They Will Always Be Listening- Utilizing Podcasts in Your Curriculum and Personal Life for Continued Learning (1 Class A CE)

A podcast is an audio medium of digital files made available for downloading, streaming, or listening on your smartphone or any device connected to the internet. Most podcasts are open-sourced, FREE, and on demand. Podcasting has grown since it began in the early 2000s, with an unprecedented explosion during Covid. Over 100 million people in the US listen to podcasts, and the popularity of podcasts is predicted to rise to 160 million listeners in 2023.

Beyond the Mask is a podcast that started broadcasting in late 2018 and focuses on the CRNA community, cohosted by Sharon Pearce, DNP, CRNA, FAANA, and Jeremy Stanley, EA, CFP, AIF. The podcast is number one among CRNAs, averaging 7-10,000 downloads per episode, heard in over 120 countries, and on track to surpass a million downloads in 2022. The episode series consists of CRNA personal finance, political conversations, career discussions, and conversations with past presidents of the AANA on leadership. In addition, a popular series among students is the Historical Series with Sandy Maree Ouellette and Nancy Maree on the history of the AANA, its pioneers, landmark cases, and events defining the profession.

Podcasting is a relatively new technology that presents a benefit for utilization in a curriculum for teaching. It enables the student to listen to content at their own pace, wherever and whenever they choose. The flexibility of podcast listening has significant potential as an innovative learning tool for CRNA programs as well as for CRNAs for continued learning.