Five things to keep in mind as a new medical resident
Congratulations! You’ve finished medical school and are on to your next step toward becoming a practicing physician.
You’re probably excited; there is a lot of ‘new’ in your life right now: New adventure, maybe a new city, and of course lots of new things to learn. Don’t fret – we are here to help!
We’ve compiled a short list of resources as you navigate your new role of being a resident. Please share with your fellow residents and use these resources to ease your transition!
Below is a list of five things to keep in mind as a new resident:
1. Make your transition into residency a bit easier with some planning. You’re busy. We get it. That’s why we’ve partnered with Adventures in Medicine to create our career and life planning portal for physicians. This online portal is full of resources that AIM has created with the help of industry-specific experts. Need to figure out how much you'll owe in taxes? Use our federal income tax calculator. Interested in what there is to do in your new city (or one you’re considering working in one day)? Use our interactive lifestyle search tool to find restaurants, things to do, and learn more about an area. Work smarter, not harder, and use the hundreds of resources in our AIM portal to make residency a breeze (well, sort of).
2. Learn more about Loan Repayment Programs and the J-1 Visa Waiver process if you’re looking to embark on either of those processes.
We’ve created free, easy-to-use eBooks on both subjects. Our Loan Repayment Guide has basic overviews of the different kinds of loan repayment, along with a fillable Loan Repayment Assessment to help you determine which programs may (or may not) be for you. Use our Navigating the J-1 Visa Waiver Job Search book to get your bearings and know the basics about applying for and obtaining a waiver. Finally, the ever mysterious Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) is an important piece of both of these processes. We’ve created a HPSA Guide that covers the basics of what you need to know about these designations as a health care provider. You can view our HPSA guide here.
3. It’s never too soon to start your job search. You’re one step closer to needing to look for a job. If you’re interested in working in a rural or underserved area, you can create a profile for FREE on 3RNet.org, where thousands of physician jobs in dozens of specialties are listed across the country. You can find jobs that qualify for different types of loan repayment (including National Health Service Corps jobs) and jobs that qualify for J1 Visa waivers. Head here to register today (it only takes a few minutes) and start browsing for jobs and receive email notifications when new jobs are posted that meet your dream job requirements.
4. Create a job search timeline. You’ve just started residency, you’ve got a lot of time to plan, right? That time may go quicker than you think! We hear over and over that it’s never too soon to start this process. How does one create a job search timeline? Not to worry, we’ve got a template for you to use. This awesome tool is another part of our career and life planning portal, powered by Adventures in Medicine. You can find our job search timeline here.
5. Relax. 3RNet members are here to help. Our members (who work for non-profits or government entities) are experts on their states/entities and can provide unbiased, informative answers to your questions. Whether you want to know more about job opportunities in South Carolina, state loan repayment in Alaska, or what it’s like to work for Indian Health Service, our dedicated members are ready to connect you with the opportunity you’ve dreamt about since your first day of medical school. You can find a full list of our members here.
Again, congratulations on beginning your residency, and please share these resources with your fellow residents!