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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.

Spring fun in Cincinnati

Spring is finally here! Here are just a few of the fun things to do this weekend in Cincinnati!

• Zoo Babies at the Cincinnati Zoo - May 1st - 31st (Plus Moms get in free on Mother's Day)
• Violinist Joshua Bell returns to the Music Hall to play Glazunov's Violin Concerto and Tchaikovsky's Meditation - May 7th & 9th
• The Appalachian Festival at Coney Island - May 8th - 10th

Halloween events around town

Looking for some Halloween fun? There are events around town for all ages all throughout the month. Check out:

• Hallzooween at the Cincinnati Zoo, every weekend in October, with trick-or-treat stations for kids.
• Halloween Haunt at King's Island, Fridays & Saturdays through October 27.
• Fall-O-Ween Festival at Coney Island, October 12-13, with trick-or-treating, hayrides, and more.
• USS Nightmare near Newport on the Levee, a haunted house on a steamboat on the Ohio River.
• Howl-O-Palooza at King's Island's Soak City, weekends in October, with mazes, Talking Pumpkin, carnival games, costume contest, Charlie Brown's Spooktacular Live Show, and more.
• Costume contest on Fountain Square for all ages, October 31 - enter to win prizes!

RSA in October

Welcome to fall in Cincinnati! There are lots of fun activities to do this season around the area – check out a list of fall festivals here, a list of pumpkin patches and more here, and a fall weekend calendar here.

RSA has some fun plans for October as well - we hope to see many of you at dinner club, children’s group, and book club later in the month - see the newsletter or Facebook page. Also be sure to read the information there about our October outreach activity, a winter clothing drive. We're asking that members bring items for donation to events throughout the month.

October's dinner club - the new Smashburger location in Hyde Park!

calling RSA book lovers!

Several opportunities this month for those book lovers in RSA:

Books by the Banks is a great book festival in downtown Cincinnati - meet authors for book signings, listen to them speak about their work, shop for books, and enjoy fun kids' activities at the Duke Energy Convention Center from 10am to 4pm on October 12. It's free!

There will be a huge range of authors, from fiction and non-fiction writers to cookbook and travel authors to children's/young adult authors. One highlight this year will be Maria Semple, author of Where'd You Go, Bernadette - the most recent RSA book club selection.

And after a summer hiatus, the RSA book club is back. Our next selection will be Rules of Civility by Amor Towles - if you like 20s era books like The Great Gatsby, or if you just like a good novel, you'll probably love this one too! Everyone is welcome to join in, and copies should be easily available through the Cincinnati library.

We haven't set a date yet but will plan for late October/early November - if you're interested, let us know by email or Facebook and we'll set a date that works for the most people to participate.

image via

And for the kids - the Cincinnati Public Library is holding the Read On! Family Symposium this weekend - Saturday, October 5, from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at the Main Library branch downtown. Parents and children are invited to come enjoy “make it and take it” breakout sessions, a meet-and-greet opportunity with PBS characters, music and movement, snacks, and more. It's also a great time to sign up for a library card! No registration is required for this free event.

community awareness opportunities

Looking for a way to volunteer your time and efforts around Cincinnati? RSA has two opportunities for getting involved right now:

First, we're starting a meals for new moms program: being a new mom is exhausting, so let's help lessen the load by providing dinners for RSA moms who have just given birth.

Ideally, we would provide a week's worth of either freezer-ready or ready-made dinners and desserts to these families. If you're interested in providing a meal, or are a pregnant member who would be interested in the program, please see the latest newsletter for coordinator Rachel's contact info.

See some ideas for new mom meals at The Family Room Blog!

Second, in RSA's ongoing relationship with the CHECK Foster Care Clinic, we are supporting the clinic's fundraising efforts by participating in the Cincinnati Walks for Kids, which is being held at the Cincinnati Zoo this year.

The walk is on Saturday, September 28, 4 pm. This will be a great outing for the entire family, and for a great cause. Plus, the zoo is open after the walk for participants! RSA is teaming up with the Foster Care Clinic's existing walking team (the walk itself is only 1/2 mile and avoids the hills for those with strollers). Registration is $25 for adults, $5 for kids, and is completely covered by RSA. We would love to see as many members as possible at this fun event. To register, go to the walk's site and scroll down to "join team." Under Participation Options, you can choose to be a walker or a virtual walker and can also sign up your spouse and children. When you register as a new walker, you'll see, “What program would you like your fundraising dollars to support?” Select “Other” and then write in “CHECK Foster Care Clinic.” Print off your confirmation and send it to Sonja Daily for reimbursement (see newsletter for mailing address).

RSA in September

To those who are new: welcome! If you haven’t yet made it to an RSA event, definitely come to our welcome reception in September - a great, low-key way to check out our group and meet some new people. We look forward to seeing you and of course all of our returning members there. And if you want more info on RSA, be sure to see the FAQ page.

This month we also have several other great opportunities to get involved - first, in community awareness: Rachel is starting a “meals for new moms” project, so get in touch with her if you’re expecting or would like to help out, and we also have the Cincinnati Walks for Kids event coming up in September. Please be sure to read the items below for full information (especially on how to sign up for the walk - you need to register online and will be reimbursed).

community awareness event: Cincinnati Walks for Kids at the Cincinnati Zoo

In addition we've got a dinner club, book club, and two children's activities planned. Hope to see you at one of these events soon!

Please see the events page, Facebook page, and newsletter for more specifics. If you want to be added to the newsletter mailing list, let us know.

September dinner club: Eli's BBQ

RSA in August

We were pleased to meet so many new members at the July dinner club; we hope you’ll come back (or join us if you haven’t yet) for one of this month's events: for August we've planned a dinner club at Maribelle's and a children’s group lunch/playground get together.

We've also got the kickoff events for next year in the works - we hope to see you and your whole family on Saturday, August 17, for the welcome picnic. We’re still scouting great locations for the opening reception (spouses only) on Thursday, September 12, and will have more information soon, so save the date! Additional details on all events are on the Events page; RSVP on our Facebook page.

Also be sure to note the community awareness opportunities: Rachel is starting a "meals for new moms" project, so get in touch with us if you’re expecting or would like to help out, and we also have the Cincinnati Walks for Kids event coming up in September; see the newsletter or Facebook page for how to sign up. And if you don't receive the newsletter, send us an email (residentspouse@gmail.com) and we'll add you to the list.

Maribelle's images (1, 2)

RSA in July

A special welcome this month to resident spouses/significant others who are new to the Cincinnati area. We hope you’ll take part in RSA as a great way to get to know people and enjoy the city.

For July we’ve planned a dinner club at the Dilly Cafe and a couple of children’s group events; see the Facebook page for more details and to RSVP. We’ve also got the kickoff events for next year in the works – make sure to save the date for the welcome picnic (spouses & families invited) on Saturday, August 17 and the opening reception (RSA members only) on Thursday, September 12.

photos from Dilly Cafe

welcome to RSA

Welcome, new resident/fellow spouses and significant others! We look forward to meeting you and hope you will join us for some upcoming events, especially our welcome picnic (bring the entire family) on August 17 and our welcome reception (resident spouses only) on September 12.

The About RSA and FAQ pages on our site provide a little more info about the group, and be sure to check out our Events page (join the Facebook page for full event details). To give you an idea of what kind of events we plan, here are a few recent ones:

dinner club at Cheesecake Factory

children's group at Cincinnati Children's Theatre | dinner club at Flipdaddy's

volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House

children's group cooking event at Whole Foods

dinner club at Amma's Kitchen

things to do this weekend

Looking for something to do around Cincinnati this weekend? Look no further!

Cincinnati Museum Center photo from Urban Cincy

Friday, June 14

Free Fridays at the Cincinnati Museum Center: Visit the Duke Energy Children’s Museum, Museum of Natural History & Science and Cincinnati History Museum all free of charge from 4 - 8 p.m (you must pay to park).

Goettafest: Mainstrasse in Covington, KY, 5-11:30pm.


Saturday, June 15

Sizzling Summer Nights Concert Series: Fernbank Park,7-9pm; Enjoy a free summer concert with River City Rewind.

Breakfast with the Butterflies, Krohn Conservatory, 8:30-10am; Enjoy a continental breakfast while getting a sneak peak of the butterflies for the day!

Goettafest: Mainstrasse in Covington, KY, noon-11:30pm.

Art Boardwalk at the Cincinnati Museum of Art: 11am-3pm; performances by The SunBurners and The Harlequins; live sand sculpting, Able Projects DIY screen printing, a Framester box truck photo booth, an art-making midway with Happen, Inc., food trucks & more.


Sunday, June 16 (Father's Day)

Father/Daughter Hike: Winton Woods, 2pm; Come share Father's Day in a memorable way as we explore the hills by Kingfisher Creek. Outdoor exercise and nature-themed fellowship will be on deck for this day.
Dads get free admission at the Butterfly Show at the Krohn Conservatory on June 16.

Dads get free admission at the Cincinnati Zoo on June 16.

Goettafest: Mainstrasse in Covington, KY, noon-9pm.

Third Sunday Fundays - Hats off to Dad: Taft Museum of Art, 1-4pm; Dad doesn’t need another tie or toolkit, so take him to a complimentary cookout at the Taft instead; free.


Ongoing Events

The Butterfly Show at the Krohn Conservatory, through June 30.

Ultimate Dinosaurs exhibit at the Cincinnati Museum Center, opens June 13.

Seeing Opera exhibition at the Weston Art Gallery, opens June 14.

The Taft Museum of Art: Photographic Wonders - American Daguerreotypes from The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

RSA in June

For June we’ve planned a dinner club at Wild Ginger and a couple of children’s group events - a butterfly exhibit and an ice cream outing. 

We’ve also got the kickoff events for next year in the works – make sure to save the date for the welcome picnic (spouses & families invited) on Saturday, August 17, and the opening reception (RSA members only) on Thursday, September 12.

As you meet new resident spouses moving into the area in the next couple of months, please be sure to tell them about these upcoming events. We hope to meet lots of new people and have a great time with old friends too.

this weekend in Cincinnati

Happy Wednesday! For everyone who can’t wait for the weekend, here are a few things to start planning for:

Findlay Market photo from Cincinnati Food Tours

Friday, June 7

Fishing Fever: 9:00 - 10:00 AM, Winton Woods Parky's Farm. Learn all about fishing in a catch-and-release fishing pond.

National Donut Day: 12:00 - 1:00 PM, Fountain Square. Free donuts, while supplies last, and donut games!

Friday Night Grill Outs: 5:00 - 8:00 PM, Lake Isabella. Enjoy grilled food with live music. The playground and boathouse are open!

Saturday, June 8

Bluegrass Festival: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Caesar Creek Flea Market. Rain or shine, listen to live bluegrass music and help support the March of Dimes. Children can also have fun learning about fire safety and spraying a hose, getting their face painted, and more.

H2Olympics: 12:00 - 4:00 PM, Miami Whitewater Forest Visitor Center. Receive an H2Olympic medal after learning about and completing five water-related events.

Taste the World Food Tour at Findlay Market: 3:00 PM, Findlay Market. Learn about the history of Findlay Market and Over-the-Rhine while tasting delicious samples from its vendors!

St. James Mediterranean Food Festival: 5:00 - 11:00 PM. Try Mediterranean food, learn about Mediterranean culture, listen to Middle Eastern music, and enjoy games and rides!

Sizzling Summer Nights Concert Series: 7:00 - 9:00 PM, Miami Whitewater Forest Harbor Point. The Danny Frazier Band will be performing this week!

Sunday, June 9

Opera in the Park: 7pm, Washington Park. Free outdoor concert for the community, just across the street from Music Hall, will feature a selection of opera favorites performed by stars from the 2013 season, the Cincinnati Opera Chorus, and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

Bluegrass Festival: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Caesar Creek Flea Market. Rain or shine, listen to live bluegrass music and help support the March of Dimes. Children can also have fun learning about fire safety and spraying a hose, getting their face painted, and more.

Hyde Park Square Farmers Market: 9:30 AM - 1:30 PM. Try out this local farmers market!

Shawnee Shootout: 10:00 AM, Shawnee Lookout Golf Course. Enjoy 18 holes of golf with 100% of handicap.

Kayak River Trip: 11:00 AM, Lake Isabella. Take a 7.1 mile trip on the Little Miami River with an American Canoe Association Certified Instructor. Bring a lunch to enjoy by the lake!

St. James Mediterranean Food Festival: 12:00 - 11:00 PM. Try Mediterranean food, learn about Mediterranean culture, listen to Middle Eastern music, and enjoy games and rides!

Upcoming Events

Night Float: Kayak Basics: Friday, June 14, 8:00 - 9:30 PM, Winton Woods Adventure Outpost. An American Canoe Association Certified Instructor will teach you a little bit about kayaking and the lake, and afterwards enjoy the sunset from your kayak! Registration ends June 12.

Father/Child Golf Classic: Saturday, June 15, 8:00 AM, Winton Woods Meadow Links & Golf Academy. A father and one child (17 or younger) can compete in this 9-hole game. Registration ends June 12.

Summer Festivals

For a list of fun summer festivals in Cincinnati, click here! 

RSA in April

The April RSA newsletter is out, and we've got several fun events planned for this month - if you're not on the list, email us. Or check out our events page or our Facebook group.

We hope you’ll join us for an event or two in April. We have a few different things for this month: dinner club is for couples, so bring your spouse along! And we’re starting running club again too.

Looking ahead, we are starting to plan for the end-of-year picnic on Saturday, June 1. This is a great time to say goodbye to those members moving away – and for those who are leaving for new jobs or fellowships, we would like to share your news with the group. Please email Anne (annehoekman@gmail.com) with your job/training/moving plans and we will include it in the May newsletter.

All members are also welcome to join us for the spring board meeting at M Wood Fired Oven, where we'll discuss future events, including plans for the June picnic - and enjoy some great pizza!