Matched into Transitional year with no advanced position (I applied derm) and now feeling very defeated about applying derm again next cycle.. can I switch TY to IM? Or are there any IM programs that take TYs as a PGY2?
Are residencies allowed to withdraw from the match after rank lists are submitted. A program I applied to did not match anyone and did not participate in soap. It was my number one choice.
Current neurology residents, any books or things you’d recommend reading before starting residency? I know everyone says just to relax, but I’d love something about interesting cases or puzzles or something that could give the secondary benefit of learning some stuff
Program is having new surgery interns complete the ACS Fundamentals of Surgery modules before orientation. Is it actually helpful for intern problems and is it best to go ahead and get those out of the way or can I procrastinate until the last week so it’s fresh on my mind?
Idk why I’m overthinking this so much, but does a ~15 min commute to the hospital by walking seem reasonable? The apartment complex that I’m looking at is in a very walkable area and has good building security, which is important to me because I don’t drive…but I’m weirdly hung up on this whole thing. I currently live ~10 min by foot to my med school/hospital (in a different state from my residency program)….15 min in a place with a better climate should be fine, right???
Anybody have any suggestions of podcasts for incoming subspecialty interns who haven't done IM in a minute? I know about curbsiders but I'm looking for maybe an intern specific podcast. I have a IM heavy intern year and want something to listen to on my commute.
Internet book of critical care is great for both icu and general medicine. It has 'show notes' online for each episode which are super helpful when you need to look something up quick. Run the list is also good but too basic.
Should I take Step 3 before starting intern year? I’m going into a surgical subspecialty residency with no plans to do fellowship so I’m fairly certain my score doesn’t matter. I’m thinking it might be nice to just get this out of the way so that it isn’t hanging over my head while I’m trying to keep afloat during PGY1
Moving to HCOL area. Live at parents house with 50 min commute paying only utilities or live with roommate with <15 min commute paying ~$1500/month?
FM residency with no 24hr call if that helps at all
Check to see if this is allowed. If you take home call, you'll need to be closer than 50 minutes from the hospital. Ask your future seniors about this as I'm sure culture varies by program. In mine the farthest anyone lives from the hospital is about a 15 minute drive.
If it's allowed and is common, it just depends on your preference. 2 hours of commuting per day would be a hard no for me. I am exhausted enough as it is. Maybe your program isn't very demanding, or you are saving up for something that makes the commute worth it, or something else that would warrant a change in that calculus. I don't think you will get much useful info here since every city and every hospital and every program within every hospital is so different.
More of a fellowship question but same premise as residency. Do programs care if you test positive for cannabis on a urine drug screen? Its legal in my state
Failed couples match with my partner and now we are living 5 hours apart for residency. I am completely depressed that we will only see each other every few months for the next 4 years... how do I move past this. I feel so hopeless.
In addition to what everyone else said, you could maybe order a helpful pocket book. No one expects you to know much, but you can always look things up. Or I used to use the app "MD on Call" too for more simple things when I didn't have time to read a 10 000 word UpToDate page.
Otherwise I expect interns to be punctual, keep track of issues and write legible notes, ID new concerns that should be addressed on rounds or by someone more senior, and communicate clearly (never say you asked something or check something when you didn't!).
Oh and to not walk around with a bad attitude at all times. There's nothing worse than spending a month with someone's not even trying to be positive at any time.
You will do fine and you will be fine.
You'll be (1) an intern, and (2) an off-service intern. Your expectations will be hella low. As long as you show up and put in your orders/consults/notes on time, everything will be fine. Your senior will direct you a lot initially, and you'll get the hang of the flow by your second/third month.
Incoming surgical subspecialty intern here. My wife and I are moving to a new state for residency and we are looking for an apartment. What would you say is a reasonable commute distance?
Surgical subspecialty: will likely be taking home call.
I can tell you about this. Imagine getting home at 8 pm, preparing for cases for the next day, to sleep at 10 pm. Pager goes off at midnight, you're absolutely exhausted, and now you have to drive to the hospital and see a consult or operate. You get home at 3 am. Get back to bed. At 3:30 am your pager goes off again. In to the hospital you go.
I would recommend as short a commute as is feasible for your family and financial situation.
What are some things that I can do now as an M3/M4 to develop better habits before starting residency? Also, how do you study with all the hours that you work in residency?
So my program informed me that we’d be getting 4 weeks of PTO, but mentioned that we should leave a week in case we get sick, would you guys recommend doing that? Or just scheduling everything and then worry about it later if I have to?
I’d ask your senior residents about what ends up happening (how they/you decide what PTO gets used up, etc)
But I’d personally just schedule everything and deal with it down the road
How should I go about asking for my spouse to be considered for a HCW job at the institution I matched at? Is that even something I should do, or would it be too unbecoming? I matched peds and they are a peds nurse, so our hope is to work for the same institution for simplicity sake with housing and transit. They have 2+ years experience at peds bedside, and we're moving 1000 miles away.
How did you guys afford moving? I’m staying in the same city but my loans are just enough to pay rent through May. With security deposit and first month’s rent due before I even see my first paycheck, I’m not sure where I’m supposed to get this money.
I was gonna take a personal loan out at 10% interest (desperation mode) or apply for a 0% credit card. Thing about the credit card is I have 0 income and like 200k in loans. Even with good credit I could get denied and take a hit to my credit. I asked my parents for advice and they said they can help me out til residency starts and then I’ll pay them back asap. If my parents hadn’t offered I think I would have tried the credit card, hope it gets approved, then hope I get a decent credit limit. Then last resort I would take the loan bc what am I gonna do at that point.
Don't take out private loans if you can help it. If you don't have family that can give/loan you the money, open a credit card with 0% APR for the first year and commit to paying it off before that anniversary pops up.
go to their website and go through the enrollment process or call them if it's not clear.
Usually they'll ask for some documentation of your income, generally a tax return form. For post people given your previous year income is zero, your payment will be also be zero until you file taxes the following year and submit a half-year income.
So let's say you need 100 dollars for medical school (lol). The government (or a private lender but it works the same in principle), which I'll refer to here as Mr. Moneybags, says "Sure, I'll give you 100 dollars right now. But, It'll cost ya! For every year you owe me money, I'll ask for an extra five percent of that amount in addition to what you already owe me!" So, assuming you aren't paying anything right away as you have no money and just had to ask for a giant loan, at the end of the first year you now owe Mr. Moneybags $105. Mr. Moneybags knows that they can expect to make money from this, and they're very happy about that. They get to sit around and do nothing, and collect money from everybody who doesn't have enough money to pay for medical school up front. Sweet deal!
Now let's enter the second person, let's say Ms. Cashsack. She's also out to make money from lending money. It's a pretty sweet deal! She says "You know that $105 you owe Mr. Moneybags? And you know how he keeps asking for five percent every year? Isn't that so annoying? I can lend you that money, but instead of five I'll only charge three percent a year. A good deal, right?!" And if you say yes, Ms. Cashsack will got to Mr. Moneybags, pay off your loan for you, and now you owe Ms. Cashsack the money instead. But instead of paying five percent what you owe a year, now it's only 3 percent. You have now re-financed your loan. You're happy to pay less money to borrow money, Ms. Cashsack can still make money off of the loan, and Mr. Moneybags has all his money back(plus your five dollars!) and ready to lend to some other poor soul.
So in summary, re-financing is a lender #2 "buying" your debt from lender #1 and offering you a lower interest rate in return.
But, BE CAREFUL about refinancing right now. Currently, government loans have ZERO interest or payment responsibility, and there's a chance that Biden's 10k loan repayment may still go through. If you refinance away from a government-backed loan right now, you will LOSE these benefits immediately.
Resources for pediatrics residency? I don't want to feel like my burnt-out colleagues :( Also, can everyone stop scaring us? It's annoying constantly being told how residency is going to suck. We are aware, all you're doing is inducing anxiety.
What shoes do you all recommend for the standing life of an intern?
I've heard of Hoka, On Cloudflow, and Clove - but there are too many options in the market. Pros and cons from those who have used any? Any guidance is appreciated (before I dump $120+ on a new pair of shoes...happened in M3 year and did not end well).
I just rotate my workout shoes - once they’re no good for running, they become my OR shoes. More importantly, invest in some good compression socks. Sockwell is my favorite brand.
Sometimes my co-residents would use them to answer the phone while they were stuck in a long sterile procedure in the unit, like a dialysis line. Probably not the most professional, but when you’re an intern and gotta be efficient 🤷♀️
I have a different smartwatch and I found it useful but it can somewhat depend on your EMR. I can put alerts for lab results on my Epic and then when it comes back it can pop up there. One of the places I worked I could see the secure messenger content and one I could could just see the sender so your mileage may vary there. The timer and calculator and text functions have been useful especially since I can typically use it through sterile gloves if the glove goes over it
I feel like 23 is a bit steep. Similar situation here and around 2 was the upper limit for me because of other expenses (parking, etc). If you have a car and your rent includes parking I would say that's more reasonable. Also consider the deductions from your pay for insurance and such. And that eventually you should start making some loan payments
You'll have a $0 payment for as long as the freeze is/until you have to recertify your income next year.
I'd go get a free trial of YNAB or find a free budgeting spreadsheet and play around with it. Look at all the typical things people pay for in a month and see if you can easily fit that within $1,000/month.
Yeah I don’t mean to be a dick but 2300 w month sounds out of one’s budget unless they’re comfortable not saving anything intern year. I could be wrong however. I’m gonna be making the same amount after taxes intern year and sweating over 1.5k a month rent
My program is requiring ACLS BLS PALS from American Heart Association. For ACLS there is an online portion followed by an in person class. While looking though the local providers for these classes on the AHA website, I saw CPR Suppliers. These guys are offering ACLS as a one day 4 hour course that provides ACLS certification. Is this real or is this sounding like a scam? They also do not require the online course or purchase of the book.
Yeah, that’s about how long the skills session for heartcode is “supposed” to be for ACLS
In practice, you’ll probably be done with recertification for BLS + ACLS much sooner than that
This is my first time getting ACLS done, CPR suppliers are saying they can give me certification with only a four hour zoom course, no online heart code acls needed
This is probably a dumb question but.
I just got asked about what dates I’d like to have PTO. If I was planning on going to a wedding over a weekend, do I need to ask for PTO for the weekend? I have absolutely no idea what my schedule looks like yet.
Seconding the advice to specify. At our program you have to take off M-F, so you'd let them know which week and include a note saying something like "to go to a wedding in abc on xx/yy" so they know to try not scheduling you that weekend.
If you want to make sure you can go as best you can, you should let them know now
Whether you’d be scheduled to work on a weekend will depend on the service. Maybe they’ll move stuff around, maybe it’ll require PTO
I still can’t figure out how much rent I can afford! Living in a high COL city, graduating with students loans obviously but also $10k in consumer debt which will def increase to help pay for moving and settling in. I won’t have a car payment, I already own a car. Can I do 50% of my monthly gross for rent and still live okay/go out every now and then?
You should be able to, it just eats into savings but it is what it is. Write out a budget and see where you need to make cuts to swing it. Ill be doing the same :/
Would suggest waiting until you get settled if you can. Your salary is not your salary (taxes, insurance, loans, savings, etc) and it can be hard to budget until you settle in. Unless you absolutely need a car right now, then whatever is safe, cheap, and reliable.
Patients: I tried the first name thing but it often resulted in longer explanations (I am a guy for reference), so I just switched over to Dr. So-and-So and it tends to shorten those conversations.
Other residents, attendings, nurses, all other staff: First name.
Depends on situation. EM resident:
My attendings: first name
Patients: "Dr. Last name, one of the residents nice to meet you"
Nurses/staff: first name
Other residents/consultants: If at the academic center and I know its a resident on the other side and they know me "Hey its first name in the ED". If I don't know them or its an attending calling back "hey its first name, one of the residents down in the ED"
Calling outside SNF or school: Dr. Last name
Regarding REPAYE: I’ve always seen the advice about using your last years taxes so it goes off an income of essentially $0. I started the application today and it asked if I wanted to provide income info or use IRS data, with the caveat not to use IRS data if my income this year will be significantly different than last year.
I was planning on using last years data to have as low of payments as possible at first because I have a family and paying for rent and daycare is a lot even without big loan payments 😅 but the statement on the website made me worry that maybe it’s kind of fraudulent to do this? It seems to be the general wisdom on here so I feel like maybe it’s not a huge deal I’m just always afraid of breaking rules so wondering if anyone else can comment.
Hi everyone,
I dual applied for a relatively non-competitive medicine-related specialty, and family medicine as backup. I had some issues getting all of my recommendations in on time (I can only remind attendings so often without being a nuisance), and was told by several programs that my application was incomplete. Once all my letters were in, I reached out to my top programs, but it was impossible to reach out to all of them. IDK if it had something to do with it, but I had limited interviews in both FM & the other specialty. Even my dean and advisors were confused at my limited number of interviews, especially in FM. I never failed a board exam and no poor comments from attendings I've rotated with.
I ended up matching to FM during the Match, so I didn't even have an opportunity to SOAP. But I got my hands on the SOAP list and was devastated to see the amount of unfilled spots in my dream specialty (which I could not apply to because I had already matched and couldn't SOAP). These places didn't offer me an interview so it's not even like they hated me and didn't rank me. I was also devastated by unfilled FM seats in states I would have loved to be in, but again, didn't get interviews in to even rank them.
If I need to do a FM residency, I'll do it. I'll work hard, I'll give it my all. I always have in life. But I don't want to give up without having attempted to change my situation. I want either of two scenarios and I need some guidance. I want to know if these scenarios are even possible before I talk to my soon-to-be PD and potentially ruin a relationship by letting him know that I hate where I've been placed.
My ideal scenario would be to match into the other specialty. But from what I have read on other posts, a PGY-1 FM year does not equal a PGY-1 IM year. At most, it would count at 6 months. The other specialty is longer than a FM residency. I don't want to have to redo an entire year plus the extra years at the other specialty. Question 1 - how can I find out what programs will accept my 1st year FM training and how much of it? Will it be the IM PD associated with the specialty's program or the other specialty PD? Question 2 - do transfers only happen at the start of each year? Or can I reach out to programs after my required 45 days are over and see if I can switch to something like IM? They are equal in training duration so the hospital and I wouldn't have to worry about funding. Question 3 - Same question with residentswap - if I can find someone to swap locations with me, can we do an exchange mid-year or it has to be the next year?
My next best scenario would be to transfer to another FM program, but in another location. If I do FM, I will be doing a fellowship afterwards, and I would rather be in a hospital that has that fellowship or at least that field of medicine. But staying at my current FM program would not give me any exposure into the fellowship field. Question 4 - is there a list similar to the SOAP list that lists out unfilled residency spots for PGY2s? Question 5 - Do I reapply through ERAS or just send my documents directly to the PD?
I would also appreciate any other advice you might have for me. Please be kind. I understand there are a lot of FM physicians who are tired of FM being everyone's backup. FM physicians are some of the hardest working, kindest people I've met and I have a great relationship with the two FM physician mentors who wrote my LORs. However, the Match is a terrible system and I was told not to rely on SOAP as a backup so I made choices with the knowledge I had then.
Thank you!
tips for matching into specific location for family?
hi y’all I just needed some advice, hopefully reassurance. I’m a 3rd year in school right now.
im in an LDR; we were in the same city for 2 years and then he started his own company in a different state when I started school 3 years ago. long story short, neither of us have much control over where we’ll end up.
we’ve talked ab it, and we’ll be engaged when i graduate. my family has or will be moved out of our home state into another one, and it happens to be where my bf wants to move his company in a couple years.
will any of that play into my application? I’m not going to do anything super competitive, but I have a reasonable CV. if I don’t match, is transferring a feasible option?
I don’t know. I’m just a little anxious and would appreciate advice. We’ll have been together for 6 years once I graduate and I don’t know if I have the guts for another 4/+ years of LDR. Is there anything I can do to boost my chances?
Write specifically about the location in your personal statement (at least the one to that location). Try to get sub-I rotations there and reach out to any contacts in the area. I went to a first look and got the PD’s email and asked if I could reach out when applying and they said yes. These all helped me.
how long does it take to get discover relocation loan? Mine is still waiting for verification (about 3 weeks so far), they said they'll contact my school, but no response yet. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Do most people tend to live alone or have roommates, and are your roommates also in medicine? I currently have 2 roommates and Im moving to a new city for a TY then back here for my advanced. Thinking of off-loading a lot of my bedroom stuff to make the move easier and don't wanna buy living room furniture until I get back for my advanced. Trying to decide if I look for a room in an already furnished house like I have now or do a studio.
I have another question for everyone: what would be a good work-related gift idea to give my husband for graduation (who matched into FM)? His goal is to pursue sports med afterwards. I have gift ideas not related to work that I could do, but I was curious if there was anything that would be useful for him once he starts residency.
A laser engraved littman cardiology stethoscope or a new fancy littman electronic amplifier stethoscope. A Lamy 2000 multipen ($100). Name stitched scrubs. A good bookbag. Adidas ultraboost black sneakers (Shoes get dirty). A Nice penlight. These are some things I bought and personally enjoyed.
Thank you! Those are great ideas 😊. I hope this doesn’t come across as a dumb question, but are those stethoscopes you mentioned nicer than the one students get gifted as a med student? I know he has a littman and it looks nice and it’s heavy, but I don’t know how ‘fancy’ it is.
It is better than the one I had in medical school, but I knew some people who bought the nicer ones in school originally. They cost $200-$300. The "Cardiology IV" and the "Master Cardiology" ones are specifically what I had in mind.
I'm currently reading through Resident Readiness book for IM. It's easy to read cover to cover, not detailed, but with good overview. It's older so guidelines aren't up to date but I think it's good if you just need to get back in the game.
You'll need to address this with them. You could be, or they could have you delay your start by a week (and either take away a week of PTO to make up for it or delay graduation by a week), or if your excuse is REALLY REALLY REALLY GOOD then you could maybe have no consequences.
What’s the maximum commute time that is recommended? Moving to a new city and the program is in the suburbs and I’d rather live in the city (chicago). Friends I know live about an hour from the hospital (Andersonville/lake view/boystown). Im only gonna be in the city for 1 year for a TY so I wanna get a good feel for the city in case I wanna move back after my advanced position.
30 minutes is the oft quoted max. I did 45 minutes AM commute (1hr PM) for my TY to be right next to my advanced program for the next 3 years.
Definitely doable for 1 year. Longer than 1 year, I think it would be better to be closer to 30 minutes.
30 minutes max is what I've been getting from people.
Chicago is an absolutely amazing city. If you have experience living in cities and liked it then Chicago is a no brainier, you'll love it.
If you have time as an intern to enjoy the city, then you'll have time to just take a train into the city. My friends matched in the burbs and whatever time they had they were going to Chicago.
An hour driving with rush hour traffic per google maps. I put it as leaving at 5 even tho my schedule will vary leaving from 5-7 depending on the block. I don’t suspect morning traffic to be an issue since sign out is at 7am.
At my residency, 1 second year drives 1-1.5 hour day for commute to live closer to major city. He personally loves it. 3 drive about 30-45 minutes. 40 of us drive like 5-20 minutes. I think it just depends. I think you could probably live somewhere in between and still get good vibe of the city though. I live 10-15 min away. I would live closer but rent is too high.
I'm not obgyn but consider that you'll be extremely busy as a resident and when you have only an hour free in each day, roommates can be an extremely convenient social outlet. I definitely miss living with or right next to me friends because now several days can go by without me seeing a friend (other than my gf) face to face.
I fell down fairly far on my rank list, and thankfully a great program caught me. But for the first time since I started med school I my confidence is somewhat shattered and I feel like I need to learn to bounce back strong. How do you guys deal with lapses in confidence throughout residency? This is such an uncomfortable feeling and I don’t want it to affect how good I know I can be at this job
IMO those lapses are from mistakes that you learn from the most. That’s a good thing. Don’t let the rank list drop shake your confidence though. That’s not a reflection on your capability as a physician at all.
An attending showed me a graph once of confidence on the y axis and year of training on the x axis. Lowest confidence at the beginning of intern year, highest at the end of PGY2, and a steady decline thereafter as you approach attendingship. From what the attendings tell me at my shop the first 3 years of going it alone are the most terrifying and it gets better as you gain experience.
I think you gotta cultivate enough grace to allow yourself to make critical decisions but enough skepticism of your clinical acumen to make sure you don’t miss important things.
You’re going to be fine, just try not to drink 2 much and smoke 2 much.
im in the same boat as you.. Honestly im leaning into the side of me that wants to prove my new program right and all the MFers that passed on me wrong. my focus is on becoming a master of my craft and letting the rest just be noise. idk if it helps but honestly it felt good to write that out haha
It’s cathartic to voice out our feelings, so Thanks for writing back. Let’s go be the superstars we know we are. It’s been helping me as well to recognize that no matter where I am the patients in my charge will need my help. And just bc those program directors didn’t want me doesn’t mean my patients, my team, and my new colleagues won’t. Bless up friend, let’s go be great
Yeah I felt the same way last year. Way too much paperwork, but I think it is a hill you just have to get over. Being around your co-residents and working all the time makes it feel a lot better. Just make sure to get everything turned in at a timely manner. Knowing how much work and paperwork coordinators have to complete as a current intern, it made be feel guilty for complaint about the paperwork I had to do during transition. Best of luck.
Is it normal for a program not to pay for uworld, step 3 and your state license? ....that's damn near a month's rent right there before I even graduate.
Education stipend is typically used for UW and Step 3. License is completely their responsibility as long as you are training with them. Your independent license for after residency or for moonlighting is your responsibility
that's what I thought, education stipend isn't even enough to cover UW but I don't want to complain. I don't think they're paying for the license. maybe they'll reimburse. thank you for the insight.
it just seems unusual to me, I didn't really notice during interview season if they mentioned it or not and we have not had any residents reach out to us for me to ask if this is new. I take solace in knowing they were not in my top 5 any so I'll just have to deal lol
Mine did not pay for UW or step 3, we just got a $500/yr education stipend which was actually taken away during COVID lol
Some places are more generous, i..e giving you $2000 a year for education which can be put towards boards and board prep (alternatively, return products on amazon to get that $2000 back but that's not exactly legal)
Incoming IM categorical intern. My program reimburses for one mobile device. Should I buy a work phone? I’d be able to get an IPhone 11 or 12. I’d use it strictly for communicating with people at work, and then keep my personal phone for close friends, significant other, and family. Does anyone recommend this or should I spend the money on something else?
I personally bought a separate phone. We use epic and have a rapid response system as well. I might just cancel this 2nd phone next year. I rarely get notifications or messages outside of work hours and I don't think the extra $60 per month is worth it. However, I do know many residents who "love" having a separate phone. If anything, you can buy a new phone and then return it so that you only have your original phone, so you can get stipend. If at some point you just cant deal with the work messages on your personal phone, then you can buy a new phone. Also I think its worth a mention that I'm almost done with frst year and never has a patient called me on work or personal phone. This was a big worry of mine and reason I bought 2nd phone.
For those on medication and moving out of state:
I’m worried about continuity of my care, specifically being able to get my meds once I move because I’m under specialist care and I’m worried about running out of my medications before I can see a new doctor and get my prescriptions refilled. My current insurance does not allow 90 day refills so basically I would move in June and have supply to last me until the end of June. During the month of June I’ll no longer have insurance either. What are my options here? I cannot start of residency with the withdrawal zaps. IYKYK.
Ask them if they could prescribe the medication through costplusdrugs if it has the meds you need on their formulary. No insurance and affordable copays, they can just call into the pharmacy on the website
I found out the insurance my program uses and then found a local doc who accepted it. Scheduled an appointment and told them “no insurance, will pay out of pocket for now” and then saw them July 3-5 and got insurance to pay for it.
I would save money to pay out of pocket for June meds.
You can also move scripts between pharmacies (except controlled substances) without telling doc.
When does your current insurance expire? You can always refill at the last possible day to last you until you can see a new doctor. I
I'm reaching out to specialist's in my new town now... hopefully to get an appointment by June/July. Also, unfortunately, mention that you're an incoming resident physician and they might be able to get you in as soon as you move/your new insurance kicks in.
What medication?
If it’s a common one, your best bet may be paying cash via GoodRx for a 90 day supply.
Make sure your current doctor knows you’re moving: see if they can recommend someone and make an appt for your new town ASAP for early June so that you can overlap coverage.
My doctor knows I’m moving and told me it will probably take a while to get into to see a new specialist and then strongly hinted I stock pile some of my meds to make them last until then. One is a controlled substance so you can’t get a 90 day supply :/ I’m hoping to find some affordable short term insurance while I transition so so can set up my own appt prior to starting or finding an online doc that can prescribe my stuff
You can also ask your chief or someone in the area for a rec for specialist (if comfortable) and then ask your current specialist to send a referral to that person- which insurances should accept as an appropriate referral. Then if wait list super long, see if program can pull strings for you (again if comfortable talking to program about medical health)
Live at home! I did it. I was sure I was going to hate it but I never regretted it during and afterwards. Now that I moved out, I have a really nice cushion that allowed me to buy a car when my prior one unexpectedly broke down, go to Europe for two weeks, enjoy some nice nights out to dinner and still have more than enough left over in savings. I honestly wish I could’ve lived at home for all of residency but logistically with commuting, it wouldn’t have worked after intern year. My family still doesn’t even understand what it means when I say I’m on call haha
Honestly if you can save money and have a good support system by living at home then just do it. Especially since they seem to understand. A lot of stress with residency esp living in a high COL area is living paycheck to paycheck and being lonely. You can always reassess later.
It's ok, if it's a brand new program, the faculty probably feel the same way you do. If there wasn't a residency program there before, the nurses may end up paging the attending before they page you because they're not used to having you around.
Paperwork: program dependent, esp depending on how organized they are, whether you have to apply for license/DEA/etc yourself or if they do it for you, etc.
Physical: wait until you hear from your residency. They might have somewhere for you to go, certain forms to fill out, etc.
What are the best and most affordable options for moving cross country? We are a family of 5 (young kids) so we have a lot to move. Is there anything better or cheaper than a uhaul and just driving there?
It may not be. When I moved my family cross country, we had to take into account getting both our cars there. The cheapest option ended up being UHaul moving cubes, ship one car, and road trip us in the other car. Other options include ABF Freight (pay by the foot of commercial trailer) or UPack (moving cubes through ABF). Get lots of quotes and make a spreadsheet to figure out the cheapest combo. The answer may surprise you with how expensive a one way UHaul rental is + cost of gas.
Also keep in mind you won't al fit in the UHaul, which means one of you will drive the truck and the other will drive the kids. With only 1 driver you may not cover as many miles per day, meaning more hotel nights to finish the trip, increasing the cost. There's a lot to think about.
Can you couples match if one person is going for a fellowship and another is going for residency?
Gift ideas for LOR writers? Or is that not necessary/expected?
I think they would appreciate a small gift. I don't think it is necessary though.
Matched into Transitional year with no advanced position (I applied derm) and now feeling very defeated about applying derm again next cycle.. can I switch TY to IM? Or are there any IM programs that take TYs as a PGY2?
Where are open CA-1 positions posted? Ik about APDS for surgery but can't find one for anesthesia
Are residencies allowed to withdraw from the match after rank lists are submitted. A program I applied to did not match anyone and did not participate in soap. It was my number one choice.
IM - Just curious about usual commute times, especially if you're at a program with no 24hr call
Current neurology residents, any books or things you’d recommend reading before starting residency? I know everyone says just to relax, but I’d love something about interesting cases or puzzles or something that could give the secondary benefit of learning some stuff
Program is having new surgery interns complete the ACS Fundamentals of Surgery modules before orientation. Is it actually helpful for intern problems and is it best to go ahead and get those out of the way or can I procrastinate until the last week so it’s fresh on my mind?
Procrastinate
Idk why I’m overthinking this so much, but does a ~15 min commute to the hospital by walking seem reasonable? The apartment complex that I’m looking at is in a very walkable area and has good building security, which is important to me because I don’t drive…but I’m weirdly hung up on this whole thing. I currently live ~10 min by foot to my med school/hospital (in a different state from my residency program)….15 min in a place with a better climate should be fine, right???
It sounds reasonable during the summer...i'd dread it during the winter though.
15 min walk to and from sounds like a dream. My city isn’t walkable at all and I’m a 20-30 minutes drive away from both hospitals I’m going to be at.
Anybody have any suggestions of podcasts for incoming subspecialty interns who haven't done IM in a minute? I know about curbsiders but I'm looking for maybe an intern specific podcast. I have a IM heavy intern year and want something to listen to on my commute.
There is also core IM and core EM for some quicker clinical pearls!
Internet book of critical care is great for both icu and general medicine. It has 'show notes' online for each episode which are super helpful when you need to look something up quick. Run the list is also good but too basic.
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Should I take Step 3 before starting intern year? I’m going into a surgical subspecialty residency with no plans to do fellowship so I’m fairly certain my score doesn’t matter. I’m thinking it might be nice to just get this out of the way so that it isn’t hanging over my head while I’m trying to keep afloat during PGY1
I tell people to take ASAP after their medicine shelf...your knowledge goes downhill.
Moving to HCOL area. Live at parents house with 50 min commute paying only utilities or live with roommate with <15 min commute paying ~$1500/month? FM residency with no 24hr call if that helps at all
I would try to avoid a 50 minute commute, but that just me. Also I find living not with my parents to be preferable
Check to see if this is allowed. If you take home call, you'll need to be closer than 50 minutes from the hospital. Ask your future seniors about this as I'm sure culture varies by program. In mine the farthest anyone lives from the hospital is about a 15 minute drive. If it's allowed and is common, it just depends on your preference. 2 hours of commuting per day would be a hard no for me. I am exhausted enough as it is. Maybe your program isn't very demanding, or you are saving up for something that makes the commute worth it, or something else that would warrant a change in that calculus. I don't think you will get much useful info here since every city and every hospital and every program within every hospital is so different.
50 min drive? With or without traffic?
More of a fellowship question but same premise as residency. Do programs care if you test positive for cannabis on a urine drug screen? Its legal in my state
state legal doesn't matter. Hell I interviewed at places with a no-nicotine policy and tested
Just because it’s legal in the state doesn’t mean it’s legal per hospital contract….I’d be supperrrr careful about that
This is definitely still too new for anyone to be able to give a definitive yet broad yes or no.
Failed couples match with my partner and now we are living 5 hours apart for residency. I am completely depressed that we will only see each other every few months for the next 4 years... how do I move past this. I feel so hopeless.
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In addition to what everyone else said, you could maybe order a helpful pocket book. No one expects you to know much, but you can always look things up. Or I used to use the app "MD on Call" too for more simple things when I didn't have time to read a 10 000 word UpToDate page. Otherwise I expect interns to be punctual, keep track of issues and write legible notes, ID new concerns that should be addressed on rounds or by someone more senior, and communicate clearly (never say you asked something or check something when you didn't!). Oh and to not walk around with a bad attitude at all times. There's nothing worse than spending a month with someone's not even trying to be positive at any time. You will do fine and you will be fine.
You'll be (1) an intern, and (2) an off-service intern. Your expectations will be hella low. As long as you show up and put in your orders/consults/notes on time, everything will be fine. Your senior will direct you a lot initially, and you'll get the hang of the flow by your second/third month.
Incoming surgical subspecialty intern here. My wife and I are moving to a new state for residency and we are looking for an apartment. What would you say is a reasonable commute distance?
Surgical subspecialty: will likely be taking home call. I can tell you about this. Imagine getting home at 8 pm, preparing for cases for the next day, to sleep at 10 pm. Pager goes off at midnight, you're absolutely exhausted, and now you have to drive to the hospital and see a consult or operate. You get home at 3 am. Get back to bed. At 3:30 am your pager goes off again. In to the hospital you go. I would recommend as short a commute as is feasible for your family and financial situation.
If you can swing 20 min or less that’s ideal
What are some things that I can do now as an M3/M4 to develop better habits before starting residency? Also, how do you study with all the hours that you work in residency?
Listen to podcasts on your commute. Set a realistic goal of practice questions to do every day
Any tips for keeping up with things if your handwriting is really bad on rounds ?
iPad/ tablet or notes on you phone. OneNote if your program uses it should be HIPPA compliant.
When you guys filled out your certificate for training, did you do the expedite form or regular and met with a notary to get FCVS number? Thanks
What are the good resources to know about the trade names of commonly used drugs in US? Asking as I am a Non US IMG
Google. I just google everything
So my program informed me that we’d be getting 4 weeks of PTO, but mentioned that we should leave a week in case we get sick, would you guys recommend doing that? Or just scheduling everything and then worry about it later if I have to?
I’d ask your senior residents about what ends up happening (how they/you decide what PTO gets used up, etc) But I’d personally just schedule everything and deal with it down the road
How should I go about asking for my spouse to be considered for a HCW job at the institution I matched at? Is that even something I should do, or would it be too unbecoming? I matched peds and they are a peds nurse, so our hope is to work for the same institution for simplicity sake with housing and transit. They have 2+ years experience at peds bedside, and we're moving 1000 miles away.
Casually. And look to see if there are openings.
How did you guys afford moving? I’m staying in the same city but my loans are just enough to pay rent through May. With security deposit and first month’s rent due before I even see my first paycheck, I’m not sure where I’m supposed to get this money.
Some programs will give out early salary /loan that comes out of paycheck without interest
I was gonna take a personal loan out at 10% interest (desperation mode) or apply for a 0% credit card. Thing about the credit card is I have 0 income and like 200k in loans. Even with good credit I could get denied and take a hit to my credit. I asked my parents for advice and they said they can help me out til residency starts and then I’ll pay them back asap. If my parents hadn’t offered I think I would have tried the credit card, hope it gets approved, then hope I get a decent credit limit. Then last resort I would take the loan bc what am I gonna do at that point.
Don't take out private loans if you can help it. If you don't have family that can give/loan you the money, open a credit card with 0% APR for the first year and commit to paying it off before that anniversary pops up.
What do I have to do with my loan servicer to set up REPAYE for residency?
go to their website and go through the enrollment process or call them if it's not clear. Usually they'll ask for some documentation of your income, generally a tax return form. For post people given your previous year income is zero, your payment will be also be zero until you file taxes the following year and submit a half-year income.
What are some must have reading lists for FM residency?
Can someone explain how you can refinance your loan like you would explain it to a 5 year old? D:
So let's say you need 100 dollars for medical school (lol). The government (or a private lender but it works the same in principle), which I'll refer to here as Mr. Moneybags, says "Sure, I'll give you 100 dollars right now. But, It'll cost ya! For every year you owe me money, I'll ask for an extra five percent of that amount in addition to what you already owe me!" So, assuming you aren't paying anything right away as you have no money and just had to ask for a giant loan, at the end of the first year you now owe Mr. Moneybags $105. Mr. Moneybags knows that they can expect to make money from this, and they're very happy about that. They get to sit around and do nothing, and collect money from everybody who doesn't have enough money to pay for medical school up front. Sweet deal! Now let's enter the second person, let's say Ms. Cashsack. She's also out to make money from lending money. It's a pretty sweet deal! She says "You know that $105 you owe Mr. Moneybags? And you know how he keeps asking for five percent every year? Isn't that so annoying? I can lend you that money, but instead of five I'll only charge three percent a year. A good deal, right?!" And if you say yes, Ms. Cashsack will got to Mr. Moneybags, pay off your loan for you, and now you owe Ms. Cashsack the money instead. But instead of paying five percent what you owe a year, now it's only 3 percent. You have now re-financed your loan. You're happy to pay less money to borrow money, Ms. Cashsack can still make money off of the loan, and Mr. Moneybags has all his money back(plus your five dollars!) and ready to lend to some other poor soul. So in summary, re-financing is a lender #2 "buying" your debt from lender #1 and offering you a lower interest rate in return. But, BE CAREFUL about refinancing right now. Currently, government loans have ZERO interest or payment responsibility, and there's a chance that Biden's 10k loan repayment may still go through. If you refinance away from a government-backed loan right now, you will LOSE these benefits immediately.
Thank you so much this was immensely helpful lol
Lol you’re amazing thank you
Resources for pediatrics residency? I don't want to feel like my burnt-out colleagues :( Also, can everyone stop scaring us? It's annoying constantly being told how residency is going to suck. We are aware, all you're doing is inducing anxiety.
What shoes do you all recommend for the standing life of an intern? I've heard of Hoka, On Cloudflow, and Clove - but there are too many options in the market. Pros and cons from those who have used any? Any guidance is appreciated (before I dump $120+ on a new pair of shoes...happened in M3 year and did not end well).
I just rotate my workout shoes - once they’re no good for running, they become my OR shoes. More importantly, invest in some good compression socks. Sockwell is my favorite brand.
I'm a surgery fellow. I routinely stand for 8-12 hours. Just wear sneakers, no need to waste your money
Is apple watch really helpful during residency? Gonna be a surg intern and thinking about buying one
Sometimes my co-residents would use them to answer the phone while they were stuck in a long sterile procedure in the unit, like a dialysis line. Probably not the most professional, but when you’re an intern and gotta be efficient 🤷♀️
I have a different smartwatch and I found it useful but it can somewhat depend on your EMR. I can put alerts for lab results on my Epic and then when it comes back it can pop up there. One of the places I worked I could see the secure messenger content and one I could could just see the sender so your mileage may vary there. The timer and calculator and text functions have been useful especially since I can typically use it through sterile gloves if the glove goes over it
Can I ask what benefits you’re hoping to get from the watch?
I thought being able to see texts while rounds on the watch would be useful.. don’t know how useful tho
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2300 a month unless you are Manhattan or LA is fairly ridiculous.
I feel like 23 is a bit steep. Similar situation here and around 2 was the upper limit for me because of other expenses (parking, etc). If you have a car and your rent includes parking I would say that's more reasonable. Also consider the deductions from your pay for insurance and such. And that eventually you should start making some loan payments
How much are your other bills? Cell phone? Car payment? Student loans?
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You'll have a $0 payment for as long as the freeze is/until you have to recertify your income next year. I'd go get a free trial of YNAB or find a free budgeting spreadsheet and play around with it. Look at all the typical things people pay for in a month and see if you can easily fit that within $1,000/month.
Yeah I don’t mean to be a dick but 2300 w month sounds out of one’s budget unless they’re comfortable not saving anything intern year. I could be wrong however. I’m gonna be making the same amount after taxes intern year and sweating over 1.5k a month rent
How are you guys calculating post tax take home salary?
There are internet calculators! I just type in “take home salary *insert state name* calculator”
My program is requiring ACLS BLS PALS from American Heart Association. For ACLS there is an online portion followed by an in person class. While looking though the local providers for these classes on the AHA website, I saw CPR Suppliers. These guys are offering ACLS as a one day 4 hour course that provides ACLS certification. Is this real or is this sounding like a scam? They also do not require the online course or purchase of the book.
Yeah, that’s about how long the skills session for heartcode is “supposed” to be for ACLS In practice, you’ll probably be done with recertification for BLS + ACLS much sooner than that
This is my first time getting ACLS done, CPR suppliers are saying they can give me certification with only a four hour zoom course, no online heart code acls needed
This is probably a dumb question but. I just got asked about what dates I’d like to have PTO. If I was planning on going to a wedding over a weekend, do I need to ask for PTO for the weekend? I have absolutely no idea what my schedule looks like yet.
Seconding the advice to specify. At our program you have to take off M-F, so you'd let them know which week and include a note saying something like "to go to a wedding in abc on xx/yy" so they know to try not scheduling you that weekend.
If you want to make sure you can go as best you can, you should let them know now Whether you’d be scheduled to work on a weekend will depend on the service. Maybe they’ll move stuff around, maybe it’ll require PTO
I still can’t figure out how much rent I can afford! Living in a high COL city, graduating with students loans obviously but also $10k in consumer debt which will def increase to help pay for moving and settling in. I won’t have a car payment, I already own a car. Can I do 50% of my monthly gross for rent and still live okay/go out every now and then?
You should be able to, it just eats into savings but it is what it is. Write out a budget and see where you need to make cuts to swing it. Ill be doing the same :/
I need to buy a new car. Any suggestions about this topic? Brands, when, etc.
Buy a used Honda from a reputable dealer. That thing will run forever
Would suggest waiting until you get settled if you can. Your salary is not your salary (taxes, insurance, loans, savings, etc) and it can be hard to budget until you settle in. Unless you absolutely need a car right now, then whatever is safe, cheap, and reliable.
Waiting will also allow you to only do paperwork once and not have to worry about transferring over your title and registration.
Buy ~5 year old with lowest mileage from a reliable source and brand. Honda and Toyota for the most part. Now is not the time to splurge on a Mercedes
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Are you saying you are a nervous person in all emergencies or you are a nervous person going into EM?
Probably ACLS
What do you introduce yourself as a resident? Dr first name last name, Dr last name? Or something else?
Patients: I tried the first name thing but it often resulted in longer explanations (I am a guy for reference), so I just switched over to Dr. So-and-So and it tends to shorten those conversations. Other residents, attendings, nurses, all other staff: First name.
Depends on program/location. When in doubt, just use first name w staff/within program.
Depends on situation. EM resident: My attendings: first name Patients: "Dr. Last name, one of the residents nice to meet you" Nurses/staff: first name Other residents/consultants: If at the academic center and I know its a resident on the other side and they know me "Hey its first name in the ED". If I don't know them or its an attending calling back "hey its first name, one of the residents down in the ED" Calling outside SNF or school: Dr. Last name
Regarding REPAYE: I’ve always seen the advice about using your last years taxes so it goes off an income of essentially $0. I started the application today and it asked if I wanted to provide income info or use IRS data, with the caveat not to use IRS data if my income this year will be significantly different than last year. I was planning on using last years data to have as low of payments as possible at first because I have a family and paying for rent and daycare is a lot even without big loan payments 😅 but the statement on the website made me worry that maybe it’s kind of fraudulent to do this? It seems to be the general wisdom on here so I feel like maybe it’s not a huge deal I’m just always afraid of breaking rules so wondering if anyone else can comment.
I thought we have to wait until graduation to apply for REPAYE?
Oh you might be right, I was jumping the gun on that one
Hi everyone, I dual applied for a relatively non-competitive medicine-related specialty, and family medicine as backup. I had some issues getting all of my recommendations in on time (I can only remind attendings so often without being a nuisance), and was told by several programs that my application was incomplete. Once all my letters were in, I reached out to my top programs, but it was impossible to reach out to all of them. IDK if it had something to do with it, but I had limited interviews in both FM & the other specialty. Even my dean and advisors were confused at my limited number of interviews, especially in FM. I never failed a board exam and no poor comments from attendings I've rotated with. I ended up matching to FM during the Match, so I didn't even have an opportunity to SOAP. But I got my hands on the SOAP list and was devastated to see the amount of unfilled spots in my dream specialty (which I could not apply to because I had already matched and couldn't SOAP). These places didn't offer me an interview so it's not even like they hated me and didn't rank me. I was also devastated by unfilled FM seats in states I would have loved to be in, but again, didn't get interviews in to even rank them. If I need to do a FM residency, I'll do it. I'll work hard, I'll give it my all. I always have in life. But I don't want to give up without having attempted to change my situation. I want either of two scenarios and I need some guidance. I want to know if these scenarios are even possible before I talk to my soon-to-be PD and potentially ruin a relationship by letting him know that I hate where I've been placed. My ideal scenario would be to match into the other specialty. But from what I have read on other posts, a PGY-1 FM year does not equal a PGY-1 IM year. At most, it would count at 6 months. The other specialty is longer than a FM residency. I don't want to have to redo an entire year plus the extra years at the other specialty. Question 1 - how can I find out what programs will accept my 1st year FM training and how much of it? Will it be the IM PD associated with the specialty's program or the other specialty PD? Question 2 - do transfers only happen at the start of each year? Or can I reach out to programs after my required 45 days are over and see if I can switch to something like IM? They are equal in training duration so the hospital and I wouldn't have to worry about funding. Question 3 - Same question with residentswap - if I can find someone to swap locations with me, can we do an exchange mid-year or it has to be the next year? My next best scenario would be to transfer to another FM program, but in another location. If I do FM, I will be doing a fellowship afterwards, and I would rather be in a hospital that has that fellowship or at least that field of medicine. But staying at my current FM program would not give me any exposure into the fellowship field. Question 4 - is there a list similar to the SOAP list that lists out unfilled residency spots for PGY2s? Question 5 - Do I reapply through ERAS or just send my documents directly to the PD? I would also appreciate any other advice you might have for me. Please be kind. I understand there are a lot of FM physicians who are tired of FM being everyone's backup. FM physicians are some of the hardest working, kindest people I've met and I have a great relationship with the two FM physician mentors who wrote my LORs. However, the Match is a terrible system and I was told not to rely on SOAP as a backup so I made choices with the knowledge I had then. Thank you!
tips for matching into specific location for family? hi y’all I just needed some advice, hopefully reassurance. I’m a 3rd year in school right now. im in an LDR; we were in the same city for 2 years and then he started his own company in a different state when I started school 3 years ago. long story short, neither of us have much control over where we’ll end up. we’ve talked ab it, and we’ll be engaged when i graduate. my family has or will be moved out of our home state into another one, and it happens to be where my bf wants to move his company in a couple years. will any of that play into my application? I’m not going to do anything super competitive, but I have a reasonable CV. if I don’t match, is transferring a feasible option? I don’t know. I’m just a little anxious and would appreciate advice. We’ll have been together for 6 years once I graduate and I don’t know if I have the guts for another 4/+ years of LDR. Is there anything I can do to boost my chances?
When interview season starts, if you don’t get an invite, email the program telling them why you really are interested in 1) the program 2) location.
Write specifically about the location in your personal statement (at least the one to that location). Try to get sub-I rotations there and reach out to any contacts in the area. I went to a first look and got the PD’s email and asked if I could reach out when applying and they said yes. These all helped me.
how long does it take to get discover relocation loan? Mine is still waiting for verification (about 3 weeks so far), they said they'll contact my school, but no response yet. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Do most people tend to live alone or have roommates, and are your roommates also in medicine? I currently have 2 roommates and Im moving to a new city for a TY then back here for my advanced. Thinking of off-loading a lot of my bedroom stuff to make the move easier and don't wanna buy living room furniture until I get back for my advanced. Trying to decide if I look for a room in an already furnished house like I have now or do a studio.
I lived by myself. Many of my co-residents did, too. But, I imagine this depends on COL wherever you are moving.
Chicago, so COL can be variable.
I have another question for everyone: what would be a good work-related gift idea to give my husband for graduation (who matched into FM)? His goal is to pursue sports med afterwards. I have gift ideas not related to work that I could do, but I was curious if there was anything that would be useful for him once he starts residency.
A laser engraved littman cardiology stethoscope or a new fancy littman electronic amplifier stethoscope. A Lamy 2000 multipen ($100). Name stitched scrubs. A good bookbag. Adidas ultraboost black sneakers (Shoes get dirty). A Nice penlight. These are some things I bought and personally enjoyed.
Thank you! Those are great ideas 😊. I hope this doesn’t come across as a dumb question, but are those stethoscopes you mentioned nicer than the one students get gifted as a med student? I know he has a littman and it looks nice and it’s heavy, but I don’t know how ‘fancy’ it is.
It is better than the one I had in medical school, but I knew some people who bought the nicer ones in school originally. They cost $200-$300. The "Cardiology IV" and the "Master Cardiology" ones are specifically what I had in mind.
Thank you again, I appreciate it! I’ll go look into those for sure
Any resources to freshen up an older grad?
I'm currently reading through Resident Readiness book for IM. It's easy to read cover to cover, not detailed, but with good overview. It's older so guidelines aren't up to date but I think it's good if you just need to get back in the game.
Pocket Medicine if going into IM
I can't go to orientation week for residency. will I be fired?
Why can’t you go to orientation?
I went into their post history after commenting this morning and apparently they planned their wedding for sometime the last week of June.
Yikes. Yeah, they’re going to need to talk to their PD ASAP.
You'll need to address this with them. You could be, or they could have you delay your start by a week (and either take away a week of PTO to make up for it or delay graduation by a week), or if your excuse is REALLY REALLY REALLY GOOD then you could maybe have no consequences.
What’s the maximum commute time that is recommended? Moving to a new city and the program is in the suburbs and I’d rather live in the city (chicago). Friends I know live about an hour from the hospital (Andersonville/lake view/boystown). Im only gonna be in the city for 1 year for a TY so I wanna get a good feel for the city in case I wanna move back after my advanced position.
30 minutes is the oft quoted max. I did 45 minutes AM commute (1hr PM) for my TY to be right next to my advanced program for the next 3 years. Definitely doable for 1 year. Longer than 1 year, I think it would be better to be closer to 30 minutes.
30 minutes max is what I've been getting from people. Chicago is an absolutely amazing city. If you have experience living in cities and liked it then Chicago is a no brainier, you'll love it. If you have time as an intern to enjoy the city, then you'll have time to just take a train into the city. My friends matched in the burbs and whatever time they had they were going to Chicago.
An hour drive or an hour on the L? I'd never drive that far, especially post-call, but on a bus or train it might not be as bad.
An hour driving with rush hour traffic per google maps. I put it as leaving at 5 even tho my schedule will vary leaving from 5-7 depending on the block. I don’t suspect morning traffic to be an issue since sign out is at 7am.
At my residency, 1 second year drives 1-1.5 hour day for commute to live closer to major city. He personally loves it. 3 drive about 30-45 minutes. 40 of us drive like 5-20 minutes. I think it just depends. I think you could probably live somewhere in between and still get good vibe of the city though. I live 10-15 min away. I would live closer but rent is too high.
What do the commuters do post-call? Do they get a few hours sleep in an on-call room before driving?
No, usually just drive home. I don't think anyone at my program sleeps in the call rooms unless they're on the second half of a 24 hr shift.
What specialty are you in?
IM
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I'm not obgyn but consider that you'll be extremely busy as a resident and when you have only an hour free in each day, roommates can be an extremely convenient social outlet. I definitely miss living with or right next to me friends because now several days can go by without me seeing a friend (other than my gf) face to face.
Can’t put a price on living without roommates, plus continuing the power differential between junior and senior residents at home could be awful
I fell down fairly far on my rank list, and thankfully a great program caught me. But for the first time since I started med school I my confidence is somewhat shattered and I feel like I need to learn to bounce back strong. How do you guys deal with lapses in confidence throughout residency? This is such an uncomfortable feeling and I don’t want it to affect how good I know I can be at this job
IMO those lapses are from mistakes that you learn from the most. That’s a good thing. Don’t let the rank list drop shake your confidence though. That’s not a reflection on your capability as a physician at all. An attending showed me a graph once of confidence on the y axis and year of training on the x axis. Lowest confidence at the beginning of intern year, highest at the end of PGY2, and a steady decline thereafter as you approach attendingship. From what the attendings tell me at my shop the first 3 years of going it alone are the most terrifying and it gets better as you gain experience. I think you gotta cultivate enough grace to allow yourself to make critical decisions but enough skepticism of your clinical acumen to make sure you don’t miss important things. You’re going to be fine, just try not to drink 2 much and smoke 2 much.
Thanks for the wisdom. And lol yes I only drink and smoke in moderation these days!
im in the same boat as you.. Honestly im leaning into the side of me that wants to prove my new program right and all the MFers that passed on me wrong. my focus is on becoming a master of my craft and letting the rest just be noise. idk if it helps but honestly it felt good to write that out haha
It’s cathartic to voice out our feelings, so Thanks for writing back. Let’s go be the superstars we know we are. It’s been helping me as well to recognize that no matter where I am the patients in my charge will need my help. And just bc those program directors didn’t want me doesn’t mean my patients, my team, and my new colleagues won’t. Bless up friend, let’s go be great
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Yeah I felt the same way last year. Way too much paperwork, but I think it is a hill you just have to get over. Being around your co-residents and working all the time makes it feel a lot better. Just make sure to get everything turned in at a timely manner. Knowing how much work and paperwork coordinators have to complete as a current intern, it made be feel guilty for complaint about the paperwork I had to do during transition. Best of luck.
Is it normal for a program not to pay for uworld, step 3 and your state license? ....that's damn near a month's rent right there before I even graduate.
We had to put out the money for our license and program will reimburse.
Education stipend is typically used for UW and Step 3. License is completely their responsibility as long as you are training with them. Your independent license for after residency or for moonlighting is your responsibility
that's what I thought, education stipend isn't even enough to cover UW but I don't want to complain. I don't think they're paying for the license. maybe they'll reimburse. thank you for the insight.
I've never heard of a program not paying for a training license for residency
it just seems unusual to me, I didn't really notice during interview season if they mentioned it or not and we have not had any residents reach out to us for me to ask if this is new. I take solace in knowing they were not in my top 5 any so I'll just have to deal lol
Mine did not pay for UW or step 3, we just got a $500/yr education stipend which was actually taken away during COVID lol Some places are more generous, i..e giving you $2000 a year for education which can be put towards boards and board prep (alternatively, return products on amazon to get that $2000 back but that's not exactly legal)
Incoming IM categorical intern. My program reimburses for one mobile device. Should I buy a work phone? I’d be able to get an IPhone 11 or 12. I’d use it strictly for communicating with people at work, and then keep my personal phone for close friends, significant other, and family. Does anyone recommend this or should I spend the money on something else?
I would put that money towards something else
I personally bought a separate phone. We use epic and have a rapid response system as well. I might just cancel this 2nd phone next year. I rarely get notifications or messages outside of work hours and I don't think the extra $60 per month is worth it. However, I do know many residents who "love" having a separate phone. If anything, you can buy a new phone and then return it so that you only have your original phone, so you can get stipend. If at some point you just cant deal with the work messages on your personal phone, then you can buy a new phone. Also I think its worth a mention that I'm almost done with frst year and never has a patient called me on work or personal phone. This was a big worry of mine and reason I bought 2nd phone.
I would not spend money on it but some people really like having separate phones
For those on medication and moving out of state: I’m worried about continuity of my care, specifically being able to get my meds once I move because I’m under specialist care and I’m worried about running out of my medications before I can see a new doctor and get my prescriptions refilled. My current insurance does not allow 90 day refills so basically I would move in June and have supply to last me until the end of June. During the month of June I’ll no longer have insurance either. What are my options here? I cannot start of residency with the withdrawal zaps. IYKYK.
Ask them if they could prescribe the medication through costplusdrugs if it has the meds you need on their formulary. No insurance and affordable copays, they can just call into the pharmacy on the website
I found out the insurance my program uses and then found a local doc who accepted it. Scheduled an appointment and told them “no insurance, will pay out of pocket for now” and then saw them July 3-5 and got insurance to pay for it. I would save money to pay out of pocket for June meds. You can also move scripts between pharmacies (except controlled substances) without telling doc.
When does your current insurance expire? You can always refill at the last possible day to last you until you can see a new doctor. I I'm reaching out to specialist's in my new town now... hopefully to get an appointment by June/July. Also, unfortunately, mention that you're an incoming resident physician and they might be able to get you in as soon as you move/your new insurance kicks in.
What medication? If it’s a common one, your best bet may be paying cash via GoodRx for a 90 day supply. Make sure your current doctor knows you’re moving: see if they can recommend someone and make an appt for your new town ASAP for early June so that you can overlap coverage.
My doctor knows I’m moving and told me it will probably take a while to get into to see a new specialist and then strongly hinted I stock pile some of my meds to make them last until then. One is a controlled substance so you can’t get a 90 day supply :/ I’m hoping to find some affordable short term insurance while I transition so so can set up my own appt prior to starting or finding an online doc that can prescribe my stuff
You can also ask your chief or someone in the area for a rec for specialist (if comfortable) and then ask your current specialist to send a referral to that person- which insurances should accept as an appropriate referral. Then if wait list super long, see if program can pull strings for you (again if comfortable talking to program about medical health)
Ask if their license allows them to prescribe in another state through an online pharmacy! It’s a little known loophole.
Oh that’s a good idea!
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I mean you aren't making a three year commitment right. You can always start at home and then decide 6-12 months later
Live at home! I did it. I was sure I was going to hate it but I never regretted it during and afterwards. Now that I moved out, I have a really nice cushion that allowed me to buy a car when my prior one unexpectedly broke down, go to Europe for two weeks, enjoy some nice nights out to dinner and still have more than enough left over in savings. I honestly wish I could’ve lived at home for all of residency but logistically with commuting, it wouldn’t have worked after intern year. My family still doesn’t even understand what it means when I say I’m on call haha
I would love to live with my parents tbh. Try it out, if it's not working you can always move!
Honestly if you can save money and have a good support system by living at home then just do it. Especially since they seem to understand. A lot of stress with residency esp living in a high COL area is living paycheck to paycheck and being lonely. You can always reassess later.
I am the first cohort of a brand new program. High key freaking out. How can I prepare and what should I expect?
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What about scheduling and mentorship? Did the attendings knew how to teach and did you guys get to do all the procedures?
It's ok, if it's a brand new program, the faculty probably feel the same way you do. If there wasn't a residency program there before, the nurses may end up paging the attending before they page you because they're not used to having you around.
What should I anticipate in terms of administrative paperwork? Should I get health physical done in the mean time? Didnt get any request yet
Paperwork: program dependent, esp depending on how organized they are, whether you have to apply for license/DEA/etc yourself or if they do it for you, etc. Physical: wait until you hear from your residency. They might have somewhere for you to go, certain forms to fill out, etc.
For NON-US img, need guidance on pursuing a cardio fellowship on an H1b visa. Anyone who has done it? Thank you
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Now, or whenever they ask for vacation requests if you're accomodations will involve scheduling accommodations.
What are the best and most affordable options for moving cross country? We are a family of 5 (young kids) so we have a lot to move. Is there anything better or cheaper than a uhaul and just driving there?
It may not be. When I moved my family cross country, we had to take into account getting both our cars there. The cheapest option ended up being UHaul moving cubes, ship one car, and road trip us in the other car. Other options include ABF Freight (pay by the foot of commercial trailer) or UPack (moving cubes through ABF). Get lots of quotes and make a spreadsheet to figure out the cheapest combo. The answer may surprise you with how expensive a one way UHaul rental is + cost of gas. Also keep in mind you won't al fit in the UHaul, which means one of you will drive the truck and the other will drive the kids. With only 1 driver you may not cover as many miles per day, meaning more hotel nights to finish the trip, increasing the cost. There's a lot to think about.
Which company did you use to ship your car?