As a doctor, it can be somewhat difficult to mix learning with dealing with patients full time. Doctors don’t just treat patients, but they also do a lot of paperwork, get new medical certifications, and of course deal with personal life. However, we believe even doctors have a bit of spare time in their day, and that can be used to learn. Podcasts are a great way for doctors to stay informed about industry updates and learn how they can grow their practice. In this article we’ll be discussing the 9 best podcasts for doctors to listen to.
1. Docs Outside the Box
Docs Outside the Box is hosted by Dr. Nii Darko and features your everyday doctors who’re doing amazing things in the field of medicine. For doctors who’re looking for inspiration or to just learn from innovative individuals in their field, this podcast is great. This podcast is for doctors who are in need of inspiration, are stuck, or feel like their voice doesn’t matter. It explores what’s possible for doctors, other than the all-important task of treating patients. The podcast’s interviewees set out to explain why, “I’m not just a doc..”. Link: Docs Outside the Box
2. 2 Docs Talk
2 Docs Talk is hosted by doctors Kendal Britt and Amy Rogers, in which they have conversations they wish they could have with their patients. Doctor-patient communication is vital, but doctors have to deal with the treatment itself, in addition to administrative work, documentation, billing and even basic accounting. This leaves little time to develop deeper relationships with patients. Dr. Britt and Rogers therefore meet once a week for a 15-minute sit down and discuss doctor-patient relationships and general topics in the medical industry. Link: 2 Docs Talk Podcast on iTunes
3. Impact Theory
The inclusion of this podcast might catch you off guard, but hear us out. Impact Theory podcast is focused on delivering educational content to empower people. According to the people behind it, the podcast is to make people the best versions of themselves. Doctors are people too, and they face regular challenges like the rest of us. Dr. Omar Mora, a physical medicine and rehabilitation doctor, says that “Doctors should study medicine and business together, so they have a business mentality right away after med school. Combining both is vital for the profession.” Dr. Omar listens to Impact Theory not to improve his practice per se, but to better approach the business of medicine. Link: Impact Theory Podcast
4. The Future of Healthcare
The Future of Healthcare podcast is hosted by Nathan Dollinger, a college graduate on his way to med school, which he talks to and learns from healthcare professionals. Topics include a range of diverse industry topics such as technology, policy and so on. The podcast is about Dollinger focusing on the future of healthcare, and the direction it’s taking. If you’d like to see how you can shape the future of healthcare, join the podcast and listen to what Dollinger has to say. Link: The Future of Healthcare
5. The New England Journal of Medicine Podcasts
The New England Journal of Medicine publishes podcasts on the latest in medical research. The NEJM This Week is a recap of whatever has been published in the journal. The Journal also publishes doctor interviews in its NEJM Interviews podcast in which they discuss topics, as well as giving opinions on how to improve clinical practices. This podcast is more on the medical side and less on the business side. If you’re wondering about how to grow you practice, see our SEO guide for Doctors. Link: NEJM This Week, NEJM Interviews
6. TEDTalks: Science and Medicine
TED is a non-profit speaker platform with a mission to bring forward people with ideas around a range of topics. Their Science and Medicine talks are renowned for bringing people with truly amazing ideas forward. If you want to learn from great health thinkers and innovators, TEDTalks is an absolute must-listen. Link: TED.com
7. The Clinical Problem Solvers
“The Clinical Problem Solvers analyze, teach, and democratize the art and science of diagnostic reasoning.” This podcast features clinical experts who give their opinions on how to approach clinical problems. Each episode is case-based with hopes to educate the audience for improving diagnosis. Link: The Clinical Problem Solvers Podcast
8. Surviving Medicine
Surviving Medicine is a podcast hosted by medical students, residents and physicians. The host, Frank Cusimano, interviews a diverse group of people in the field of medicine, and explores what is possible within this field. Link: Surviving Medicine
9. American Family Physician
The American Family Physician (AFP) podcast features interviews with family doctors, as well as brief summaries of articles and other features that appear on each AFP issue. Dr. Alla Zilberman says that the AFP podcast has helped her improve her practice, even though she’s pretty seasoned when it comes to patient care. Link: American Family Physician Podcast
Some Other Suggestions by Real Doctors
We interviewed a lot of doctors for this article for suggestions on good medical podcasts. Some doctors however, steered us towards other media which they said has been good enough to improve their healthcare practices.
New York Times Podcast
Dr. Alla Zilberman listens to the New York Times Podcast to update herself on what’s going in the world. Link: New York Times Podcasts
Warren Buffet’s Live Seminars and Lectures
Dr. Fatima Qureshi, a licensed optometrist, listens to Warren Buffet’s live seminars and lectures, as she wanted to learn more about investments. This is quite understandable, as doctors tend to struggle in business and investment decisions. As a doctor, Dr. Qureshi suggests others in her field to search for “how to be successful by Warren Buffet” on YouTube. Doctors are undoubtedly exceptionally talented and intelligent people, but they’re not taught money matters in med school.
BiggerPockets Podcast
Dr. Ilya Skolnikoff, a hormone and thyroid specialist, likes to listen to the Bigger Pockets podcast. Like some of the doctors we’ve interviewed, he stressed the need for doctors to learn how to manage business and money matters. For him, the Bigger Pockets podcast has helped him better manage his money and business. He says that doctors are people too – they invest money by going to expensive schools and then invest again by opening their own practice. Yet years of work later, they still end up having no money. This is why he stresses that doctors should learn how to manage and business. Link: Bigger Pockets Podcast
Alternatives to Podcasts for Learning
Dr. Shreya Soni, a naturopathic doctor in San Jose, says that she hasn’t found an interesting podcast that’s useful yet. She suggests alternative ways to podcasts for learning instead, such as attending conferences and getting in touch with doctors there. She also suggests reading the book Dirty Genes by Ben Lynch, a naturopathic doctor in Washington State. Making use of Google Scholar has been of great use to her as well. Dr. Soni has some advice for patients who listen to healthcare podcasts for medications and supplements: don’t rely on a podcast to tell you what to take. See a natural health expert – it’s always important to ask a provider before making a change.
