Graduating med students, ready to put med school in their rearview mirror figuratively and literally — in a car perhaps packed with clothes, books, an Ikea shelf, and a devoted beagle — also have no shortage of logistical challenges ahead of them. Finding a place to live and moving in, learning a new city, and, oh yeah, starting a new job can seem as challenging as some of the cases they treated just a few months before.
To help your move go as smoothly as possible, we turned to some residents for advice about what worked for them and what they might have done differently if they had the chance.
See What Your Hospital Offers
For third-year resident Daniel Schecter, MD, the move from med school at Tulane University in New Orleans to his residency at Mount Sinai, New York City, 3 years ago was actually a homecoming. Having grown up in the New York area and having family and friends there to welcome him back, the familiarity with his surroundings eased some of the stress.
Mount Sinai helped Schecter and the rest of his cohort of interns by offering hospital-owned housing options located near the hospital and priced with residents in mind. “Sinai-owned housing made the process much easier,” Schecter said, adding that his new neighbors and even the doorman offered advice on everything from where to buy furniture to the names of movers to hire.
Of course, many institutions don’t own apartments for incoming residents, but it’s still worth asking about. Even if they don’t provide full-time, long-term housing, they may have short-term housing to help with the transition or resources to help you find some good options.
Renter Beware
When it’s up to you to find a place to live, be sure to do your due diligence, including a trip to see potential landing spots in person. And remember that your new home should be a comfortable refuge, not an afterthought, said Ella Taubenfeld, a first-year urology resident at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. “Finding a good place to live is a non-negotiable in residency. The job is so stressful and time-consuming, so it’s essential that you have an oasis to come back to at the end of the day,” she said.
Taubenfeld, who graduated from the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell in Long Island, New York, in 2024, had a couple of challenges on her hands. She was 1600 miles away from Houston and her husband Joe was working in Baltimore. He was able to keep his job while working remotely in Houston, so at least there wasn’t a job search to add to the mix.
Finding a good