Behind The White Coat - Real Talk For Physician Spouses
Being married to medicine comes with challenges—long hours, relocations, and feeling like you’re navigating it all alone. That’s where this podcast comes in.
I’m sharing the things I wish someone had told me—how to survive medical training, juggle parenting, manage finances, and actually build a life you love. We’ll cover everything from making friends in a new city to understanding insurance, finding childcare, and staying connected as a couple.
Some episodes will be just me, sharing real stories and lessons learned. Other times, I’ll bring on expert guests—financial advisors, physician spouses, and those who’ve been through it all—to offer practical advice.
Most of all, this is a place for community. A space where you can feel understood, supported, and even laugh along the way. Because being married to medicine doesn’t mean doing it alone.
So grab a coffee (or wine!), and let’s talk about the real side of life Behind The White Coat.
Behind The White Coat - Real Talk For Physician Spouses
#3| We Matched....Now What? Your Next Steps After Match Day
Congratulations on your match! But now what? That envelope tells you where you're going, but not how to get there or what to do next. This episode tackles the often overwhelming post-Match Day experience with practical guidance for physicians and their families preparing for relocation.
Drawing from years of experience helping medical families transition to new communities, I break down the critical first steps anyone should take after learning their match results. We explore how to leverage social media to research your new city, connect with local physician spouse alliances, and gather insider information that makes your transition smoother. I share practical advice on timing your move, creating a realistic relocation budget, and navigating the complex rent-versus-buy decision that many trainees face.
The episode features insights into what medical families should consider beyond basic housing decisions - from analyzing true commute times during rush hour to finding off-market properties from departing residents. I explain why working with someone who understands the unique challenges of physician relocation can save you significant stress and help you build connections before you even arrive. Whether you're moving solo or relocating an entire family, these physician-specific resources will help you approach your transition with confidence instead of anxiety.
Ready to make your move less stressful? Download the comprehensive checklists and guides mentioned in this episode from the show notes. Have questions or want to suggest a future topic? Reach out on Instagram @AmandaBarronRealtor. Remember, this exciting but challenging journey is one you never have to navigate alone.
Hey there and welcome to Behind the White Coat. I'm Amanda Barron, your host, physician, spouse and your go-to friend for real talk about this medical life. If you're juggling long hours, solo parenting or finances and feeling overwhelmed, you are not alone. This podcast is your space for honest conversations, real advice and the support that I wished I'd had years ago. So some episodes will be just me sharing what I've learned along the way, and then other times I'll bring on guests to help navigate the challenges of being married to medicine. So grab a cup of coffee or wine, get comfy and let's dive in. Cup of coffee or wine, get comfy and let's dive in. Hey everyone, and welcome back. So happy you're here and thanks for joining us.
Speaker 1:Today's episode is going to be discussing what happens after match day. So you get your envelope, you open it. It tells you where you're going to be going, but then what? It doesn't tell you the steps you need to take, what you need to do next to move you and potentially your family across the country. So that's where I come in. I have created various guides, checklists, next steps for you, and so I wanted to kind of just talk to you a little bit about that and what you need to do now that match day's here, you've celebrated, and what do you do next? So I do have a relocation guide specifically for the Nashville area, which I'll put in the show notes. But it does have like real estate stuff, but it's got even more stuff about Nashville. It is specifically for physicians and their families. It's got various different resources. I think it's 30 pages long and it's basically anything and everything that you would need to know, not only about relocation, physician relocation and moving to Nashville. So that will be linked in the show notes. I also have a moving checklist for you of what is next actionable steps to do, and so I'll just give you a couple snippets of what that looks like and some things that you can do, but it will also be linked in the show notes. So, for example, in your first week or two, you're going to want to learn all things about the city you're moving to.
Speaker 1:So the best way that I think you can start doing that is social media. So start looking on Facebook to see if they've got specific pages that are dedicated to the hospital you're going to be going to, dedicated to the city. You're going to be going to certain groups for that area. So, for example, I have a Nashville Physician Spouses page and people join it all the time because they're moving to the area and they have questions questions about neighborhoods, commute times, schools and it's full of other physicians and their spouses that have moved to the area with the same questions. So it's really nice that you're able to ask people that have been through it, living it and here. So that's one thing that I would recommend Also start looking at, especially if you're like a parent or a mom. They'll have specific groups Nashville Moms groups, those kinds of things. And then you also want to see if they have what's called local alliances, which I will dive deep into that in another episode. But it's kind of a support group Sometimes they'll call them auxiliaries or an alliance and it is a support group for physician spouses, all things physician spouses in that area, meaning events, play dates, how to meet people, ask questions. They'll probably send you some sort of information on the city you're moving to. So, for example, Vanderbilt has a house staff alliance that is catered to incoming residents and fellows. So potentially, look for something like that in the area you're moving to.
Speaker 1:The other thing I would start doing is, once you figure out where you're moving to, maybe have already started asking questions to residents that are already living there or on these Facebook social media pages that I'm talking about. Look at commute times, use Google Maps and look at commute times from various different areas at different times of day. That's going to make a big difference during rush hour versus non-rush hour times. You may not know the hours you're going to be working, but it gives you a really good idea of what's close by and what that commute time would look like. So that would be in the first week. Second week I would go ahead and lock in movers or a rental truck, because you're going to be getting into the heightened season of moving, relocating, nicer weather and you want to be able to lock that in. So I would potentially start getting those quotes.
Speaker 1:If you don't know movers, ask locally, ask real estate agents, For example. I've got some great recommendations, especially in my guide of vendors, so you've got a lot of possibilities, but I would try to get that booked right away. And then the other thing I would do right away is figure out a moving budget. So sometimes institutions will give you some sort of relocation stipend, so take that into account. And if they don't, then you need to figure out what that moving budget looks like. It's expensive to move, Whether it's the moving truck, you've got to find places to board pets, the food aspect, anything new that you need in your new house and utilities and so forth. So you've got to create that budget and then I would recommend you just stick to that budget and that will really help you whenever you're coming into the new city to kind of navigate what you're looking for where you're going to live. Having that budget is going to really help.
Speaker 1:Another guide or page that I have created for you is a lot of times the first thing people ask should I rent or should I buy? And only you can answer that. I always tell people the best time to buy a house is when it's the right time for you. Don't let anyone pressure you into something, force you out of something. You just need to make sure you connect with the right people, you get the information and data that you need and you get the right resources so that you feel comfortable with whatever that decision looks like.
Speaker 1:In the show notes I will have this rent versus buy guide, but I think you've got to dig a little bit deeper and know the area a little bit better. That's where a realtor, specifically a relocation specialist, will be helpful. So I always ask people how long are you planning on staying here? Obviously your specialty will dictate that and then if you end up staying here or going away for fellowship and so forth so I know there's some other factors that play into it, but you have a general idea of how long you're planning on being in an area. So if it's three years or less, in our Nashville market it's probably going to be more advantageous for you to rent versus buy. If it's going to be four years or more, potentially, then buy something, build up that equity, make your money work for you. And then, long term, what does that look like once you're done with training? Would you like to stay? Once you're done with training, are you going to move, no matter what?
Speaker 1:And one thing to keep in mind is building up a passive income with rental properties, especially those that are within a certain commute time from the hospital. They're always able to be rented with incoming residents, incoming fellows. So I tell people, no matter what's going on with the market or interest rates. Every year after match day they're coming in. So maybe tell people, no matter what's going on with the market or interest rates. Every year after match day they're coming in, so maybe you're going to hold on to that as a rental property. So these are things that we need to consider whenever you're trying to decide if you're going to buy or rent. So definitely ask those questions.
Speaker 1:Find a realtor who is well-versed in the market, well-versed with physician relocation, Because the nice thing is, if they're well-versed with physician relocation, they automatically have their finger on the pulse and their foot in the door with a wide contact list of physicians. And what I mean by that is I know physicians that are going to be moving away and potentially have a rental that would be available the exact time that you need it, coming in for training, so it'd be an easy transition for you to take over their rental. Or I know physicians that are done with training. They're going to be selling their house. Maybe they want to sell it off market, so it's less competitive for you. Again, the timing works seamless, so I'm able to connect you with those, and so that would be really, really important for you to try to find someone that does work with physicians quite a bit, because it's nice to have that easy, stress-free transition for you.
Speaker 1:I also have a to-do list, kind of a checklist, for you so you don't forget some things to do in that moving timeframe, because you've got a lot of things going on and it can be as minute as making sure you've done everything you've got to do for forwarding your mail. How many times, myself included, have I purchased something on Amazon and it went to the wrong address? Whether it was because it was a gift, I didn't update something. Amazon and it went to the wrong address. Whether it was because it was a gift, I didn't update something. And it's just frustrating because nobody has time to have to deal with that kind of stuff. So it's a checklist for things like that, your prescription and all things moving. Again, I will put that in the show notes for you. But just one thing for you to kind of check off the list and not have to really think a lot about.
Speaker 1:And then back to the relocation guide. In there it's got so much information that I tell people to kind of look it up when you need it because it'll be overwhelming. It's like 30 pages, but there are some things very specific that I think you need to look at if you are relocating to the Nashville area, especially certain neighborhoods within a certain commute time of the med center and various hospitals that's in there. I also did a survey of previous physicians that I have helped with, just areas that they live in and it's just questions that they rank one to five the safety, shopping, walkability, schools because everybody always asks me where should we go, when do the residents go? So this is at least a good starting point. It doesn't mean that you have to live where everyone else lives, but it just gives you a good starting point.
Speaker 1:You know, if you're moving to the Nashville area, I would love for you to connect with me. I would love to be your resource. 90% of my business is relocation from out of state and probably 85% of that is physicians and a ton of them do everything remotely that we've got to do a ton of stuff virtually because they've got to finish out a crazy schedule and don't have time to come in. So I teach you how to do a lot of that from the comfort of your own computer. These so I teach you how to do a lot of that from the comfort of your own computer. These are just reasons why you need to make sure you connect with the right person in the right city. I'm happy to also connect you if you don't know somebody in your city just here to help, no matter what. So these are just suggestions and tips and advice on what the heck to do after match day. Hopefully this was somewhat helpful. These checklists will just walk you through all of it and I'll be here every step of the way.
Speaker 1:You are welcome to DM me with additional questions and reach out, but look at the links in the show notes and, if you've got additional questions, if you have a suggestion for a topic of a podcast or you have a suggestion of somebody that should be on the podcast, I would love to hear from you and once again, I appreciate you taking part of your day out to listen to me and we're in this together. It is an exciting, stressful journey and just know that you're not in it alone. Exciting, stressful journey and just know that you're not in it alone. Thanks and until next time.
Speaker 1:That's a wrap on this episode of Behind the White Coat. I hope today's conversation left you feeling more understood and supported. If you enjoyed this episode, I would love for you to subscribe, leave a review or share it with another physician spouse. Your support helps more of us to connect. Keep in mind this podcast is for you, so let's keep this conversation going. Dm me on Instagram at Amanda Barron Realtor with your thoughts, topic ideas, questions or even guest suggestions. I would really love to hear from you. Thanks for spending part of your day with me and remember you are never in this alone. See you next time.