Five podcasts every medical student should listen to

Podcasts are fast gaining popularity, particularly among young people. There's a dizzying array to choose from—with over 700 000 shows and 29 million episodes available online as of August 2019.1 Not only can you find a podcast on nearly every imaginable topic, but (with a few exceptions) they're free to download.

BMJ Student makes a podcast for medical students and newly qualified doctors, Sharp Scratch (bmj.com/sharpscratch), and there are hundreds of other medical podcasts on Apple podcasts. A lot are very specialised—ideal for consultants and registrars making difficult management decisions, but not always relevant for medical students. To make life easier for you, I sampled about 30 medical podcasts and picked out five great podcasts to make that long commute to placement a bit easier.