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!
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