We're Homeowners!

When Richard and I moved to Greenville in 2012 we quickly fell in love with this awesome town. It is a beautiful town set beside the foothills of the mountains. There is so much to do, a vibrant downtown, incredible hikes close by and many other wonderful attributes. After a few months we began talking about the possibility of staying for residency and if that didn't happen, we had hopes of one day returning to raise a family in this town. As time approached for us to pick a number 1 for residency, it was a no brainier for us. After match day we began the daunting task of looking to possibly find a house. We met with a lender and began to Zillow every night before finding a Realtor. We stumbled across a small number of houses that we liked and even put in an offer on one. That house was not meant to be and fell through right before we left for Italy. We decided that we wouldn't think about it until after our trip. We returned from Italy with a renewed energy and picked out 5 houses to see later in the week.

Back-story: Before our trip to Italy we had seen a house that we loved and on the day we went back for a second look the house was already under contract. The man had brought the house and had completely flipped it. Before we left for Italy I had looked up online who the owner of the home was and through the county website found that had had purchased a 2^nd property.  We were so impressed by what he had done with the other house that we wanted to see his 2^nd property.

Jump back to present day: Right after we got back from Italy,while I was at work, Richard was driving around looking at the homes that we were to see the next day. He just so happened to go to the street where the man’s second home was. In front of the house was a For Sale By Owner sign. Richard called the man and he stated that the contractor would be there today and that we could stop in for a look around 5. We quickly contacted our Realtor and at 5 we went. The house was wonderful! It had been completely gutted and had been given new life. No more wood paneling or green shag carpet.  The house was updated and immediately clicked with us. We put in an offer that night and were under contract by morning.

The timing couldn't have been any more perfect. Our lease was up on our rental property and although it’s been a wonderful little first house for us, we were ready to make something our own and begin the next phase of our life.  The entire process was fairly smoothly with the exception a few little hick ups. We closed at 11:30am on the 30^th and the movers arrived at 2 (for  anyone in the upstate needing movers- Tiger Moving did an incredible job). We had to be completely out by the 31^st so the new renters could be in.

After returning from Chicago to a house almost entirely full of boxes, we are slowly making headway. Richard has been a wonderful "Mr. Mom" going through and unpacking while I'm at work. We spend the evenings together out in the yard with Luka running around in the background. We have a lot of little projects that we hope to do while in the home and are enjoying having a place to call our own.



Please let me know if you need our address. I plan to send out a note with our new address for those important friends and family in our lives. We also have graduation and birthday thank you notes that we need to send and will once we find our cards in the box room ( I promise they will be sent out ASAP). Thank you for being on this adventure with us and know that we are very thankful to have you in our lives.

Introducing, Dr. O'Neal

On May 9^th, Richard along with his classmates graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine. Four years of very hard work, an ungodly amount of loan money, countless tests, 2 horrible board exams, lots of hours in the classroom and hospital finally brought us to this day. Both of our families came together for the first time since our wedding and it was pretty incredible. We have one awesome family and I was really reminded of that last weekend.

Being with Richard as he prepared to graduate brought so many emotions to my mind and heart. I’ve been with Richard for almost 6 years and since the moment I met him, this has been his dream. We struggled through dating while he studied for and took his MCAT, we waited with anticipation when he submitted applications to medical school, I cried when he got accepted to USCSOM and we stood together as he adventured through medical school.

Richards’s graduation ceremony was a beautiful thing. I had so much pride for my husband as he entered that room, got hooded as Dr. O’Neal and took his Hippocratic Oath as a doctor of medicine. The speakers were wonderful and I maintained my composure throughout the entire thing until his classmate spoke. Richard’s classmate eloquently spoke about his wife and the support she has given him. He cried while thanking her and this made my own flood gates open.

Being the spouse of a student is a role that can easily be overlooked.  Being married to a medical student (or any form of student) is incredibly trying. As a spouse you are responsible for being the full financial supporter for your family, you must be accepting of the student loan debt that you inherit with marriage, and you must be the emotional supporter when he comes home after an awful day-- all while helping keep your lives together.   At lunch, Richard’s grandma told me “you’ve earned part of that degree” and those words meant more to me than I can say. I am so proud of what he has accomplished in medical school, I am proud of myself for rolling with the punches and proud of what we as a couple have accomplished together.

After the ceremony I was able to hug Richard and tell him how proud of him I am. Seeing him in his green gown with the new title Dr. O’Neal was remarkable. Being with Richard and seeing him finally achieve his dream is emotionally overwhelming. He is going be one heck of a Doctor and he is going to touch the lives of so many people. His passion for medicine and desire to heal people is both intoxicating and contagious.  

This is just the beginning of our journey and although we are in for a bumpier road with residency, it is a wonderful feeling to know that we are one step closer to the final destination. We are so lucky to have our friends and family who have been there throughout this journey. Your support means more to us than we can express. Although you may not see very much of us together (Richard will have very little time off during residency) over the next few years, know that we are so thankful to have you in our lives.  

Debt

With today being Richard's LAST day of Medical School, I find that we are beginning to have a lot of discussions about loan repayment. Loan repayment is very intimidating and as it begins to creep up on us, I felt the need to discuss a little bit of it.

When I share my life with people their response always is "it'll be worth it one day because he will be making tons of money" or the "big bucks". This sort of comment really ruffles my feathers but I often take this as a moment for education. What so many people don't realize is the free time that doctors give up, the short leash that the hospital puts them on or the amount of debt that young doctors are in and how long it will take them to get out of the red. Doctors do all of these things because they are passionate about medicine, passionate about caring for people and passionate about educating them.They are able to looked beyond the ever increasing dollar amount that continues grow and plague their lives simultaneously. They do this in order to achieve their dreams.

In speaking with multiple medical students, it is very common for them to have accrued somewhere around 200,000 dollars in debt.  Following their graduation from medical school, these new doctors will be starting their residency programs where on average the salary is 48-50,000 dollars a year. For most, this does not include the costs for any benefits.  It also does not include, living expenses, car insurance or any other "real life" expenses. Six months following their graduation, medical students will have to begin paying on these student loans with a significant amount of interest on top of the 200,000 dollars (+ 30,000 dollars in interest).

Over the next 10 years, we will devote a large portion of our monthly income to paying off this debt.  I have been blessed with an incredible job that over the last 2 years has allowed us to take out only the necessary money for tuition and not worry about living expenses. Richard and I have talked about how fortunate we are to be in a position where we can do this as a couple with two salaries. One salary to keep ourselves a float and the other to pay off loans. It is a terrifying to think that very soon we will begin paying on all of this debt and that this will be a huge part of our lives until 2024!

The salary of a doctor is not what it once was due to cutbacks and reimbursements. The days of private practice are over and this next generation of doctors has been told to "expect to work for a hospital".

The dream of becoming a doctor, a dentist, a veterinarian, a lawyer and many other professions all come with a hefty price: DEBT.

A few months back, I came across an article that did an awesome job discussing this subject. I urge you to read this if you haven't already. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/went-230-000-debt-become-135821351.html

Match Day Results

Well Match Day came and went like a tornado... It was the most intense experience that we've gone through in some time. Sitting there next to Richard  in the front row waiting for his name to be called was exciting and awful at the same time. At one point we attempted to hold hands but both of our hands were just dripping with sweat. Although we had complete confidence in where we would end up, it was still the "what if" factor that was scary.

Once his name was called, we marched up on stage and were presented with a letter that held our future. Richard opened the letter and held it in front of him to read it. I was scrambling all over the page looking for the name of the hospital. Finally there it was... GHS. We're happy to share that Richard will be at GHS for an Internal Medicine Residency. We're beyond thrilled to be staying in such an incredible town where Richard will get an amazing education.

                           

                                              

Match Day Basics

The final year of medical school is full of big decisions. Not only must the medical student decide what kind of medicine they want to spend the rest of their lives practicing , but they must also determine where they will go for a residency. The residency matching process is one of the biggest decisions that will be made throughout a doctors career. I've written out the steps of what has happened and what will happen so that you can gain an understanding of this process.

• Medical students complete their interviews.
  Richard applied to about 20 programs. He was offered to interview at about 17/18 of them but only went through the process of about 6.  These interviews took place between October and the end of January. Different residency programs offer different funding to help offset some of the costs. We were lucky enough that for Internal Medicine, many of the programs paid for hotel rooms. After interviewing at many wonderful programs, the interviewee must decide where they want to spend the next 3-6 years depending on the field they choose.

• Medical students submit their preferred list of residency programs (with the most preferred as the first choice) while residency programs rank their preferred list of students.February 26th (TOMORROW) is the big day that Richard will submit his rank list. 

• The data from both the students and residency programs get entered into a computer database.

• The computer matches the residency program to a student.
  On the Monday before Match Day (Black Monday), the students will find out if they have been matched with a program. Should they not match, students will "Scramble". Scramble means that they will contact different programs that have openings and ask to be taken into their program. The trouble is that students from all over the country are fighting for the same small percentage of spots.

• Graduating students receive their results in mid-march, which is also known as “Match Day”.
  On March 21st, we will go to Columbia and there we will find out where he has  matched. It is a huge milestone for the students and often family members attend.  USCSOM will hold an assembly of sorts for the occasion. Students are called on stage at random and are presented with an envelope that tells them where they will be going. For all students with the exception of some military match people, this is the first time they learn where they will spend the next part of their career. 
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  Previously in medicine,  doctors applying for residency programs could make deals with hospitals to ensure they ended up at a place they wanted it.  It was also common for students to match at a program and then attend another one after deciding that another hospital was a better fit for them.  In today's world,  that's no longer possible.  
  
  
  I like to use the analogy of sports recruitment. Professional athletes sign a contract saying they'll go where they are drafted and this is exactly the same. Richard and I will go wherever he matches.
  
  This is an incredibly exciting (and stressful) time for us. We are so anxious for match day to get here so that we can begin planning the next step in our lives. I am confident that wherever we end up will be the perfect place for us. It is however terrifying that all our lives rest in the functioning of a computer matching program.  In just about a month, we will have some very exciting news to share with all of you and I promise there will be some pictures to go along with it! 
  
  

  • • This is a video from University of Maryland Medical Schools Match Day ceremony. This is what closest resembles USCSOM's Match Day assembly.  Match Day Video
  
  

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Background on a new blogger

After speaking with a good friend yesterday, I've decided to begin documenting my life as the spouse of a soon-to-be doctor. My goal is to write about what this entire process has been like while documenting about the future. Hopefully, I will be able to keep those friends or family members who read it informed about our life while providing education to those who will walk in these footsteps at a later time.

In 2008 I began dating a sweet boy who had dreams of someday becoming a doctor. On December 19th, 2009 that dream became a reality when he was accepted into medical school at USCSOM. I knew from the moment that I met Richard that I wanted to marry him and that I would do whatever was necessary to see him achieve his dream. On June 23rd, 2012 after being long distance for almost 4 years, we tied the knot. With the step one boards and the first two years of medical school behind us, we began our life together. 4 days after getting married, he began his 3rd year rotations.

I'll be honest when I say that 3rd year was difficult. I was beginning my first job after completing my MSW, trying to learn about being a spouse, finances, learning to cook, learning to be in the same city as Richard while having to cater life to whatever the rotation schedule was. In our first year of marriage, I honestly don't believe that we had a ton of time together aside from a few lucky weekends off, the occasional holiday that he didn't have to work and our delayed honeymoon to Paris in December.

I knew going into our marriage that things would be hard. Marriage itself is hard but being married to a medical student (any medical student) is difficult.  Everyday is a challenge as the spouse of a medical student but everyday that I get to see him light up about something that happened at the hospital makes this journey worth it.  

Please feel free to follow me as I begin blogging about our journey to get his MD and all of the milestones that will be met along this crazy road. 

At Lake Tahoe, Jan 2014