The New Graduate’s Perspective on the Value of Podcasts
A review of the Therapy Insider Podcast.
By Benjamin White, PT, DPT
I got started listening to podcasts after my final clinical rotation. My clinical instructor, who was an expert clinician in the field of sports medicine, told me that “The best way to sound like an expert is to listen to experts.” Up until that point I had been reluctant to search out and find podcasts. With his encouragement and prodding I found myself downloading my first podcast, an episode by the British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM) on the clinical diagnoses and management of acute and chronic tendinopathy. At the time it was very relevant for my caseload, which was part of a rotation in the training department of a university. We were just starting to see athletes who were ramping up their track season while at the same time managing the residual injuries in athletes from the football season. As a student on a clinical rotation, I liked that I could listen to the various topics being covered and then compare and contrast how I would answer the questions posed to the guest as opposed to how they answered them. It was a great way to see where there may be differences in approach and really helped me to develop my clinical confidence.
Since completing my final rotation, I have downloaded and listened to just about everything on the iTunes podcast section related to physical therapy. While I still listen to the BJSM podcast and many others, my favorite has really been Therapy Insiders, hosted by Dr. Gene Shirokobrod, Dr. Joe Palmer, and Dr. Erson Religioso. Therapy Insiders makes a point of having experts in their respective field come in to talk about their practice. Usually these individuals are physical therapists who are either in a specialty practice or have a unique perspective on physical therapy. What really sets the content of Therapy Insiders apart is that they also bring in leaders in business development, social media, and individuals from other professions. Sometimes it is important to look outside of your industry to find solutions to problems of your own.
In a recent episode the show brought on Lee Cockerell, a former executive vice president of Disney World, to discuss ideas to enhance the customer experience. Of course the hosts turned the discussion to how these ideas can be used to enhance the patient experience for private practice physical therapy clinics, but the hosts also brought up ideas about Cockerell’s own experience as a small business owner and an author. Cockerell performs speaking engagements as well as seminars on leadership. The show discussed how he was able to overcome some of the challenges that come with owning and running a business and how to organically grow a business. The hosts of Therapy Insiders were able to take his business ownership experience and pull valuable information to apply back to physical therapy clinic ownership.
Many podcasts only have one host to talk with the guest, but Therapy Insiders has multiple hosts and occasionally guest hosts, which helps to keep the podcast moving along. (In other words, it’s never routine or dull!) Each host thinks about clinical and business situations a little bit differently, which allows the show to get the most out of each guest that they bring on. While the content in many other podcasts is great, BJSM for example, there is generally very little entertainment value. If you listen to more formal-sounding podcasts while doing chores or commuting, it is easy to get distracted and fade in and out of the conversation. But with a bit of entertainment factor, I find that Therapy Insiders is able to keep me interested even during the more technical discussions.
Because many of you are clinic owners, you may not have found the time to sift through and listen to the recent explosion of new podcasts. There are now hundreds related to physical therapy, health care, and business management. If you are looking for new information, or even old information in a new light, I highly recommend looking into Therapy Insiders for both clinical information as well as business ideas. You can find it on the iTunes podcast section or you can stream it from your computer on the Therapy Insider website.
Benjamin White, PT, DPT, is a physical therapist with Stanford Health Care on-site at Cisco Systems Inc. in San Jose, California. He can be reached by email at benjaminwhite@stanfordhealthcare.org or on Twitter @docbenwhite.