ranking advice....

[labmouse]

it is ranking time for neonatology fellowship... we are pretty clear on our first choice but not so much on our 2nd, 3rd and 4th choice...

dear wise ladies... need your insight on living in columbus,ohio (nationwide children) vs chicago, illinois (children's memorial) vs dallas, texas (southwestern)...DH is looking to specialize in pulmonary research in neonatology, if that makes any difference.

thanks..

[SoonerTexan]

Darn!! I'm going to have to compete with other IMSNers here...

Dallas Pros:

--The weather (if you like it hot). 9 months out of the year are gorgeous, but 3 are like living on the face of the sun.
--Children's is an excellent hospital (though I bet Chicago and Columbus are nothing to sneer at either)
--You will have access to 4 lovely IMSNers who get together regularly. In fact, I had dinner at Thirteen's house last night and just picked my child up from vgirl's kiddo's dance studio. LadyM has just joined us too!
--The cost of living will definitely beat Chicago and Ohio hands down. Texas is very cheap, though if you want to live downtown it gets pricier. Still cheaper than downtown in the North, though.
--If you want to have a baby, I think at some point were going to form some creepy high-school-like pregnancy pact and all be pregnant at the same time. You could join us in one giant hormonal fest. (Actually, ladies, I'm serious--based on conversations/comments on here regarding timing, I think it might unintentionally happen at some point)

Cons:

--The weather (if you like it cold). 9 months out of the year are gorgeous, but 3 are like living on the face of the sun.

[Thirteen]

Is there a downside to no state income tax?


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[oceanchild]

I know your husband is really serious about his research, so if it were me I'd rank based on the faculty mentors he'll have available. Who does similar research to him and how well he clicked with them.

I don't know the relative prestige of those hospitals, but I can ask my DH what he thinks if you'd like.

I love Chicago but hate the weather there. And it would definitely be the highest cost of living of those three cities. I would happily live there for a few years, though. Dallas isn't my thing, and I've never been to Columbus.

Is your work a consideration? Are you worried about finding a job?

[ladymoreta]

We did medical school on Dallas, so I don't know much about it from a fellowship perspective. As far as the city itself goes, I loved it after about a year. It may have just been my job's crazy hours, but we had a hard time at first meeting people. After we made some friends, we loved it! It's a really fun city with tons of stuff to do, and if you decide to stay, like ST said, real estate is much cheaper!

[v-girl]

We've been in Dallas through it all (well, we've been in the suburbs -- where we both grew up). UTSW is great! We love this area and really can't imagine living anywhere else. Having done fellowship here, it wasn't a cakewalk, but not having to pay for our insurance made it a easier.

[Phoebe]

I can't attest to the NICUs in each of those places, but I agree with whoever mentioned looking at faculty which your husband would be interested in working with. I know Nationwide in Columbus has a split unit with OSU and a company called Pediatrix. Pediatrix staffs many NICUs through the country and I have heard mixed reviews about working for them. A friend of ours trained at Cincinnati and now works in Fort Worth as a neo. Her family likes the area. Good luck with your decision!

[DCJenn]

Texas is a strange place. I'm not in the Dallas area though. (flew through it today!)

There's no downside to no state income tax if you accept that they'll suck you dry in property tax. ($10.5k this year for my house- and it's not some suburban manse, it's a 100 year old house in the downtown school district with a porch that's falling off the front of the house)

The public schools are exactly what you pay for- rich neighborhoods have better schools.

The politics are great if you're a conservative, state's rights Republican. The rest of us exist on delusion.

Jenn

[moonlight]

Sorry that is really out of our field. Best of luck to you and your hubby! When do you find out?

[SoonerTexan]

Ha, Pediatrix did N's birth (she had meconium)

[oceanchild]

Ha, Pediatrix did N's birth (she had meconium)

They are everywhere. For real.

[ladymoreta]

True! They did the hearing screenings for both my kids in the hospital.

[Phoebe]

They are everywhere. For real.

This. Most of the available neo jobs are through Pediatrix.

[oceanchild]

I think they have the PICU contract in our hometown, too.

[labmouse]

ooo.. ladies.. thanks for your advice...

well...to answer some questions... DH is a cold person. We are in alabama now and it is humid and warm almost all year round and i can't imagine dallas heat + traffic. But then again, it would be awesome to have a bunch of iMSNers around =) and yes we are planning to have a little one in the next 2-3 years if finances allow. Interview at UTSW was good but DH said there was a deadly competitive vibe there. It sounds like fellows are out there to sabotage each other in order to gain name. Chicago- interview was very good, the program director even offered a sponsored 4th year if he matches there. But, my concerns are the crime rate and the living cost. Fellow's salary is around 58k and that is like poverty level in chicago. DH is not too concerned about weather in chicago, after all he loved living in frigid ice-box canada. Lastly, columbus is a great city to live and raise a family but like one of the posters mentioned, we got some mixed reviews of the hospital too. Some rumours going around saying that nationwide is bad with internal politics and fights...So, really i don't know what to think.

chicago people... please tell me your experience... is 58k sufficient to support the 2 of us with leftover savings and the possibility of a little one in 2 years? Is crime rate as bad as it sounds? Last time i read, crime was 270 + murders per year... eeekkk... plus break-ins and raping, i don't know whether is it worth risking our lives possibly getting shot to live in chicago??