As I said in my translation specialisms post, one of my specialisms is medicine. I chose medicine, because I have a history working within the medical field (I have provided medical role-play from 2012 and I write copy on medical devices) and I am interested in helping people. In this post, I want to showcase some resources that have helped me as someone with an interest in medicine, but who is not a direct member of the medical field. Please let me know if you have any more recommendations!
Podcasts
Medical podcasts are one of my favourite ways of learning about medicine. I’m a bit of an aural learner, so this format really works for me. I haven’t found many, so if you have any recommendations, let me know in the comments!
Sawbones
This is a fantastic podcast about the history of medicine. Despite that, the episodes are very topical – for instance, at the moment they are focusing on Black Lives Matter and COVID-19. It’s presented in a comedic format by a real doctor so it is informative, accessible and entertaining.
Feel Better, Live More
This is a podcast by the wonderful Dr Rangan Chatterjee, a GP based in the UK. He talks about health from a holistic standpoint – what you can do in your day-to-day life to improve your health. He interviews different guests in the health sphere to learn about how we can approach health from a more rounded view. Very insightful and useful!
The Gut Loving Podcast
This is a great one for anyone who is particularly interested in gut health and IBS. A registered dietician in the UK, Laura Hilt guides us through a variety of diagnoses and treatments relating to IBS.
YouTube
There are some fantastic influencers out there who give insights into the life of doctors!
Doctor Mike
Doctor Mike is a family doctor in the US. He talks about current health issues, reacts to medical memes and discusses what it’s like being a doctor.
Violin MD
Violin MD is the handle of Siobhan, a doctor based in Canada. She does Days in the Life of a doctor on call and talks about interesting and unusual cases in medical journals.
Crash Course
Crash Course is a fantastic resource for learning the basics about all kinds of things, including medicine, history, science and English literature. I would recommend checking out the courses on Anatomy and Physiology, Biology and Chemistry, if you have an interest in medicine.
Books
Anatomy and Physiology for Dummies
The ‘for Dummies’ series is useful if you want a crash course in anything and this book is no exception.
Anatomy and Physiology for Dummies Workbook
This is a great accompaniment to the abovementioned book, as it is full of exercises to test your knowledge.
The Sawbones Book
Written to by the authors of the Sawbones podcast, this is a great companion and a fantastic way to learn about medical history.
Period Power
This is a great handbook to learn more about periods and women’s reproductive system. I would recommend that all women read this to learn more about their bodies, not just if they have a medical interest. If you’re interested in learning more, you can check out my full review on my lifestyle blog here.
Journals
If you’re interested in more scientific texts, the British Medical Journal is a great place to start – it’s full of lots of very interesting articles on new studies and current issues.
BONUS
And for a little bit of fun while still having a bit of medicine behind it, I would totally recommend watching Scrubs (available on All 4) and Greys Anatomy (available on Amazon Prime Video). Of course, they are nowhere near 100% accurate, but they should help you get a handle on the lingo and they’re fun!
If you need any medical texts translating, please don’t hesitate to contact me on verity.roat@cantab.net or 07740031695 for a free, no obligation quote.
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