A Dynamic Practice and Passion Projects to Avoid Burnout
It’s no secret that provider burnout is a prevalent issue in medicine. Mental health is important, especially in the urologic community, where 63.6% of practicing urologists report feelings of burnout. There are many ways to deal with burnout. (Nauhein et al, UCNA, 2021) Some are fairly implementable such as exercising, spending time with family and friends, and developing a “passion project”. While others may be logistically more challenging, including changing jobs or switching to part time.
Oftentimes, a person’s practice –whether academic or private practice– can take on a very routine, adynamic nature that is perhaps not as fulfilling or satisfying as it once was. Put another way, one’s profession can transition from being their livelihood to become their job. I will share my experience with an educational podcast that I co-host, Backtable Urology, and how it has provided me with an extremely satisfying and novel way to educate urologists and aspiring urologists.
In 2016, Dr. Aaron Fritts and Dr. Gopi Shah founded BackTable as a medical education platform for physicians in practice to exchange practical information to help with their day-to-day. The startup eventually evolved to become a multispecialty podcast network with individual shows covering Vascular and Interventional specialties, Otolaryngology, Urology, and most recently, a Medtech Innovation show.
I became a co-host for the BackTable Urology podcast in April 2021 alongside Dr. Jose Silva, and we just celebrated our one-year podcast anniversary. We invite thought leaders from the field of urology to engage in deeper discussions about surgical procedures, management of complex urologic patients, leadership practices, and many more interesting topics.
As an academic urologist, teaching and education are part and parcel of my mission. For a variety of reasons–better technology, COVID-19, unmanageable amounts of new and existing information– education is evolving. BackTable Urology was a very appealing opportunity to help provide a contemporary educational medium that was in line with how many people are currently educating themselves.
I pursued the co-host position at BackTable Urology because I saw it as a unique opportunity to develop a passion project. To me, the podcast allows me to express my own creativity by talking to new guests about a diverse array of topics as well as facilitating the flow of ideas and knowledge within the urologic community. Essentially, it is an opportunity to talk to interesting and very bright people about topics that are relevant to our field. I wanted to provide some practical information that oftentimes is hard to tease out from textbooks, manuscripts, and lectures. Personally, I have found that I truly enjoy preparing for podcasts, having an educational experience with the guests, working with an amazing team at Backtable, and of course talking to inspiring people for 30-45 minutes! I feel happier, healthier, and more productive at work because of this passion project. Thankfully, I am inspired, not taxed, by the additional efforts of this podcast.
Additionally, podcasting has helped me educate patients before they come to see me for consults and procedures, demonstrate my knowledge and skill set to referring doctors, and share practice-building tips with my colleagues.
Podcasts are quickly becoming a leading platform for entertainment and education—research has shown that 50% of all US homes are podcast fans, and 32% of Americans listened to at least one podcast in the last month. (Statista) I attribute the rise in podcast listenership to its ease of consumption—people can learn something important and interesting while working out in the gym or commuting to work in the morning.
For anyone wanting to start a podcast, I would recommend picking a niche for your podcast. You need to decide- Is the purpose of your podcast to provide patient education, to provide physician education, or to serve another purpose entirely? Once you narrow down your topic, you’ll be able to cater to your specific audience, which is the next step. Once you have a clear direction, it will be easier to map out podcast episode topics and invite quality guests.
In terms of specific equipment, you will need, having a laptop, hard-wired internet access, a good microphone, headphones, and a recording service are important. Once you record your first episodes, I recommend sending the recording to friends, family, and colleagues in order to receive honest feedback. Don’t be intimidated by the process! There are excellent do it yourself resources out there that make it totally digestible!
Quantitatively, we assess success through the number of total listeners and listens per episode, sponsorship opportunities, website/social media traffic, and audience ratings. In the past several months, the BackTable Urology podcast reached more than 40,000 listeners. It’s definitely interesting to assess which episode topics and guests are most popular among our different geographic/demographic groups of listeners.
Undoubtedly, the personal satisfaction I get from hearing positive feedback from trainees, practicing urologists, and patients is the success. I really value community feedback when gauging the success of BackTable Urology. Because our goal is to serve the urologic community, the listenership of urology faculty, residents, and interested medical students matter greatly to Dr. Silva and me. Our goal is to disseminate information that is useful and engaging to these groups, and we always welcome their feedback and recommendations.
Written by: Aditya Bagrodia, MD, Urologic Oncologist, Associate Professor of Urology, UC San Diego Health, and Adjunct Professor of Urology, UT Southwestern
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Backtable Urology Podcast