Using Podcasts to Study Efficiently and Increase Exposure to Medical Specialties.

Abstract

To the Editor: As medical students and avid podcast listeners, we read with great interest Kelly and colleagues’ study, which sought to improve understanding of podcast use in medical education. 1 To speak to the utility of podcasts as accessible and flexible learning tools, below we present empirical observations related to medical student podcast usage. We agree with Kelly and colleagues that a significant benefit of medical education podcasts is their portability and efficiency. 1 Students often have unproductive periods of time, such as commuting, where traditional study methods may be impractical. Using podcasts to study whenever possible can increase efficiency and free time, leading to an improved work–life balance and decreased stress levels. At our respective institutions, podcasts were incorporated into our first-year curriculum. Our experiences support Kelly and colleagues’ finding that medical education podcasts provide flexible, learner-specific, and entertaining content. 1 Listening to information-dense podcasts, rather than attending in-person lectures, allows us to maximize our time. Because podcasts split information into digestible portions, we find it easier to focus compared with traditional didactic lectures. We observe that many of our peers also value the ability to pause and customize the playback speed of podcasts, allowing for personalized learning. In addition to functioning as learning tools, podcasts offer exposure to specialties that are less encountered in medical education. For example, The Undifferentiated Medical Student (https://www.undifferentiatedmedicalstudent.com) has helped us learn about specialties that are not well represented at our institutions. Podcasts like this one are especially pertinent for medical students who may not experience a robust and diverse clinical curriculum. We thank Kelly and colleagues for sharing their insights and encourage future studies to similarly assess podcasts featuring medical specialty information. Learning about medical specialties is as important as learning about medical practice. For specialties that are facing shortages of physicians or little exposure from medical students, creating conversations about their scope and culture is necessary to attract potential applicants. We believe that podcasts can help bridge this gap.