Once the joy of landing your residency spot on Match Day settles, the real-life work of preparing for residency continues. For many soon-to-be residents that means packing up your life, finding a place to live—and making it all happen before July 1.
Leanna “Leif” Knight, MD, has been through the residency-relocation process. After matching into an emergency medicine residency program, Dr. Knight moved from upstate New York to Providence, Rhode Island. Dr. Knight, who uses they/them pronouns, had a game plan that made the move smoother and less stressful.
As future residents ponder their relocation options, Dr. Knight offered some advice to make your move easier.
Start looking ASAP
Finding housing in a competitive market is tough, but the earlier you start, the more options you’ll have. Dr. Knight locked in their lease within a few weeks of matching, giving them a head start on the competition.
“I moved a week before graduation,” Dr. Knight said during an episode of the “AMA Making the Rounds” podcast. “For me, it was really important that I protected that time that we get, that little bit of time that we get after graduation, but before residency starts. So that way I would be able to relax and unwind. I think it's very difficult to make that move the later that it gets. So, I just wanted to go on ahead and put in the energy and effort early, even though that was going to make the end of fourth year a little bit more complicated for me.”
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Seek input from current residents
To get a better idea of where you might want to live, Dr. Knight recommended reaching out to current residents in the program with which you matched.
“I sat down with a couple of the residents before I moved and found out about the different areas, what is in those areas, and what could I expect living there,” said Dr. Knight, a second-year emergency medicine resident who is delegate for the AMA Resident and Fellows Section.
Dr. Knight added that key questions to ask include: “What are the prices like there? How far away is it? Do a lot of people live in one area or the other? And that information is why I ended up in an area that I'm just absolutely delighted to live in.”
Consider your commute
After long shifts, the last thing you want is a long commute. Dr. Knight made sure their new place was close to work to maximize convenience and minimize exhaustion.
“I ended up 10 minutes from the main campus and two minutes from one of our pretty often-to-go-to hospitals,” they said. “In your commute, you have to multiply by two. You know, you’re going to be going to work and coming home from work. And sometimes you’re going to be very tired.”
When considering commute time, Dr. Knight advised residents to keep in mind that some residency programs have multiple hospitals—you might be commuting to more than one location.
Only move what you truly need
Moving long distances is expensive—especially if you’re bringing a lot of furniture. Instead of renting a massive truck and hauling everything to Rhode Island, Dr. Knight and their partner sold most of their furniture before relocating. The profits from that sale helped to reduce the costs of moving.
“There is some effort into selling stuff on Facebook Marketplace or wherever you end up selling it,” they said. “But it’s easier, at least for me, and brings me more joy to be able to buy new things in my new place than to have to cart a bunch of heavy furniture across the country.”
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Hire movers for the big pieces
Hiring full-service movers for a move can get pricey, particularly for an interstate move. According to Angi.com, the average cost of moving out of state typically ranges from $3,000-$7,000.
When trying to lessen the burden of moving while saving money, Dr. Knight found a middle ground. Instead of paying for a full moving service, Dr. Knight and their partner rented a U-Haul and hired movers for only an hour on each end of the trip.
“We actually got a couple of movers for an hour on each end of our trip in order to not be alone moving this furniture,” they said. “And to not ask other residents, who are also busy, to move our furniture for us.”
It’s not a forever home
Dr. Knight opted to rent, which is frequently the case for resident physicians. If you can’t find the perfect place as a renter, you are likely only going to have to commit to a one-year lease.
“There's a lot of people who maybe have some regret” about where they move, Dr. Knight said. “It's a very complicated process. Give yourself some grace. You will find a place. And truthfully, it's a year-long lease. So, at the end of the year, you can always find another place. You'll know the area that you're in so much better. You'll know where you want to be.”
