At a small hospital, or working remotely, a registrar can often be the only inhabitant of a small office, hungry for the sound of other voices; and I usually enjoy having something playing in the background. But, I avoid videos, movies, and television, which tend to encourage my eyeballs to wander. Though I usually start my day by streaming a morning news program (and listening to the stories repeat themselves), I was on the lookout for additional background “filler”.
One day, I pressed the icon on my smart phone for podcasts, and came across an embarrassment of choices, loosely grouped into categories; and free!
So, what is a podcast? (I confess, I didn’t know!) Apparently, a short segment of information or storytelling on a topic that the “podcaster” finds interesting or fascinating and wants to share with others. Sort of an audio “blog”, or maybe closer to the old time serial radio shows in some cases. Some are updated daily, some weekly, some have only a pre-determined number of episodes- endless variety. One can subscribe to the podcast, or download episodes. I really like the fact that they are “re-windable” and well-suited to a patchy attention span.
To enhance business development, there are a number of podcasts out there that address business oriented topics. Possibilities include: TEDTalks Business, Leadership Podcasts from Leadernetwork.org, Freakonomics, Slate’s Negotiation Academy, Innovation and Leadership, or, (a personal favorite) Revisionist History, by Malcolm Gladwell.
There are podcasts that focus on cancer, both generally, and site specifically (Cancer Conference Update, Cancer Care Podcast/Memorial Sloan Kettering, Cancer News Review-Johns Hopkins, Cancer Survival Toolbox, Breast Cancer Update, Multiple Myeloma Cancer Care Connect Education Workshop).
For your free time, there are podcasts on history, politics, comedy and even…ghost stories. The range of material really is remarkable.
And, when the day is done, there is even one called: Sleep With Me-The Podcast That Puts You to Sleep.