Top Podcasts for Medical Students: Your Comprehensive Guide

Navigating the demanding journey of medical school requires a multifaceted approach to learning and well-being. Medical students often find themselves juggling a demanding workload while striving to stay informed and inspired. Podcasts offer a unique way to learn, unwind, and gain perspective during commutes, workouts, or study breaks. This article provides a comprehensive list of the best podcasts for medical students, covering various aspects of medical education, career planning, and personal growth.

Clinical Knowledge and Specialty-Specific Podcasts

Internal Medicine

The Curbsiders: Hosted by internists Matthew Watto, MD, and Paul Williams, MD, this podcast centers on internal medicine and aims to share clinical pearls and “practice-changing knowledge.” It has a fun, quirky feel and aims to speak to the “pain points” of practicing internists. Throughout discussions of common diseases, clinical concerns, and trending health subjects, themes on bedside skills, patient communication, and the physical exam frequently emerge. L. Wesley Aldred, MD, a pulmonary and critical care medicine physician at Hattiesburg Clinic, said this podcast “does a wonderful job of explaining the formation of differential diagnoses.” Lexie Graham, MD, an internist with Confluence Health, also recommends this podcast. “This is a great podcast where they talk about internal medicine topics in a fun and digestible way that is really helpful for brushing up on a variety of topics,” she said. This podcast is also recommended by Dr. Husan because “it has really good, engaging discussions with experts from multiple specialties, so it gives you a lot of clinical pearls. They make things very interesting, and they’re not dry.” Dr. Erwin also recommends this podcast because “this long-form content, created by internal medicine physicians, covers topics that are relevant to all physicians.” "Curbsiders Teach is THE internal medicine podcast for all things medical education.
Run the List: This is a medical education podcast designed for medical students, new residents, and all learners hoping for a review in internal medicine.
American Family Physician Podcast: Sumi Makkar Sexton, MD, a family medicine physician with Privia Health, is a “big podcast fan” and this is one podcast she highly recommends. Ammar Husan, MD, a family physician with Ochsner Health, also recommends this podcast because “it’s very practical, it’s evidence-based, and it’s time-efficient.” This podcast is also “helpful for physicians and trainees to stay abreast of issues pertinent to our specialty, as well as an opportunity to stay current with continuing medical education,” said Carl Lambert, MD, a family physician with Rush University System for Health.
“The Intern at Work”: A Canadian internal medicine podcast written by residents for residents! The first of its kind in Canada, this podcast series seeks to connect residents all across Canada and the world by providing entertaining, practical, and succinct approaches to common internal medicine illnesses.

Surgery

Behind the Knife: Colon and rectal surgeon Vlad (Val) Simianu, MD, MPH, of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, said that “this surgery-focused podcast covers all different types of surgical specialties and has some great content on colorectal surgery.” Boris Cehajic, MD, a general surgeon at Hattiesburg Clinic, also recommends this podcast because it “is a great resource for residents learning to navigate residency, oral board preparations, career planning and more.” Meanwhile, Krista Bodrey, MD, a general surgeon with Confluence Health, said this “is an excellent podcast for surgical residents and board preparation.”
Nailed it, the Orthopaedic Surgery podcast: Hosted by Dr. Wendell Cole and Dr. Jay Fitts. Both Dr. Fitts and Dr. Cole graduated from Morehouse School of Medicine in 2018 and are current Orthopaedic Surgery residents. Both Dr. Fitts and Dr. Cole entered medical school with an interest in Orthopaedic Surgery and both of them were 2015 Nth Dimensions OSi Scholars.

Pediatrics

PedsCases: This is an innovative source of pediatric knowledge dissemination which began in 2008 as a grassroots project by several medical students with faculty support at the University of Alberta to supplement the undergraduate curriculum [1]. Pediatric curriculum is often not presented in an integrated or cohesive manner and students have found it challenging to obtain a comprehensive foundation in pediatric medicine prior to entering clerkship.
Pediatrics on Call Podcast: Ellen Mateo, MD, a pediatrician with Confluence Health, recommends this podcast because “it presents bite-sized discussions of the latest research in pediatrics and its application to practice.”
Peds Ortho: “This is a podcast put together by a group of pediatric orthopaedic surgeons who did their fellowships together” in San Diego, said Heather Kowalski, MD, a pediatric orthopaedic surgeon at University of Iowa Health Care. “Every month, they interview an author from the Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics, and it is extremely educational and entertaining,” Dr. Kowalski said. “You get to learn about their research and also their insight into other articles published in that issue.”

Other Specialties

ASCO Daily News: “This provides the latest treatments and innovations in oncology,” said John “Bo” Hrom, MD, a medical hematologist-oncologist at Hattiesburg Clinic. “I have found it very informative over the years.”
Oncology Today with Dr. Neil Love: “This has been one of my favorites since fellowship,” said Dr. Hrom. “Dr. Love is a brilliant oncologist who brings guests on to discuss the latest clinical trials and data regarding trials. It is a true treasure trove of information for the budding oncologist.”
Conversations from the World of Allergy: Allergist and immunologist Burcin Fraser, MD, of Privia Health, said medical students should listen to this podcast because it “gives you updates on the latest and greatest in allergy.”
Talking Sleep: This podcast is put together by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and “discusses the latest advances in our field. It is quite easy to listen to and has great information,” said Virginia Skiba, MD, a sleep medicine physician at Henry Ford Health.
Nephrology podcast: Co-hosted by Duke's own Dr.

Podcasts for Exam Preparation

Board Rounds for the USMLE Step 1 and COMLEX Level 1: This podcast is here to make sure you are as prepared as possible when you walk in to take your board exam.
Divine Intervention Podcasts: This podcast focuses on helping medical students and residents prepare for the United States Medical Licensing Examinations Step 1, 2, and 3 exams, and third-year medical school shelf exams. Episodes offer 6-week study guides, reviews, and test-taking strategies. There are many episodes related to “must know” topics, Ntigbu said. Detailed show notes accompany the episodes. Also, the educational materials are primarily free.

Career Guidance and Specialty Exploration

The Undifferentiated Medical Student: This podcast is perfect for medical students who don’t know what specialty they want to pursue. Founder and host Ian Drummond, MD, interviews attending doctors from over 120 specialties. Drummond started the podcast while still in medical school to help other medical students struggling with what field to go into. Drummond does his homework and asks thoughtful questions of guests. His podcast is engaging and informative. 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.
The Premed Years: This podcast has been nominated as an Academy of Podcasters Awards finalist as a top podcast in the Science & Medicine category for three straight years: 2015, 2016 and 2017! This free resource has helped thousands of students learn more about how to get into medical school. Dr. Ryan Gray of the Premed Years podcast and Dr.
The Exam Room: Although there haven’t been any new episodes since 2019, this is still an excellent podcast that helps med students choose a specialty and plan their careers.

Addressing the Human Side of Medicine

The Doctor’s Art podcast: Hosted by Stanford University School of Medicine’s Henry Bair, MD, MBA, and Tyler Johnson, MD, explores the deeper meaning of medicine. The series focuses on themes that are core to Stanford Medicine 25: human connection, storytelling, healing, compassion, and more. Episodes feature a wide variety of medical professionals, including ICU physicians, geneticists, ophthalmologists, pediatricians, medical educators, and more. A number of familiar voices from the Stanford Medicine community lead conversations, including that of Stanford Medicine 25 founder Abraham Verghese, MD. We recommend checking out his episode, “On Reading the Body,” which addresses why the human touch still matters for healing in an increasingly digital age. We know that human connection lies at the heart of medicine and is the distinguishing factor that transforms clinical encounters into healing relationships.
On Becoming a Healer: This podcast is hosted by University of Illinois at Chicago’s Saul Weiner, MD, and University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Stefan Kertesz, MD, MS. The podcast builds upon Weiner’s book from 2020, “On Becoming a Healer: The Journey from Patient Care to Caring about Your Patients.” With their guests, Weiner and Kertesz discuss the culture that surrounds clinician training and how that translates to patient care and clinician wellbeing. They emphasize that physicians are “pressured to become ‘efficient task completers’ rather than healers.” Conversations cover the doctor-patient relationship, communication, challenging clinical interactions, the joy in medical practice and more.
Bedside Rounds: In The Bedside Rounds podcast, Harvard Medical School’s Adam Rodman, MD, tells narrative stories that connect medical history to modern clinical practice. Humanism emerges as a major theme throughout the more than 70 episodes, which cover a fascinating and unexpected range of topics, such as how Sherlock Holmes influences medicine, the history of ether, malariotherapy, the electronic health record and much more.

Podcasts on Medical School Life and Well-being

The OSA Insider Podcast: This podcast focuses on the lives of medical students and their paths to becoming physicians, including major milestones and survival and wellness tips. Host and producer, Neda Frayha, MD, interviews medical students and residents as well as faculty members about the inside story of becoming a doctor. Frayha is a part-time assistant professor of medicine and faculty member in the Office of Student Affairs at the University of Maryland Medical School, Baltimore.
The Short Coat Podcast: From Carver College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, this podcast brings together medical student hosts who get real about the intense environment of medical school. Episodes focus on preparing for standardized tests, finding a mentor, deciding what field of medicine to pursue, applying to residency programs, and addressing student burnout. Episodes offer an honest glimpse into what medical school is like with relatable stories from different medical students. The show is funny and informative. Students are honest.
Resident Diaries: This is a podcast for residents in training in any medical or surgical field who are feeling exhausted, burned out, depressed, or alone, residents who are needing a safe and anonymous space to talk about difficult experiences.
Healing Medicine Podcast: Jessie Mahoney, MD, “is a pediatrician, yoga teacher and coach. Her podcasts are insightful and speak to some of the challenges of being a physician,” said Jill Kacher Cobb, MD, an anesthesiologist with Sutter Health. Dr. Mahoney “and her cohost, Ni-Cheng Liang, MD, a pulmonologist, weave in mindfulness throughout the episodes.”
Follow these four friends as we navigate the crazy journey that is medical school! We have spent time listening to podcasts, reading articles, and receiving advice on how to get accepted, but not much on the actual life of a medical student.

Podcasts Focused on Diversity and Inclusion

SNMA Presents: The Lounge: The podcast was founded during summer of 2020 - at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic - as a way for “underrepresented people to connect with each other,” explained executive producer and co-host Ntigbu, the fourth-year medical student. The show is hosted by multiple medical students (SNMA stands for Student National Medical Association). The sometimes free-flowing format involves hosts (sometimes three or four at a time) talking about medical-related topics, such as medical mistakes, but also social and popular culture topics of the day such as “Love is Blind” stars AD Smith and Ollie Sutherland getting engaged. Other topics covered: Issues underrepresented students face in medical school, such as how the match process may not always be favorable to them, doctor shortages, mental health and physician burnout, finding love as a Black or Brown person in medicine, and general advice. Knowledgeable, self-aware hosts delve into complex issues in an engaging way.
The Black Doctors Podcast: This podcast examines different pathways to get into and through medical school and beyond. Episodes are useful and relatively short - always a good thing for a busy medical student. Shows delve into strategies for excelling on the Medical College Admission Test, suggestions on effective shadowing, and physician burnout. The host, Steven Bradley, MD, also talks about how to navigate being on rotations and in residency. The podcast is his favorite, said Rico Carter, a medical student and the first in his immediate family to go to college. In his future career as a doctor, he envisions working hard but also having time to relax at home and pursue hobbies in his down time. The podcast host affirmed that mindset, Carter said. “I mean, I have my ‘why medicine story’, but I think the thing that was really impactful to me is that it’s okay to go into medicine and say that you want a stable career and that you want a good paying job,” Carter said. “And I think that’s just something that you don’t really hear being said a lot, at least when you’re a pre-med.” Carter came from a low-income background and worked throughout college to help his family.
Making the Rounds: This podcast from the American Medical Association features advice, interviews, and discussions on the most important topics impacting the lives and careers of medical students. As healthcare continues to diversify, it’s important for people to have outlets such as podcasts where they can “find their voice,” she said.

Other Valuable Podcasts

JAMAevidence: The Rational Clinical Examination: This podcast features interviews with medical experts on evidence-based use of medical history, physical exams, and testing to diagnose disease. JAMA editors lead discussions with guest experts on common medical conditions, such as heart failure, urinary tract infection, dementia, depression, splenomegaly, and more. We love the emphasis on the physical exam throughout this series and appreciate the straightforward approach to these topics. Many episodes are less than 10 minutes long, making them great for a quick listen to brush up on knowledge.
Inside the Match: This podcast is good for getting an insider view of the residency matching process. Episodes go over tips for medical students who are applying to various specialties such as getting letters of recommendation and writing personal statements. Episodes also delve into what factors make a medical student competitive for residency programs (think research and volunteer experiences) and discussions about how to improve the match process. Hosts and guests cover a wide range of topics pertaining to the match, providing useful information including the importance of geographic location when deciding where to apply to residency. Episodes are a great length and clip along nicely.
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.
Pharmacology Deconstructed: 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!
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.
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.
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.
EntreMD: Dr. Fraser also recommends this podcast. She said it “helps you learn about running a business, because they don’t teach you that in medical school.”
Society of Teachers of Family Medicine Podcast: This podcast “features conversations about key areas at the intersection of academic medicine, leadership, health equity and medical education,” said Dr. Lambert.
The Internet Book of Critical Care Podcast: “This is perhaps a bit too critical care-focused, but it is my favorite medical podcast to listen to while biking or hiking,” said Clyde J. (C.J.) Pierce, MD, a hospitalist at Confluence Health.
Academic Medicine Podcast: Podcast from the journal Academic Medicine. Episodes chronicle the experiences of science and the art of medicine. Guests delve deeper into the issues shaping medical schools and teaching hospitals today.
A weekly podcast produced by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canad: that brings you the main points of a medical education article in under half a hour!
Physician Cents Podcast: This educational yet entertaining podcast focuses on arming oneself with smart financial information, such as managing student loan debt and learning how to get asset protection and disability insurance.

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