iPad podcast support

Does it even really exist? I can't figure out how to easily get to podcasts without having to dig to them everytime, on my phone I just customize the toolbar put a button on the music screen making it easier to get to. I also can't figure out how to tell if I've already listeded to an entire podcast no indicator like on the phone. Try as I might I also can't get it to continuously play from one podcast to the next. Am I missing somethign here or did apple just drop the ball here for some odd reason.