And so it starts.....

[Amiens]

So we are trying to figure out where we want to go for "life after residency." Matt informed me last night that he is pretty set on not doing a fellowship, which would be one more year for what he was thinking about doing- OB Anesthesia. I guess the person over the OB fellowship informed Matt that if he wanted in, they would take him on as a fellow as well as a part-time attending. Matt thought about it but decided the hours would really stink, and he wants to be done. The only way I see Matt wanting to do an extra year would be- the hours would have to be bearable, and if it helped his career.

It's unreal that we will know where we will be living, and what group Matt will be with this time next year. 8O

So the job hunting process has started.... we are just in the research phase- finding out what is out there, where we want to live- schools, neighborhood, housing costs, etc, what is considered good starting pay for an anesthesiologist, benefits, etc. Matt has a couple of contact numbers for groups in a couple of areas he is interested in, he'll probably call them early this Spring.

ACK! I am freaked a little bit, because I feel like we won't be living the "college" life anymore- no more apartment, everything will be a bit more grown-up- permanent house, more fixed job, and location.

Is anyone else finishing up in the next year and a half?

Crystal

[SueC]

We are, too, Crystal! My husband finishes in June 2005 and it can't be soon enough if you ask me! We're really excited at the prospect of him being finally done, though I'm trying not to get my hopes up about life being dramatically afterwards. I forsee a difficult decision ahead regarding where we will end up. My husband is so back and forth about wanting to stay at the hospital he did med school, residency, and fellowship and going somewhere else entirely--I tend to want to go somewhere else and think I'll be a little disappointed if he decides to stay on. Our oldest starts kindergarten a few months after he finishes, and I'm already stressing about where she will go to school. If we stay here, I've got to really up my commitments at our church to get her into our church school. Hopefully if we move, the school systems will be OK and it won't be as much of a concern (they aren't accredited where we live!). Oh well, I could go on and on about all of this but I won't bore you guys to death!!!

[SueC]

My husband and I both grew up in Kansas (small towns) so aside from being in the "big city", we haven't really branched out yet. He is looking at places in TX, NE, and OR, we don't want to go to the California, the East Coast, or the South (FL, GA, MS, LA, AL), but anywhere else is up for grabs. Also, CO is out, since my sister is there and although we love her to pieces, we know we can't live peacefully in the same vicinity as her! I'd really like to go someplace else, but we've got lots of friends here in KC, so staying here wouldn't be awful. We've got loads of debt, so that will kind of play a factor into our decision, though we're also considering the overall practice and the community as well.

Wow, Crystal! I can't believe that time is here....what an exciting new chapter (for you too Lunatic and Sue!). We received a Christmas card from one of Matt and Eric's classmates and they mentioned starting to look for a job in the same timeframe. And most of Eric's IM residency cohort has jobs lined up. Wow! You all can be the light at the end of the tunnel for those of us earlier on in the process! (I can't believe that Matt and Eric graduated together and we are starting residency...again...in July...oh well).


We are going through some of the same decisions, although we know for certain where we are moving to. It also takes some pressure off that we know it is only a 3-4 year committment at most. Then we can decide to stay, come back here, or go somewhere else (probably slim chance on that). It is exciting and overwhelming at the same time, I think, to be picking a neighborhood to live in, choosing schools, etc. Bryn will be in kindergarten starting Eric's second year. That in itself is a little shocking! 8O So it is important that we find an area with a good neighborhood school. We have a back-up plan for kindergarten (not public school) but not first grade and I would like to go with the public schools starting at kindergarten. So much to think about!

Sue...that would be cool if you moved to OR! That's funny about CO. (The cost of living here is getting a tad out of control anyway). Crystal -- what areas are you looking at?

[mommax3]

DH gets out of the military in August, 2005......or June, 2005 if some job gives him a signing bonus so he doesn't have to take the military's fall bonus in 2004, which obligates him to the next calendar year.

We are just now starting to look, in Indiana and in Waco and San Antonio. DH has written a cover letter and gotten his CV together. I have been working on an address database for him. We don't want to use a recruiter, at least at first, but it is hard getting contacts since he did a military residency and most of his residency buddies are either obligated for longer than we are, or scattered to all ends of the earth. But we are using the contacts we have and pursuing others.....

We have really good friends in Waco, as well as some family, and DH's brother is in Austin, which is not that far away. DH's other brother graduates with a Master's in Public Health this spring, and he is also going to look for jobs in TX. The chance to live around family after being so far away for eight years is almost irresistible to us. We dread starting over again. The weird thing is that until about 4 months ago, we had never for a minute considered living in Waco. Cost of living is figuring largely in our decision......can't beat Texas for that! Liability insurance costs in Indiana are low, but except for my mom and dad (who are divorced) and an elderly aunt, we don't have much family there anymore. Our best friends live there, but we are pretty sure there are not going to be any job openings in their area.

It is exciting and scary and some days I don't even know what I want! My oldest will have just finished fourth grade when we move, and I want him to feel settled in somewhere before he hits the challenging years of middle school. Going to Waco would guarantee him some built-in friends that are around his age and have known him since pre-school age......

I know I will be venting here about the whole process step-by-step as we go through it!

Sally

[Phoebe]

How about Indiana for you job searcher? It is a nice midwestern state!

Jennifer

DW will be finished with her residency as of Sept 30, this year. Then we will belong to the Air Force for about 4 years. We have no idea where we will end up and can't really speed up the process (good 'ol government process!). It is an exciting time, even if we don't know where we will be for Thanksgiving!

[Amiens]

It's so exciting to see there are a lot of people who are seeing some sort of light at the end of the tunnel.

Now I have more people to ask questions about what to look for in schools, neighborhoods, etc. I just realized after reading Nellie's post that we, too, will have to base part of our decision on schools as Emma will start Kindergarten about a year or so after we have moved.

Lunatic-

Where are you guys looking? Are you looking to go "home" or are you open to other areas? Isn't this an exciting part of the journey?!?!? I never thought this day would come.

I NEVER thought this day would arrive. I told Matt that even though he is not actively going to be doing research right now, that I will so I have something to do outside of the kids. We would like to go "home," but at the same time we would be open to other areas. I think first priority is to move closer to family, and then if that can't happen then where ever Matt can get the best pay. We definitely won't be staying in Western WA- malpractice insurance is out the rough, and it's considered a "crisis" state for anesthesia- meaning too many anesthesiologist are being sued here. 8O We're considering- Montana, Idaho, Northwestern WY, Utah, Colorado. If we moved back to CO, I doubt we would live in Denver, but who knows. The cost of living is getting out of control there. It's about the same to live in Seattle, although gas in Denver is about .30-.50 cheaper.

SueC-

Also, CO is out, since my sister is there and although we love her to pieces, we know we can't live peacefully in the same vicinity as her!

That's funny! Matt's from a small town (~10,000), whereas I spent 11 years living in Denver. I really want to be closer to family, but because I grew up as an Officer's Brat (Marine Corps), I can go anywhere really.

JLynnb-

How about Indiana for you job searcher? It is a nice midwestern state!

I will run it by Matt, especially if we aren't finding anything in the radius of family.


Nellie-

Crystal -- what areas are you looking at?

Montana, Idaho, Colorado, Utah, Northwestern WY (around Jackson Hole). Outside of that- anywhere he will get good pay and good hours. It shouldn't be too hard considering there is still a high need for anesthesiologists.

[Auspicious]

Also, CO is out, since my sister is there and although we love her to pieces, we know we can't live peacefully in the same vicinity as her!

This is pretty much why Massachusetts is in the top five of "States We Think Are Gorgeous" and in the bottom five of "States Where We're Willing to Live." And why I've been known to unfairly characterize it as being a state full of crazy people.

[SueC]

I know, I feel bad for even saying that (not wanting to live near my sister) but we just know it will create a lot of tension between us. She can be kind of needy. It's unfortunate, too, since CO is a beautiful state! We both agree that we could practically live next door to my other sister and it would work fine--I guess it's good that we are on the same page about this!

[Flynn]

yet another transition -- post training life

Hi Crystal,

We are done with residency at the end of this year but have two more years of fellowship training in the same city so our lives will change and yet be the same.

Embrace this next stage of your life with open arms. There is a sense of calm that comes with owning your cars, a house, and know you will stay in the same place for more than five years. We are lucky to have had this during residency, but I do long for the post-training life and all the positive changes that will bring.

The predictibility of DH's schedule will most likely go way up (a good thing) and he will finally be compensated ($$) for the time he has put in on his education and training. You and your family have sacrificed so much thus far to get to this point! Trust yourselves. You WILL make the best decision on where to be and it WILL be a change for the better.

I often feel that it is so hard sometimes to recognize the good times in this lifestyle because you are used to being in "survival mode" or "damage control" all the time -- especially if you have kids -- which you know first hand!

How is the decision making process going so far? Those of us who have this to look forward to, would love an update on the process when/if you get a chance.

Where are you thinking of settling and why there?

Good luck!

Flynn

[Flynn]

Another thought

When you are looking at jobs and areas for your family, I noticed that schools were something you need/wanted to look into.

As a former educator...

Look into the public and private school options in areas you are looking. Are both available in all areas? A little competition is usually good for both types of education. How are the elementary schools in contrast to the jr. and senior highs? Many areas have one age that is excellent where the other two are suspect. It's hit or miss in Seattle but there are a ton of options for your child if you live within the city. Outside of the city the choices are much more limited.

Do the public schools participate in and "open enrollment" type system where you apply, or are you assigned to the public school based on where you live?

Do certain areas have trouble passing levys?

What is the basic salary of a teacher in the public schools in contrast to the cost of living?

Does this area have trouble hiring teachers?

Any teacher strikes in the recent past? Why?

What is the student/teacher ratio?

How is that state nationally ranked as far as supporting education? (Some states (such as Oregon and California) are going through a HUGE educational crisis with money right now.)

Ask about standardized test scores but use other methods of assesment as well. Test scores can be extremely misleading.

Hmmm. I'm sure I'm missing some of the most obvious but that's all I can come up with for now.

I hope you are excited as you look into all these options!

Again, good luck!

Flynn

[SueC]

Wow Flynn--those are things I wouldn't even think of looking in to. Where we live the schools aren't even accredited so it's kind of a "no brainer" that the public school system is in trouble. But aside from whether or not the school is accredited, I wasn't really sure how to evaluate a school system.

One place to start looking is http://www.greatschools.net. I was able to get the school district's website from there and started to gather more information that way. We have narrowed down a few neighborhoods we would like to live in and I plan to call the principals at each of those schools to interview them.
As Flynn suggested, the open enrollment issue is *very* important. I'm used to having that option here but I don't think it is always available. That could be changing somewhat due to the Leave No Child Behind Act (more schools might be going to open enrollment style). If a distric has a good website, this information should be on there.


Another place to check things out -- http://www.bestplaces.net
http://www.realtor.com to get an idea of housing prices

[Flynn]

follow up...

Yeah, finding a good school system might be an oxymoron in some areas -- sad to say but in our country we put our money elsewhere.

I've taught in two public and one private situation and there are pros and cons to both from my experience but it varies so much on where you are.

Many of the questions I asked won't be important to some parents. When looking for a good school or district for your children, ask yourself, what do you value? How do you wish your child's school experience to be better than yours?

Other than a stable and nurturing home environment, a childs' education is paramont in their lives and can shape a child on so many different levels. Early success and positive experiences can help a below average student learn the tools to work hard and feel good about themselves regardless of the "scores."

When we (me and my husband) choose a place to call home and have "life after training" the school choices in each area will most definitely be ranked in the top three for importance. Average schools won't cut it. I'd rather my husband earn less money somewhere else. Thank goodness he agrees!!!!