Podcasts That Got Me Through PA School

Podcasts are such an easy, accessible, and, unfortunately, sometimes underappreciated resource. Through didactic year, my roommates and I tried to find some balance in our lives by doing as much as we could that was not related to studying in the spare time that we made ourselves take. This would include going ice skating at Dilworth Park, going to local restaurants, dive bars, lounging on our apartment rooftop, and going to the gym. However, no matter what, we always felt guilty we weren't studying. Unless you're on break, there really is no "free time" in PA school. You just have to be comfortable that you've worked ahead enough for that day that you feel a little better about forcing yourself to take a break. I will stress, study breaks are S U P E R important as a prep to recuperate yourself for the next day (and the next, and the next, etc.) for endless lectures, tests, and studying.

One of the resources that helped me find this balance was listening to podcasts. I would listen to them as I walked to class, the library, a coffee shop, or even when I was working out. It was a small, yet easy way to lessen the guilt of enjoying my time and feeling like I was still passively studying.

As I transitioned out of didactic year into clinical year, and now, even into my clinical post-graduate career, I still find podcasts part of my routine. Now, I listen to a medical podcast on my way to and from work while driving in the car, or, even during travel with long car rides or killing time in an airport.

There are many great podcasts out there and I'm sure there are many more than what I mention here that I have yet to discover. However, I'm hoping sharing what helped me in didactic, clinical year, and post-graduate life will help you, too: giving you a sense of study freedom to be able to enjoy more moments for yourself.

Please share what medical podcasts you enjoy in the comments of this post!

Didactic Year

1. MedGeeks

2. Peds in a POD

Clinical Year

PANCE

Post-Grad Years