Readers know that I have become rather obsessed with medical podcasts over the past 2 years. I host Annals on Call, and have appeared on The Curbsiders and the Clinical Problem Solvers. I admire Bedside Rounds and CoreIM in particular.

As I talk with students and residents, the enthusiasm for medical podcasts is growing and exciting. I personally get excited that our learners find podcasts a wonderful way to expand their medical knowledge. My peers listen to many podcasts. We often recommend podcasts and especially individual episodes to each other and our learners. Just yesterday we had a patient with true syncope. I immediately thought of a Clinical Problem Solvers episode – and shared the link with the students and interns.

Given our increasingly crazy schedules, learners cannot always attend even the best conferences. Some days are just so busy, that we cannot spend the time going to a conference.

Podcasts fit into our personal schedule when we want to listen. They cover a wide variety of medical topics. Often several podcasts will address the same topic in different ways. This allows us to hear different viewpoints on a topic.

We can listen to important podcasts more than once.

This asynchronous learning opportunity fits with commuting, running, walking, or even just sitting around at home. The flexibility of podcasts fits our lives when we are ready for them.

We, who develop podcasts, therefore have a great responsibility to provide our listeners high quality episodes. Like any conference, some episodes are better and more interesting than others. With podcasts, we can share our favorites with each other and our learners.

The American College of Physicians is now sponsoring CME/MOC credits for 4 podcasts. This demonstrates a response to ACP members. Many of my colleagues listen and use this opportunity to maintain their CME and/or MOC.

If you are not yet listening to podcasts, give a few a try. Feel free to ask me for my favorites. I love this movement!