalogue of episodes holds plenty of valuable knowledge.
4
Therapy Insiders
If you’re curious about the world of physical therapy, physiology, sports, and rehabilitation medicine, look no further! Therapy Insiders, hosted by Gene Shirokobrod, Joe Palmer, and Erson Religioso III, dissects these topics, often with guests, in approximately hour-long episodes, although lengths can be as short as 30 minutes and as long as 90. They discuss the business of physical therapy, the future of the field, the importance of well-designed offices, and best practices for treatment. Hosts and guests open up about their personal experiences related to the subject at hand, including their occasional frustrations with the field. If you want to learn more about the importance of physical therapy and its place in healthcare, tune in to Therapy Insiders on the UpDoc webpage.
5
The Undifferentiated Medical Student
Medical student Ian Drummond isn’t sure about which specialty he should pursue, so he is interviewing a physician from many of the 120+ medical specialties to help him decide. Ian’s interviews are thorough, usually 90 minutes or longer, and he covers core specialties like Internal Medicine, Neurology, Psychiatry, Emergency Medicine, and specialties that require further training like Orthopedic Trauma Surgery, Hospice and Palliative Medicine, and Performing Arts Medicine, to name a few. He asks each physician to discuss the content of their work, its scope, the typical workday, topics of interest in that specialty, and their decision-making process that led them to their chosen path. Even if you’re not a medical student, this podcast is a great way to understand the nuances and differences between various medical areas and how they each contribute to healthcare as a whole. Check out the podcast on The Undifferentiated Medical Student website.
6
The PreMed Years
Some of the most challenging years in healthcare training happen before you even set foot in a designated medical or health educational setting. Presented by Medical School Headquarters, The PreMed Years discusses topics related to life as a pre-medicine student, like preparing for the MCAT, the application process, road bumps along the way, waitlists, secondary applications, and what to expect in life as a physician. Episodes are usually between 30 minutes and an hour in length, in which hosts Ryan and Allison Gray conduct interviews and reflect on their own experiences to point aspiring physicians in the right direction.
7
Things You’re Too Embarrassed to Ask a Doctor
In Things You’re Too Embarrassed to Ask a Doctor, a fresh podcast from the University of Chicago School of Medicine, host Kat Carlton features one doctor from a specialty to answer the questions you may be too embarrassed to ask your doctor, and that Dr. Google really shouldn’t be trusted to answer. Kat and her guests speak about covered topics, like female pelvic health, in a clear and concise manner, normalizing the types of questions we may have, but often shy away from asking. Tweet at them @tytepodcast to ask a question for a future episode!
8
Real Life Pharmacology
Short and sweet, episodes of Real Life Pharmacology with Eric Christianson are between 10 and 15 minutes long, and dissect the mechanism of action of a particular medication, as well as its side effects, interactions, and clinical indications for use. This podcast is useful for all providers that interact with pharmacology, including nurses, physicians, physician assistants, pharmacists and pharmacy techs, nurse practitioners, and more. Whether you are listening to an episode to learn about a medication for the first time or as a quick review, the efficiency of this podcast can’t be beat!
9
Spill the OT
Spill the OT focuses on topics relevant to occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech language pathologists. Host and Occupational Therapist Robyn Noonan explores content areas from these disciplines in 30-to-60 minute episodes, often focusing on occupational therapy, and interviews a provider who works in that specialty. She asks questions about their work setting, content of their work, any protocol, treatments, or procedures they may implement, lifestyle, and compensation to help the listener decide whether this area of interest could be a good fit for them. This podcast could be useful to students and professionals alike, especially if you’re considering changing your milieu and pursuing a different specialty, as well as learning about other types of practice in order to make informed referrals.
10
What the Health?
Broadcast from Washington D.C., Keiser Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner and her team of consultants discuss current topics concerning healthcare policy. Because policy and news can change so quickly, Julie is clear about the date and time of recording at the top of each 30-to-60-minute episode, in case news breaks prior to the listener being able to play it. Whether concerning the ACA, public health, or healthcare and drug prices, Julie and her colleagues provide inimitable and informative commentary on the current healthcare landscape. You can listen to the What the Health podcast on the Keiser Health News website.
