We're up the creek... - Page 2

[Eman'smom]

If you haven't already are the loans consoliated and spread out over 30+ years?

That really helped dh it cut our payments in half.

[boysrus]

how horrible, I am so sorry.
I have been taking online classes through my community college, and they offer everything, so that might be a place you could teach
could your husband teach?

[MamaChel]

I cannot imagine the stress of having that much in expenses right off the top. That sounds like an awful situation. I know someone who works through here : http://www.smarthinking.com/ as an online tutor. Perhaps this may work for your family as well. I hope that your situation changes for the better very soon.

[fuller2]

A family friend as I was growing up was a professor. He used to spend the summer painting houses to make extra money, and now that he's in his 60s he makes the best money he has ever made--about $45,000 a year. He has 3 or 4 books published, many articles etc.

Maybe you should check the Chronicle of Higher Education job listings--they often have alternative career listings/advice for PhDs who want to work outside academia. If you can use the inheritance to tide you over until you can make a bigger move, it would probably save everybody much grief in the long run--patching together piecemeal hourly jobs or a bunch of very low-paying, high-stress teaching jobs can sometimes just prolong your misery, and they are nothing but a dead end.

You can research and write, right? Can you write articles for the local newspaper? Won;t pay much, but perhaps you could follow local politics?

I'm a grad student. Here's an ad I saw a few months ago and saved--is probably legit, and such places are probably always looking for people who can write well.

AD TEXT: (the "I" here is not me, it's the guy who wrote the ad)
--------------------
WRITER [OFF-CAMPUS]
Location: Freelance (Off-campus)
Pay: up to $1200+ per project, Hours: Make your own hours

I was one of the creators of SparkNotes (www.sparknotes.com), the world's most popular academic study guides and now a subsidiary of Barnes & Noble Inc. I've recently begun working on a new publishing project that needs excellent writers who can write on a wide variety of nonfiction topics. We are backed by a major publisher and have a significant budget for the project. If you are interested in applying to write, please email me a current resume and two writing samples that demonstrate your ability to explain a nonfiction topic clearly and concisely. No academic papers or fiction samples please.

Contact: Justin Kestler 303-379-9604 [e-mail]
------------------------------------------------
END OF AD TEXT, back to my posting...

In your husband's surgery, does he use any specialized equipment? Is it possible for your husband to do some consulting for the company that makes it? I am just thinking of other ways your husband could use his MD. Working for a pharmceutical company or for a medical devices maker could result in a far higher salary than he could make as an MD--and no malpractice insurance needed .

Good luck with it all.

[chkpea]

Come to Canada, too. Our city is doing a huge recruitment for Drs.

[majazama]

we need doctors here in B.C. Canada

[SleeplessMommy]

I would suggest "networking" for your husband. He (or you) can talk with your MD friends/professors and ask for advice. Where would be best to live? Is there anywhere in the state he can get a "good job" and should he look at a different specialty within surgery? For example, an ENT we know went into cosmetic surgery.... $$$ and no insurance billing.

The temp/dr could be a good idea is there is any flexibillity. For example could he temp just on weekends?

And for you, check with local community colleges, colleges, and places like Kaplan (and other tutoring companies) Kaplan does hire for on-line tutoring too, though I am not sure if the salary is high enough. A PT/freelance job in technical writing coluld be an option.

And I have to say.... YIKES! all those years in school. I hope something works out for you

[MommyDOK]

I'm really sorry you're going through this. The good news is you are well educated and this situation won't be forever.

My binlaw is a neonatologist and they had no money when he started so he moonlighted in the emergency room. He made a ton of money doing it....awful hours, but at least he made some very decent cash. There are also all kinds of prn jobs for nurses and such, I would think there are the same for physicians????

I'm sure there are some options and all of our great brains at mdc can help you guys out!

I don't know what part of the country you're in and whether moving to a group practice might be worth it---at least until some of this debt is lowered.

[Amys1st]

if you go to Canada, dont plan on you working though. I understand that if a couple works there only one can work because these foreigners are taking a job away from a citazen of Canada. At least this happend to a couple I know.

[Nickarolaberry]

Thanks, Mamas.

We're definitely not going to go to Canada. Just not an option for us for a variety of reasons.

We're looking at other areas of the country right now to see if maybe we can get something that will work for us. If we can sell our house that is. It's just sitting, sitting, sitting....and we've lowered the price a lot. Any more and we won't get out what we put in and we can't afford to be upside down on the mortgage right now. :

The part time job I thought I had for fall seemed like a great thing, til I did the math and realized I will be in the hole $85 a week for childcare that the salary won't cover. Not good. So we're back to the drawing board on that one.

Anyway, am continuing to hope that something better will come along...

[LeBoof]

My husband suggested something. Has your husband checked with the AMA (or other medical associations) to see what loan forgiveness programs they might offer? It certainly can't hurt to ask and migth help if you're still having to pay them back along with everything else going on.

[Nickarolaberry]

Thanks LeBoof. We did get a forbearance for six months. The interest continues to pile up but at least we won't get a nasty on our credit rating over this...

[Eman'smom]

If this has already come up I'm sorry, and moving most likely won't work, but have you considered moving to a really low income area. I know there are really small towns so desperate for dr's they will forgive all or part of the loans.

[Nickarolaberry]

Thanks! No, it hasn't come up, but most of those places need internists, not surgeons.

We're looking into all our options, right now he's doing locum tenens and trying to get his own practice off the ground. Praying it works.