start an org for medical families?

I've been thinking a lot about how great it would be to have an organization to turn to during med school, residency, and fellowships. An organization specific to medical training that provides local assistance in ALL aspects of struggling medical lives.

For example, wouldn't you love to be connected to an accountant specific to medical taxes in your area that could offer services free or at a considerable discount?
Or, what about being connected to a family in the location you just moved to for fellowship, familiar with the challenges of medical education and moving? A family that would offer support in the possible ways: assisting in the house hunt, telling where the nearest grocery store is and simply listening to you rant about how hard training can be?

My questions for you are:
Could you benefit from an organization such as this?

What type of benefits would you want? For example: Financial counseling, being adopted (my personal favorite! ), house hunting assistance, babysitting referrals...the sky's the limit!

Would you be willing to participate in the organization by giving back once residency is over? Such as being available as a sort of "host family?" Or offering 1-2 hours a week of your time in your speciality that could help medical families? Or simply volunteering?


I mean really, no one gets it but those who have gone through it, right? So would it be unrealistic to think that we can network locally via an organization to make a medical career simply easier? Kind of like this site but on a greater local level?

I think it would be a great thing. The spouses group I was in in Cleveland did some similar things. We had a 'residency yellow pages' for incoming residents. Not necessarily medical-related, but a help guide to good things in town. We also offered hosting when people were in looking for living space, etc. after the match (not many people took advantage of that).

I kind of think of this site as a cyber-version of what you're suggesting, but the more help the better I say!

[DCJenn]

That's actually one of the reasons Kris wants people to post to the residency reviews section- so that we know where people have been.

Those of us connected to the military have those resources available- I can't tell you how valuable it was when I was trying to find a real estate attorney in DC while sitting in Texas.

I think the #1 issue you will find is that most medical families don't know what they need until they need it RIGHT NOW. So I would expect a lot of crisis situations. I mean everything is great until you figure out that the light really is the train and the train keeps coming at you for YEARS. (and sometimes backs up and comes at you some more!)

Jenn

[Vishenka69]

I think it's a great idea. I'd be totally willing to help out, although most people who do residency in NYC are from around here. This place has been a tremendous help but sometimes have local knowledge is very helpful.

[Sheherezade]

I think that's part of the vision that Kris has had for years. We've been trying to move more towards that....but it takes lots of time and effort from people that are already stretched thin on both. I'd definitely "give back" after training. It's one of the reasons I've been trying to help with MDFamily and the site these last few years. I have more time and money now. I can do it. Others are still treading water. :titanic:

I believe that this organization will be filing for "official" not-for-profit status in the near future. This will give iMSN the ability to raise funds to support the site costs. It will also be a beginning for a broader organization. Please help in any way that you can. Submit an area review for the places you have lived, add recipes to the recipe forum (they will be a cookbook fund raiser), write an article or ask a question to the newsletter, and keep putting your ideas out there. I like the way you are thinking! I've had similar ideas. Let's start to make that happen.

:ra:

[PrincessFiona]

Our NFP filing has continusoulsy been delayed by...the day-to-day stuff in the admins lives. We were planning on filing for Jan last year and then I had the health issues.....so the plan is for Fall.


We have discussed ad nauseum many of the ideas that you have presented. It really is an organizational problem because so many of us are, as Angie said, stretched ot the limit.
It seems that input has been difficult to get at times simply because people's lives are so busy! We have tried residency reviews, area reviews, etc to establish the network you're talking about, but I think people are just too tired, overwhelmed, busy? to submit? It's been an ongoing thing for years...trying to get the reviews up.

I think we already do some things here to help others, but we've talked about care packages for new PGY families, scholarship programs etc.

If you'd like to help us with the filing around here, and the organizational aspects, we're all ears!

kris

[planet]

I think reviews would get more participation if there were a more secure setting. I would love to post a review and spew all sorts of good tips on living cheaply in our area, housing, whatever, but I want some anonymity and to know that only med SO's are reading. I would have appreciated knowing more about the process, especially the match and what different specialties were like. I wish I had known about this website earlier.

I noticed that web pages are supposed to be offerred through this site soon. A school/hospital/area page for places would be helpful. I volunteer to help with that if desired and possible.

[Sheherezade]

I'm thinking about sending out an area review questionaire (of sorts) to gather info on places. We could publish the reviews separately - either through the MDFamily site or a different web page (linked). Nothing would be linked to the poster. Removing it from the forums page would give it more distance as well. Security is always an issue.

Kris had tried last year to set up a wiki format - we thought that the community based writing in a wiki would remove the stigma of "reviewing" a program as well. I don't know if we ever got it working properly. If you would be willing to fill out a review -off site- to be published/presented in a separate format, please let me know. I'll send you a test version, Janet. Let me know what should be added, changed, or omitted IYO. That would be a good start to opening up the area reviews! (And since I lived in Boston as well - maybe we could work together!)

[Stella]

I would have done a residency review, but obviously we're not there yet. I can do a review of the area though, if that helps.

[planet]

Angie,

You bet. I'd love to help out. I would be happy to help organize data about other places as well.

A friend of mine here actually did start a spouse group and had a couple successful social events. Then I guess interest fizzled. It was before we were around, but I actually emailed her recently about starting it up again, but with a support/resource focus rather than social focus. I agree that many of the issues are NOW issues and it is easy to feel stretched thin. An email or phone contact locally who understands an immediate answer or need when the other hasn't been around/available for days would be absolutely invaluable.

Where we lived before there is a family that 'adopted' us. They are a source of kindness and support and communty that is rare, at least to me. I have no idea why they are so wonderful. I only know that their presence in our lives is a gift. Adopting a new resident/student family would be a nice part of a group to have. Just having an invite to a home cooked meal (by someone else) and a bit of nudging through the politics is comforting.