Podcasts for Exam Prep: The Commuter's Curriculum

Visual Element: A graphic showing a car dashboard with a "Play" button, listing the top 5 podcasts on the screen.

The modern surgical resident lives a life of time famine. Between early rounds, late cases, and on-call shifts, "study time" is a luxury. Yet, there is one hidden pocket of time that goes unutilized: The Commute.

If you drive 30 minutes each way to work, that is 5 hours a week. Over a 48-week year, that is 240 hours of potential learning. That is the equivalent of reading Campbell's Operative Orthopaedics cover-to-cover.

Podcasts have revolutionized medical education (FOAMed). They allow you to absorb high-yield information, hear expert debates, and learn the "language" of the exam while stuck in traffic.

The Strategy: Active vs. Passive Listening

Listening to a podcast while driving is dangerous—not for your driving, but for your retention. It is easy to zone out. You need to make it Active.

1. The "Pause and Predict" Method

This is the single most effective audio-learning technique.

• The Scenario: The host asks the guest, "So Dr. Smith, you have a 25-year-old male with a Pipkin IV fracture. How do you approach this?"
• The Pause: HIT PAUSE.
• The Prediction: Answer the question out loud. "Okay, Pipkin IV is a femoral head fracture with acetabular rim fracture. I would use a Kocher-Langenbeck approach..."
• The Feedback: Hit play. Did Dr. Smith agree with you? If yes, reinforcement. If no, you just identified a knowledge gap.

2. The Voice Memo Summary

When you park your car at the hospital, do not just get out. Spend 60 seconds recording a voice memo on your phone summarizing the 3 key pearls you learned. The act of retrieval consolidates the memory.

The Curated Playlist: Best of the Best

Not all podcasts are created equal. Some are "Edutainment"; others are hardcore board review.

For Board Review (The High Yield)

1. OrthoBullets Podcast: The gold standard. Daily episodes covering specific topics. They are dry, factual, and dense. Perfect for rapid-fire repetition.
   • Best use: Listen to the "Trauma" playlist on repeat before your trauma rotation.
2. White Coat Coaching: Focuses on the FRCS/Board exam technique. Not just what to know, but how to say it.
   • Best use: The weeks leading up to the oral exam.

For Subspecialty Deep Dives

1. Nailed It: The Orthopaedic Surgery Podcast. Excellent deep dives into specific papers and controversies. Very conversational but high level.
   • Best use: keeping up to date with current concepts.
2. The Ortho Show: Interviews with legends in the field.
   • Best use: Understanding the history and "culture" of orthopaedics. Good for long drives.

For General Surgery / Trauma

1. Behind the Knife: The #1 surgery podcast. While general surgery focused, their trauma episodes (ATLS, resuscitation) are gold for orthopods.

The "Commuter's Curriculum"

Don't just listen randomly. Build a curriculum.

• Monday (Trauma): Listen to a podcast on the specific fractures you saw on call this weekend.
• Wednesday (Anatomy): Listen to an anatomy review of the region you are operating on tomorrow.
• Friday (Wellness): Listen to something non-medical. Financial planning, leadership, or just comedy. Burnout prevention is part of prep.

Conclusion

Turn your car into a classroom. But remember, audio learning is a supplement, not a substitute. You still need to read the books and see the patients. Podcasts are the "glue" that fills the cracks in your day.

Spotify Playlist

Follow our 'OrthoVellum High Yield' playlist on Spotify, updated weekly.