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June Recap and the Start of a New Residency Year

June was a time of transition for the RSA.  We said goodbye to our departing members at our Farewell Dinner, which was catered by Funky’s Catering.  Our children’s group met at Parky’s Wetland Adventure in Winton Woods and the rain didn’t stop the fun from happening at Red Balloon Café and Play in Montgomery.  Our book club met at the Coffee Emporium in East Hyde Park and discussed the book Bossypants by Tina Fey.

June was also orientation time at UC and Children’s for all of the incoming residents and fellows.  There was a lot of interest in the RSA booth and we were very excited to have lots of people sign up to join!

We are so excited to meet our new members at the annual Welcome Picnic on June 25^th! We will also have other events you can attend in July: Two children’s group events, and a book club meeting, during which we will be discussing the book Life After Life by Kate Atkinson.  For more details about our upcoming events and to register to attend, please visit our Facebook group page.

We hope that you will find the RSA to be positive and supportive place for you and your family during your time in Cincinnati.  Feel free to check out a couple of RSA events before officially joining.  We want you to make the most of your time in the RSA, so if you are interested in becoming involved on the RSA Board, or if there is a group activity or event you would like to organize, please let us know.

Thriving During Your First Year of Residency

Welcome to resident spouse life! You survived the interviews, made it through graduation, maybe even took a big trip, and have now moved to a new city with your spouse or significant other.  You can't wait to explore your new town.  Wait! You just might be exploring that new city on your own.  How do you cope with the new and often challenging schedule of a resident spouse?  Here are a few tips for surviving your first year:

Get a Life:

Whether it is through church, work, school, your community, or the Resident Spouse Association, you need to create your own support network of friends you can turn to.  This is critical when your spouse is working long hours and family is far away. No one understands better than a fellow resident spouse the challenges that you will face.

Learn More about Residency:

Find out a little more about resident life in these books.  Do your own research to find out about your spouse’s program, what rotations they will be on, and what types of experiences they can expect to have.

Be Active:

Do something to keep active.  Join a gym, a club (check out meetup.com for local clubs in your area), or volunteer.  Register to run a race like the Queen Bee in October and the Flying Pig in May.  Learn a new skill (check out Coursera.com for free online classes) or take an art or cooking class.  If you have kids, check out the free programs at your local library or bookstore and look into getting memberships at the CincinnatiZoo, Newport Aquarium, or the Cincinnati Museum Center.  If you work, ask about getting involved in a special project.  Just do something so that you are not sitting around waiting for your spouse to get home.

Find an Inside Connection:

Does your spouse typically forget to tell you about events and activities related to their residency?  Did they tell you about the RSA or did you find out about it on your own? If that is the case, make friends with the spouse of a more senior resident.  Not only will they be able to let you know about upcoming residency events, but they can also tell you about what to wear and what to expect.

Explore your New City:

Cincinnati is the home of so many great parks, museums, professional sports teams, music, theater, festivals, and much, much more.  Check out our Cincinnati resources for more info.  Remember to check your spouse’s residency handbook to see what kind of discounts might be available to them for local events and attractions.  

Set a Budget:

Woo hoo! Your spouse has a job (finally) and a paycheck, but you now may also be paying back student loans in addition to your regular living expenses.  And what if you want to expand your family? You will need to create a budget and stick to it.  The good news is that many RSA events are free and babysitting stipends are available.

Be Supportive:

Your life over the next few years is not going to be easy, but it is also going to be challenging for your spouse, especially when they deal with life and death for the first time.  The best thing about being a resident spouse is that you get to go through it all together, which will make it that much more rewarding when you are all finished.  Be there for your spouse when they need your support, and do not be too hard on them when they are working long hours.

Welcome to Residency:

Just remember that it gets a lot easier after the first year and that time will fly by.  By keeping busy, building your social circle, and being open to new experiences, both you and your partner will be well on the way to a successful future.  We hope you will attend as many RSA events as possible until then and enjoy your journey.  Be sure to join our Facebook page and follow this link to see our calendar of events.  We look forward to sharing this journey with you!

Celebrating Residency Graduation in Cincinnati

Reaching the end of residency is a major milestone, and while we might not have been working 80-hour weeks, we should definitely be celebrating our own hard work as spouses in making it through these years, right? Residency programs have their individual graduation celebrations - they might involve dinner at the department chair's house, a formal dinner, a golf outing, or more - but here are some fun ways to treat yourself and celebrate finishing residency as a spouse (well, wife, for most of these) and to take advantage of some great things around Cincinnati - which you'll especially want to do if your end-of-residency transition means you're moving away from the area!

photos: Blown | Boca | Orchids | 21c Hotel | Party Source

1. Wear a fancy dress: Rent the Runway is a great resource for celebratory events - they offer rentals of dresses for really reasonable prices and ship them right to your door. Especially helpful if your department's graduation has a black-tie graduation affair and you don't want to have to buy a gown!

2. Have your hair done: if you're getting all dressed up, why not also treat yourself to a blow out? Cincinnati has several new-ish dry bars to check out: Cincy Style Bar, Blown, and Zephyr.

3. Go out for a fancy dinner: reserve a table at one of Cincinnati's best restaurants to have a celebratory dinner date. In my opinion Boca cannot be beat, but Orchids would also be a great option for a splurge dinner.

4. Get a room: ring in finally (hopefully) having more time to spend with your spouse by trying out one of Cincinnati's great hotels, like the very cool 21c Museum Hotel or or the historic Cincinnatian Hotel. This would be especially fun if your graduation dinner is downtown, so you can continue your party late.

5. Make a toast: pick out something special/bubbly, pour some glasses, and say cheers to your achievement. Party Source and Jungle Jim's have such huge selections - shopping for your special beverage can be an event unto itself.

Congratulations, residency graduates - and spouses!

May RSA Events

May was a busy month for Cincinnati’s RSAers.

Our children’s group met at Parky’s Farm to check out some farmyard animals and play on their playground.  The children’s group is a great opportunity to meet other RSAers and their kids and the event admission is covered by the RSA.

Our book club met at Unwind in Hyde Park to discuss Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed.  It was a warm night and we were able to take advantage of Unwind’s beautiful outdoor courtyard while enjoying some wine and yummy desserts.  This book definitely sparked our spirit of adventure, so if you have any suggestions for local places for an RSA group hike, please let us know!

Our dinner club met at Huitcraft BBQ in Downtown Cincinnati, which is located near the courthouse.  The casual restaurant features Asian-inspired barbeque dishes, ramen noodles, and rice bowls featuring a variety of meats and vegetables.  The broth in the ramen was so good – the waiter gave us extra to go!  The dinner club is another great way to meet other RSAer and is funded by the RSA.  A babysitting stipend is also available if needed.

We hope to see you next month at one of our June events!

Books about Residency

People often ask us what life is like as a resident.  Are the hours as long as they claim?

Most resident spouses do not know what it is like to be a resident unless we have gone through it ourselves.  However, we do know that it often means a lot of hours by yourself or alone with the kids.

Here are a few book suggestions about residency and medicine to fill those long hours alone.  Feel free to suggest other books in the comments:

House of God by Samual Shem – This classic book on residency in the 1970s can also be pretty scary from a resident spouse perspective, but it provides a lot of insight into the lingo and issues that residents experience.

On Call in Hell: A Doctor's Iraq War Story by Cdr. Richard Jadick and Thomas Hayden – A story about a career Marine officer and brigade surgeon who volunteered to serve as a doctor in Iraq in 2004.

In Stitches by Anthony Youn M.D. – A doctor’s path from high school outsider to star surgeon.

Another Day in the Frontal Lobe by Katrina Firlik – A female doctor’s account of practicing in the male-dominated field of neurosurgery.

Intern: A Doctor's Initiation by Sandeep Jauhar – An account of a doctor’s time in residency at a New York City hospital.

On Call: A Doctor's Days and Nights in Residency by Emily R. Transue M.D. – The doctor’s accounts of her internal medicine residency adapted from her journal, which she used as a tool to share her stories with friends and protect herself from burnout.

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese  – Not really about residency, but a great work of literature about twin brothers starting at a hospital in Ethiopia and ending in a hospital in New York City.

Anything by Atul Gawande.

Memorial Day Weekend in Cincinnati

Memorial Day Weekend is here! There are lots of fun things to do in and around the city all weekend.

Taste of Cincinnati in Downtown Cincinnati runs Saturday through Monday and features over fifty different restaurants, amusement rides, live music, and lots of fun.  Taste gets really crowded, so you might want to go early if you are bringing the kids or get a sitter for a fun night out for adults.  For parking suggestions, check out the event website here.

If you are looking for something sporty to do, there are also runs and walks to check out this weekend. The Memorial Day Race 35, Cincinnati’s oldest race, is Monday morning at 9:00 AM at Otto Armleder Memorial Park, 5059 Wooster Road Cincinnati OH, which is located next to US Bank Building.  The Annual Memorial Day Hunger Walk also starts at 9:00 AM at Yeatman’s Cove.  To sign up, register online by Friday at 2:00 PM here.

There are also lots of local Memorial Day parades and festivals all over town.  If you would like to get a group together to attend an event, please feel free to post it on the RSA Facebook page.