Are you an avid auditory learner? I’m slightly obsessed with podcasts. I tend to go on benders based on what is going on in my life. I listened exclusively to travel podcasts for eighteen months when I planned a European trip a few years ago. I have always liked to use podcasts as an adjunct to my professional education. IMO it’s hard to utilize them exclusively just because the search functions are not as robust (there’s a lot to dig through to find one talk about a subject like normal labs, etc) and the content is long. But, once you find a quality show that addresses your specific population it’s great to listen to on a more regular basis (versus a search approach). The nuggets of wisdom you can garner from these discussions can greatly impact your practice. You may have to be willing to wait for them, but if you were going to be doing the dishes anyway, why not multi-task? In this post I will share my favorite podcasts (which are mostly ICU): what I love about them and how I use the info in my career as an ICU nurse practitioner.

In no particular order

1. EmCrit

   Dr. Scott Weingart is the creator/editor of this famous blog/podcast. He is an emergency medicine intensivist and has his feet in both worlds. Scott is an ED Intensivist as he sees patients in the ER of critical care severity. As such, his approach is unique and I love how he educates from the range of field resuscitation to diagnosis (pt just walked in the door and we have no clue what’s going on) to management. He presents bread and butter critical care and breaks down the fundamental education required to start a career in the management of critical patients. He also presents the rare stuff, and the outside-the-box management you’ve never heard before.

2. Pulm-Crit

   Dr. Josh Farkas and critical care intensivist Dr. Adam Thomas co-host this show which shines in part because of the quality content and in part because of ease of use. The blog pulm crit was devised as an offshoot of Emcrit with a focus highly specified to ICU care. Dr. Farkas has authored an internet book which he rolls out in small chapters with an associated podcast. If you are wanting to hear about a specific topic related to critical care it will be very easy to find this info. They also have a comical, albeit nerdy (in the most endearing way) commentary. I enjoy the discussions and always walk away feeling more knowledgable. For a particularly relevant topic I will open a note on my phone and start documenting the takeaways. This allows for easy retrieval when needed.

3. IDSA

   The Infectious Diseases Society of America has wonderful content and as we will have a heavy focus on treating sepsis this is a subject we should be familiar with. Guidelines are produced by this organization and as such most of your testing (in school and on boards) will come from here. I found antibiotic education cumbersome and hard to retain while in training. I was able to streamline the material by focusing on guidelines and thinking of antibiotic selection by disease rather than trying to memorize broad classes of medications. The IDSA website is a goldmine of info to help you. Print PDF’s of the guidelines, read the blogs, listen to the podcasts. All very helpful for your practice.

4. Saving Lives

   Do you despise interpreting research articles? My favorite way to consume and decipher the lastest in evidence based medicine is with a journal club or the help of some trusted professionals. Dr. Eddie Joe Gutierrez hosts this podcast which breaks down the latest and greatest research to come out in the world of critical care medicine. It is always a good idea to cross check, do your own research and form your own assessment, but he offers a wonderful starting off perspective.

5. Dantastic Mr. Tox and Howard

   This one is so entertaining. Toxicologists Howard Greller and Dan Rusyniak talk all things medical toxicology. We all know an astounding proportion of our patients have some type of polypharmacy or recreational drug overdose complicating or driving the problems. These guys review the basic and a lot of the rare stuff from the perspective of physicians who do this every day. Leveling up your toxicology knowledge base will give you much more confidence in what poison control offers and offer a deeper understanding into the complexities of critical care medicine.

6. Critical Care Scenarios

   A PA and NP walk into a bar… Or something even better than that. Two critical care focused providers seek to educate and inform providers of all walks of life, and they do it well. If you learn well by case presentations, this is the podcast for you. Each case has accompanying expert guests and a nicely organized outline which I advise archiving for reference. They cover each topic thoroughly, so the next time you encounter a pleural effusion you will know exactly what to do. I wish they had been around when I was a novice. Cannot recommend subscribing to this podcast enough!

7. Trauma ICU Rounds

   If you are working for a trauma service you probably already know Dr. Dennis Kim. Active on tiktok with quality content; he also produces a very educational podcast discussing all things trauma intensivist management. It’s an easy listen and great content to keep notes on for later reference. I find his material extremely helpful.

8. The Elite NP

   The Elite NP is the brainchild of Justin Allen. If you are looking to branch out of the ICU, perhaps start your own niche practice this is THE leading expert in how to accomplish this. He offers tons of free content on his blog and each week interviews an NP showcasing their story/struggles/concerns about opening a practice and offers them feedback. He also sells many courses which teach you A to Z nuts and bolts of how to go about this insurmountable task. Awesome show to add to your library!

What did I miss? Do you have favorites? I’m always on the lookout for new audio content, the dishes won’t get done otherwise…