The Role of Podcasts in Co- and Extracurricular Learning

As medical students who have used podcasts throughout medical school, we agree with McCarthy and colleagues that podcasts have strong potential as a supplement to existing medical school curricula. ¹ However, medical student podcast usage is not solely limited to learning for medical school and National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) exams. Below, we present anecdotal observations on using podcasts for co- and extracurricular learning to illustrate their usefulness as accessible and flexible learning tools beyond medical school curricula.

Podcasts offer a wealth of free information on a variety of topics that are not typically covered in traditional medical education. For example, Freakonomics, MD addresses issues at the intersection of economics and health care through analyzing peer-reviewed studies.² This podcast has been invaluable in expanding our understanding of the economic forces at play within and outside the health care system—an area not typically covered in medical school. As an MD/MPH student planning to pursue an MBA, L.K.W. found the evaluation of resource management and health disparities particularly important.

Another podcast we have found to be useful is Money Meets Medicine. ³ This podcast provides financial advice for doctors, with a focus on managing student loans, achieving financial independence, investing for retirement, and decreasing financial stress and burnout. We have found this podcast to be pragmatically insightful, especially considering the limited financial education we have received thus far at our respective institutions.

While podcasts are not a replacement for traditional medical education, they can be used to enhance and complement traditional methods, providing students with flexible ways of learning and engagement. For medical students, podcasts can not only function as a supplementary curricular resource, but also serve as a method to facilitate personal and professional growth (Table 1). We thank McCarthy and colleagues for sharing their insights and encourage future studies to similarly assess podcasts used for extra- and cocurricular learning.