10 podcasts You Need to Tune Into as an Australian Medical Student
Written by Lauren Lamb
As a medical student, the endless streams of information, clinical examination and investigative techniques can be inundating. Without contextualising and embedding what is learnt in a clinical, patient or public health context, your view of medicine can become a little myopic and disconnected.
The exposure to opinions and the experience of others within the medical field can be invaluable in demonstrating the clinical relevance to your study, and the larger, communal effects of best medical practice.
Enter podcasts – the best way of learning via osmosis and consolidation.
At MedicGuild, we have our own podcasts: Homeostasis and TeaBrief.
Homeostasis
Average episode length: 25mins
Subscribe to MedicGuild's Homeostasis podcasts on:
Homeostasis is where medicine and society meet to address the most pressing issues in our changing world. We explore the relationships between health, politics, culture and the environment to show how doctors are responding to the evolving practice of medicine.
TeaBrief
Average episode length: 25mins
Subscribe to TeaBrief podcasts on:
We're Bells, Nikki and Noa - 3 medical students debriefing on our week of placement over various cups of tea. Join us every Monday fortnight as we vent, laugh and cry over all things to do with placement and med school
Here are another 10 of our favourite, peer-endorsed podcasts, to accompany you on your commutes, walks or your on break from traditional study.
Time to get those ear buds ready!
1. Humerus Hacks
Average episode length:
30 MINS - 1 HOUR
Available on:
Join Aussie junior doctors, Karen and Sarah, as they unpack diseases and pathologies with ridiculous anecdotes, banter and mnemonics to make for an unforgettable listening experience. From Game of Thrones, to demon dogs, the Pen15 club and the Moulin Rouge, nothing is off limits in these scintillating and scrumptious soundbites. While Humerus Hacks is a wonderful podcast for the theoretical basis of disease, guest registrars on the show provide valuable insights into the appropriate clinical management of disease, and their own clinical experience, making the podcast a goldmine for junior and senior medical students alike. Interspersed throughout their podcasts, Karen and Sarah also tackle topics such as open medical education, medical literacy and surviving internships.
2. MedConversations
Average episode length:
10-45 minutes
Available on:
The “Eureka” moment; the moment of pure euphoria when the penny finally drops, the lightbulb goes off, and the little hairs on your arm stand on end in solidarity with the realisation you have just had. Australian cult-favourite, MedConversations is renowned for creating moments like these with their case-based discussion. Hosted by advanced trainees and registrars, this series provides the structure of clinical reasoning for various medical conditions, as well as a smattering of recent evidence-based research and specifics for more senior medical students and junior doctors. The extraordinary league of creators also produce Quizlet flashcards with every podcast, that can be used to test your knowledge, create custom online exams, accessed from the Quizlet app on your smartphone, or printed off for good-old-fashioned physical flash-cards.
3. The Clinical Problem Solvers
Average episode length:
30 minutes- 1 hour
Available on:
The quest for case-based learning tools and discussion as a medical student seems endless. The Clinical Problem Solvers team of doctors and trainees have compiled an absolute compendium of discussion and resources, geared towards developing a thorough student-level conception of diseases, and the development of a reliable framework around clinical reasoning. The podcasts themselves are presented largely as a series of unknown diagnoses that require further investigation and clinical reasoning. The accompanying website is chock-full of additional resources to iterate and further develop your clinical reasoning; hospital-style virtual morning reports, practice cases, illness scripts and diagnostic schema.
4. IMreasoning
Average episode length:
35 minutes- 1 hour
Available on:
The inner workings and wisdom of the medical upper echelon, or the master clinician, can seem mysterious at times, especially to medical students starting out on the other end of the spectrum. IMreasoning is able to strip back the once-elusive abilities of master clinicians. Follow Dr Art Nahill and Dr Nic Szecket, two general internists, as they take an enlightening deep dive into the clinical reasoning process, diagnosis and diagnostic error. Their limpid honesty provides valuable insight into drivers that lead to diagnostic errors, diagnosis via creative thinking, cognitive bias and embracing the uncertainty in medicine-- perfectly illustrating that traversing Mount Physician is more than just regurgitating knowledge.
5.Sharp Scratch
Average episode length:
30-50 minutes
Available on:
There are daunting aspects of becoming a doctor, one of which is the duality of becoming both a healer and a professional. In presiding over a wealth of self-regulated knowledge, it is expected that medical experts always act altruistically, with integrity and competence. Sharp Scratch is the British Medical Journal’s response to navigating and discussing the professionalism required of doctors, in a changing, modern landscape - answering those questions that are seldom addressed in medical school. Should doctors have tattoos? What is it like forgoing Christmas with the family? How should doctors use social media? Should you give a casual consultation when friends and family ask you to have a look at something over the Sunday arvo BBQ? What is really considered a medical faux pas and how have our expectations of professionals changed in the last decade?
6. The GP Show
Average episode length:
30 minutes-1 hour
Available on:
The narrative of the uniquely Australian issues faced by GPs and health experts more broadly, is often lost in the noise created by international fields. Dr Sam Manger has a skill for sharing in-depth conversations with clinicians, experts and advocates from all over Australia, in order to share relevant insights on a variety of health topics – including rural practice, insights into providing culturally-safe care to the First Nations People of Australia, and whether health reform is required in Australia.
7. On the Wards
Average episode length:
10-30 minutes
Available on:
Plug in for the fast-paced tales of junior doctors on the hospital wards, at the Royal Prince Alfred hospital in Sydney, as they seek to empower, support and develop the critical thinking skills of the next generation of junior doctors. On the Wards has it all – from case-based discussion and clinical management of disease, to Australian health policy and navigating professionalism as a doctor.
8. Health Report
Average episode length:
30 minutes
Available on:
Good for those among us with the attention-span of a goldfish, the Health report with Dr Norman Swan is a short and punchy way to keep on top of current domestic and international health issues, with 3-4 segments discussed within a 30-minute program. While the report is targeted towards both specialist and mainstream audiences, having a clinical background will certainly elevate your understanding of the content. The Health Report will keep you up to date with the latest medical developments, clinical trials and medical affairs.
9. The Lancet Voice
Average episode length:
20-40 minutes
Available on:
The Lancet is regarded as being one of the most well-recognised and impactful peer-reviewed medical journals in the world. While most of us can only aspire to be published in The Lancet for the time being, we can still benefit from the acumen of its editors and contributors. The Lancet Voice is a fortnightly podcast that discusses the most important developments in global health, policy-making and clinical research, and how this translates socially into meaningful change in the lives of those the whole world over.
10. Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine
Average episode length:
35 minutes - 1 hour
Available on:
For those looking for something amusing, light-hearted, or downright wacky and bizarre, look no further than Sawbones. The modern era of medicine ensures treatments, procedures and pharmaceuticals are tightly regulated and based on rigorous empirical evidence – however, this was not always the case. Follow this husband-and-wife doctor duo, as they explore the revolutionary, gory, horrific, and (with the benefit of hindsight) completely absurd and ludicrous ways doctors have attempted to fix people. At the very least, this podcast will ensure you are always placed to know the medical pub trivia.
Bonus: You're Kidding, Right?
Average episode length:
7-20mins
Available on:
You're Kidding, Right is a podcast by two junior doctors for everything you need to know about paediatrics (or "pediatrics" if you like more bang for your buck from letters). Each week we release an episode on key topics that will help you understand how our littlest patients work. Whether you're a junior doctor, medical student, nursing grad, general practice trainee or anyone who wants to learn the who, what, when, where and how of kids, they will do their very best to make your learning a little easier, and a little more fun!
TELL US YOUR STORY
We want to hear from you
Do you have a story idea? Or have an experience and perspective you'd like to share?
Podcasts
Is There a Doctor in the House? What The Rise in Doctors Running for Election Tells Us About Our Health Crises
The pandemic has revealed the cracks in our public health system are gaping holes, with many...
Other Articles
The Best Jobs to Juggle with Medical School
Any university degree requires a lot of juggling, with the need to balance study alongside family...
How to Become a Surgeon: Your Questions Answered
Recently, MedicGuild wanted to hear your questions for our surgical registrar about surgical...
Do you have a story idea?
Submit your pitch here
All articles are paid.