Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
Listening to medical podcasts is now a standard part of a physician’s life. In a small-sample Sermo poll, 74% of physicians reported tuning in and as one general practitioner put it, podcasts “have become a helpful and valuable tool in many aspects.”
When asked which ones were worth a listen, TED Talks Health, Huberman Lab, JAMA Clinical Reviews and The White Coat Investor were popular choices, though many physicians named niche medical shows that never make a generic “top-10” list.
The challenge for clinicians is sorting the noise from the ones worth regularly tuning in to. There are thousands of shows to choose from, many are inconsistent in quality or cadence, and most “top 10” lists online are usually written by marketers rather than other clinicians.
This guide takes a different approach, organized by what physicians actually want from a show, whether that’s clinical updates, career and money guidance, burnout support, a niche specialty show or just something entertaining. In practice, the best medical podcasts aren’t going to be one singular ranked list but rather a handful of category leaders, each serving a different goal.
Most of the recommendations below have surfaced in conversations among physicians on Sermo, where colleagues compare notes by specialty every day. Join the community to see what your peers are listening to.
Best medical podcasts for clinical education and CME
Physicians often seek podcasts for concise, high‑value clinical updates. These programs focus on evidence‑based practice, practical management tips, and many offer ACCME‑accredited CME you can apply toward maintenance requirements. Many also examine how care delivery is changing, from new guidelines to the growth of telehealth.
- JAMA Clinical Reviews: Produced by the Journal of the American Medical Association, this recommendation is common among physicians on Sermo. Each episode breaks down clinical evidence, new guidelines, and practice-changing research in a concise format, and CME credit is available.
- The Curbsiders Internal Medicine Podcast: One of the most popular clinical shows for internists and hospitalists, built around real cases with expert guests. It stays focused on high-yield topics likely to come up on your next shift, with CME credit available.
- The Dose by Mayo Clinic: Produced by Mayo Clinic’s own clinicians, it covers current clinical topics and emerging research with the institutional weight you would expect from the name.
If CME is the priority, JAMA Clinical Reviews and The Curbsiders are the two to bookmark first. An ophthalmologist on Sermo had advice for this category: “For physicians seeking high-quality content, I recommend podcasts like The Curbsiders, NEJM This Week, and JAMA Clinical Reviews, which provide evidence-based insights, clinical updates, and career guidance.”
Specialty-specific clinical podcasts
Many physicians find value in listening to niche, specialty-specific shows that never make a generic podcast list. A few worth mentioning include:
- EM:RAP: A long-running emergency medicine show with CME credit available.
- CardioNerds: Peer-reviewed cardiology content built around teaching cases.
- Behind the Knife: A surgery show with a big following among trainees and attendings alike.
- Frankly Speaking About Family Medicine: Covering newsworthy topics in primary care. One family medicine physician on Sermo recommended, “look up Dr Frank Domino, he is a requested mainstage speaker at AAFP conferences, he is editor in chief of the 5 Minute Clinical Consult, and has a great podcast ‘Frankly Speaking About Family Medicine.'”
An anesthesiologist on Sermo shared a few of their own top picks, “‘Block it Like it Hot’ podcast is great for regional anesthesia. ‘Anesthesia Patient Safety’ podcast is a great resource on patient safety. These are obviously very anesthesia specific. But I do learn a lot from Dr. Glaucomflecken’s YouTube channel. He presents medical current events in his very humorous way.”
Within your own specialty, the fastest way to find a quality podcast is to ask colleagues in your field what they listen to. That peer-to-peer discovery is exactly what happens in communities like Sermo.
Best medical podcasts for entertainment
Sometimes you want to engage with medicine without it feeling like another clinical task in your day. These shows mix high-quality medical content with an enjoyable format that makes you forget you’re learning something:
- Sawbones (A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine): A husband-and-wife show digging through the strange history of medicine, from trepanation to radioactive toothpaste. It’s funny, well-researched, and educational in spite of itself. As one Sermo team member put it, “I really like Sawbones, too, it’s weird medical stories as told by a physician while her (non-physician) husband reacts in really funny ways.”
- The Podcast by KevinMD: Physician stories about the human side of practice, from burnout and memorable patient encounters to career pivots. It leans less on clinical data and more on the experiences physicians recognize in their own careers, which makes it a good listen when you want something relatable.
- Bedside Rounds: Weird and wonderful medical history told through individual stories and cases.
- Dr. Death: Investigative true crime set inside the healthcare system, following the story of a charming cowboy surgeon.
When you’re choosing entertainment shows, the ones hosted or co-hosted by physicians tend to land best. For many physicians, the appeal of medical entertainment podcasts is in seeing their own world reflected back accurately.
Best medical podcasts for physician career & finance
Medical training covers very little of the business side of being a doctor. These shows fill that gap, from student loans to contract terms and building income outside the clinic.
- The White Coat Investor Podcast: Named by a number of physicians on Sermo and one of the best-known names in US physician finance, it covers student loans, investing, retirement, disability insurance, and contract negotiation, and more. The content is useful at any career stage, from residents navigating debt to attending physicians fine-tuning their retirement plans.
- Inside the Doctor’s Lounge: Hosted by Dr. Nisha Mehta—founder of Physician Side Gigs—this podcast provides practical takes on supplemental income and non-clinical work.
- Docs Outside the Box: Profiles physicians who built careers beyond clinical practice, including startups, policy, media, investing, and consulting. Worth a listen if you’re curious about non-clinical paths.
- The Doctor Podcast: A UK-focused look at physician careers by the British Medical Association.
For finance and career planning specifically, this short list is a just starting place. The best physician finance podcasts will often be specific to your specialty, region, and career stage.
A radiologist on Sermo flagged one of their favorites, “The Money Scope podcast is a great resource for MDs. One of the hosts is an MD. While some of the content is Canada-centric its lessons are valuable for any physician interested in improving their financial literacy.”
Best medical podcasts for wellness & burnout prevention
Burnout is one of the most discussed topics among physicians, and these shows take it on directly with practical, empathetic guidance.
- The Whole Physician Podcast: Focused on work-life balance, burnout, and building a career you can actually sustain. A solid fit if you want practical guidance from people who understand the pressure.
- NHS Practitioner Health Wellbeing: Expert speakers discuss the challenges of managing mental health and wellbeing as a healthcare professional across England.
- The Happy Doc: Physician-hosted conversations on well-being and fulfillment.
One thing worth watching for in this category is that “wellness” podcasts can sometimes really be coaching-business funnels in disguise. Prioritize shows backed by medical associations or hosted by physicians with real clinical experience.
Best medical podcasts for science and research
If you want to keep up with new findings and where medicine is heading overall, these shows deliver. They’re also a natural way to follow how innovations like AI tools are reshaping research and diagnosis.
- TED Talks Health: Named by several physicians on Sermo,these short, accessible talks from leading researchers and clinicians are ideal for a big-picture perspective when you don’t have time for a deep dive.
- Huberman Lab: Deep dives into neuroscience, performance, and health science, with notable episodes on sleep, stress, hormones, and cognition.
- NEJM This Week: Weekly highlights from the New England Journal of Medicine.
- The Lancet Voice: Discussion and analysis tied to research from The Lancet.
- Nature Podcast: Broader science coverage with regular medical relevance.
How to choose the right medical podcast for your needs
With this many solid options, the real question isn’t which show is best overall, but which one fits the gap you’re trying to fill when listening to a podcast.
Start with practical limits, such as the length of your listening window. A 20-minute commute fits a journal recap or a single TED talk, while a long workout has room for a Curbsiders case or a full Huberman episode. If chipping away at MOC hours is the priority, filter for the accredited CME shows first.
From there, look for institutional backing, a peer-review process, or a host with real clinical credentials. For specialty-specific shows that rarely make it to directory rankings, a colleague in your field can steer you better than any generic list. That’s a big part of what physicians use Sermo for, and a question posted to your specialty group will often surface shows you would never have found on your own.
There is also certainly no rule that every minute of your downtime has to be productive as a physician; podcasts can be purely for entertainment. As one pediatrician on Sermo noted about listening while driving, “I like historical perspectives, clinical updates, new drugs, ethics and revision primers. However driving is also a period of downtime so it is important to also listen to music and non-medical podcasts.”
Why physicians are turning to medical podcasts
Global podcast listenership reached 584 million in 2025 and is on track for 619 million in 2026, and adoption is climbing across age groups, with weekly listening among the 55-and-older audience up to 27% from 19% the year before.
Aside from entertainment value and listening to perspectives that only another physician can relate to, podcasts offer a way to stay connected to the medical world. Commutes, workouts, and errands become a chance to stay current on medical news and advancements without adding a study block to your week, and since several shows now offer ACCME-accredited credit, that morning commute can even serve double duty. A psychiatrist on Sermo kept it short: “I love podcasts, especially while driving.”
For physicians in solo or rural practice without many peers nearby, podcasts can also help reduce professional isolation by providing a steady connection to colleagues working through the same problems.
Sermo members describe it as something that fits naturally into the rest of their day. “I have started enjoying walking. Listening to various podcasts helps relaxing and keeps focus,” said one OB-GYN on Sermo.
Key Takeaways
- Most physicians on Sermo listen to podcasts, but the named favorites cover only part of the field.
- The strongest shows sort into a few clear categories spanning clinical and CME, career and finance, wellness, science, and specialty-specific picks.
- Institutional backing or a peer-review process is the fastest way to tell a quality, evidence-based show from a commercial one.
- The best show for your specialty usually comes from a colleague recommendation, not a ranking.
The best medical podcast is the one that fits your week
Medical podcasts have become a normal part of how physicians stay current, and discussions on Sermo back that up. The market is crowded and uneven, though, so the best approach is building a small rotation that matches your needs. Pick one or two shows for each category you’re interested in, favor the ones with institutional backing or hosted by a physician, and let colleagues point you toward the niche shows worth your time.
On Sermo, doctors swap podcast picks, surface specialty shows you won’t find ranked anywhere, and earn supplemental income through paid medical surveys while they’re at it.
Join the community to find your next podcast lineup.
