Reviewed by:
Former Admissions Committee Member, Hofstra-Northwell School of Medicine
Reviewed: 6/15/22
If you’re a pre-med student or considering medical school, there are fun ways to dip your toes without getting too serious. One way is to learn about the real experiences of doctors and medical students through podcasts.
Medical podcasts are easily accessible and are a relaxing way to learn more about the world of medicine in your downtime. If you’re unsure where to start, we’ve got you covered: we’ll review the best podcasts for future medical students. Let’s get started!
Without further adieu, let’s get into the best medical podcasts for pre-med students.
The Short Coat Podcast is a fun, honest, and “sleep deprived” look into the life of a medical student. The podcast is hosted by a band of med students from the University of Iowa and follows a “for students, by students” format. Episodes include interviews, the latest medical news, and helpful advice for new students.
We recommend the Short Coat podcast to pre-med students looking to calm their nerves. The breezy, conversational tone of the podcast is bound to set your mind at ease if you’re thinking about the challenges of medical school.
Hearing the student's perspectives shows that many students have the same questions and are all exhausted and in this together.
The Talking U and Med Student Life podcast offers admission tips from the University of Utah Health’s:
While most episodes focus on med school prep and culture, some discuss residency life and preparation. The podcast is hosted by Dr. Benjamin Chan, the Assistant Dean of Admissions at UUSOM. It’s recommended for anyone interested in a career in medicine from high school and beyond.
The moving Dear Premed podcast is brought to us by Dr. Mary Tate, a passionate fourth-year medical student at Harvard University. In her monthly episodes, Tate asks current medical students to write letters to their premed selves containing the advice they’ve accumulated.
The letters typically describe their journey through medical school, with a special focus on the bumps along the way.
Episode topics in this med student podcast include attending medical school while facing adversity. Guests discuss their challenges with poverty, learning disabilities, immigration, and more. Dear Premed is highly rated and is described as inspiring, insightful, and motivational.
If you’re interested in storytelling, the Academic Medicine Podcast may be for you. Each episode consists of a short story told by a medical student, resident, clinician, or educator about a moment in their medical journey. The stories often describe the feelings of doctors as they treat patients.
The listener gets insight into the health professionals' thought processes as they encounter adversity. This podcast is an excellent choice for anyone interested in medical stories.
The Undifferentiated Medical Student (or “TUMS”) podcast features interviews, tips, and strategies to help medical students plan their careers. Founder and host Dr. Ian Drummond is an MD/MBA graduate passionate about the lack of mentorship available for medical students today.
The podcast focuses on career planning and helping medical students decide what specialty to enter during residency. Drummond’s guests and insights may help map out your medical journey.
Kendall Britta, MD, and Amy Rogers, MD, cohosts of the 2 Docs Talk podcast, discuss current issues in medicine and health policy. The doctors examine hot topics, including current vaccine debates, physician shortages, SSRIs, and more.
You may be asked about current medical issues during your medical school interview. 2 Docs Talk is a great resource for medical news; it offers insights into current issues that could help form your responses.
Are you studying for the MCAT? Try listening to The MCAT podcast! This podcast for pre-meds deep dives into the MCAT, from creating test prep schedules to common mistakes. Oh, and did we mention it’s free?
As one of the longest, The MCAT Podcast currently has over 250 episodes uploaded weekly and packed with useful tips. If you’re gearing up to take the test, we recommend taking a look (and a listen).
For our Canadian readers, there’s the Pluripotent Premed podcast. Hosted by third-year medical students Ziad and Christopher, this podcast is a great option for pre-meds considering Canadian medical schools.
The two hosts tackle major medical school challenges, such as the MCAT, med school interviews, work-life balance, and more.
This podcast is well-rated and has been called Canada’s best podcast for medical students and pre-meds by some of its listeners. If you’re looking for a Canadian pre-med podcast to guide you, this may be the one for you.
The OldPreMeds Podcast is a more serious look into applying to med school at a non-traditional age. Many pre-med students don’t follow the traditional timeline, and this podcast exists to give these students useful tips and tools.
The All Access: Med School Admissions podcast is dedicated to simplifying the med school admissions process. The podcast is hosted by admissions expert Christian Essman, Senior Director of Admissions & Financial Aid at Case Western Reserve University.
The episodes include guests from other med schools talking about their program’s admissions process. Essman’s goal is to:
“bring transparency to the medical school application process and help prospective applicants put themselves in the best position to be a competitive applicant.”
If you already hear about medicine all day, you may be wondering, “why would I listen to medical podcasts?”
Well, everybody does things to unwind after a long day. Perhaps you have a favorite show or other non-medical podcasts you like to listen to, which is important to help you relax. However, medical podcasts can be both relaxing and informative. There’s no harm in finding a podcast you like that may also teach you a thing or two!
Another reason to listen to medical podcasts for students is to hear the real experiences of medical professionals. This can be inspiring and give you insight into different medical specialties, residencies, and medical schools.
Interviews and conversations with medical professionals can help you feel connected to the medical community and calm your nerves about fitting in. Essentially, there are many benefits to listening to med school podcasts as a pre-med student.
Even though you may already hear a lot about medical school in your daily life, there may be some new information you could absorb in a relaxing way through an interesting med school podcast.
Here we’ve included some frequently asked questions about medical school podcasts.
As with any source on the internet, you should verify the information before actively following along. Podcasts for med students (or future students) created by or affiliated with a trusted medical university or organization are often reliable sources of information.
Medical podcasts, interviews, articles, volunteerism, and clubs are excellent ways to better understand medical school culture in your pre-med or junior years.
2 Docs Talk is a great podcast for keeping up with medical news, as well as The Future of Healthcare podcast and The Daily Medical News.
Whether you’re a pre-med student, an ambitious high schooler, or simply curious about the medical school process, our list is full of fun and interesting podcasts.
While you can listen to anything, expanding your knowledge by listening to a med school podcast shows your commitment and further develops your interest in medicine.
If you’re heading into the medical school admissions process, it’s important to stay updated on medical news. Choose podcasts that discuss weekly updates on current situations in the medical world. This information may come up in your interview, so it’s best to stay informed.
Storytime or interview podcasts are better for casual listening or grasping medical school culture. Ultimately, you can’t go wrong with a medical podcast. Happy listening!
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