Having a family while in medical school.

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GP0618

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Hey Guys,

I am in need of advice. I have recently been accepted into medical school and have a few questions regarding finances. My wife and I have a 6 month old daughter who is a premie, therefore my wife is a stay at home mom. I am curious about financial options for families so that I can still support my family while in medical school.

Any type of advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!
 
GP0618 said:
Hey Guys,

I am in need of advice. I have recently been accepted into medical school and have a few questions regarding finances. My wife and I have a 6 month old daughter who is a premie, therefore my wife is a stay at home mom. I am curious about financial options for families so that I can still support my family while in medical school.

Any type of advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!
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Well that should qualify them for SNAP and give you Medicaid for the whole family, otherwise I wouldn't expect much else. You can get the kids WIC program as well, but there are a lot of restrictions on what you can get with wic and it might not all be useful to you.

As far as you supporting them while your in school, like having a job, that is the fast track to failing out IMO. Med school is already more than a full time job. Unless you have lots of money to invest passively, I don't see how you make a good income while staying competitive. That said, many others (including me) have made it through this and you can too.
 
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Your cost of attendance will not increase because of having a family. You will have to learn to stretch a dollar and live on less. Oddly enough day care expenditures can be added to COA but only if your wife is working during that time.
Healthcare is usually the biggest expenditure, depending on your assets, and the state you are in you may or may not qualify for Medicaid or snap. I would try to figure this out.
It will be a shock to the system , especially if you are coming from a household of two income earners. Probably more difficult for your wife in that case, considering you will be to busy to realize how broke you are.
Good luck, it is difficult, but not impossible.
 
Attend a school with a low COL. There’s no point living in a big city with higher rent when you can’t afford to go anywhere anyway.

You will qualify for Medicaid and maybe WIC. But that’s it. Anticipate having to pay the first month or two for private insurance while Medicaid drags its feet with the paperwork. You will not get more loan money unless you have like 5 kids.
 
I know multiple med students with part or full-time parent spouses living off loans (though not extreme CoL areas). The difficulty is all relative to your frugality/financial planning and accustomed lifestyle; some have little issue, others really struggle.
 
In term of government subsidy, you will qualify for Medicaid, SNAP, and WIC.

Otherwise, you will need to take out extra loans and only eat at home.
 
Black Coffee 24/7 said:
In term of government subsidy, you will qualify for Medicaid, SNAP, and WIC.

Otherwise, you will need to take out extra loans and only eat at home.
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Snap can get tricky by state. I’m the same situation as OP and I do not qualify. I would plan to not qualify and hope to be pleasantly surprised.
 
There are many factors, but you should for sure be able to get Medicaid and ride that WIC train. I have 4 kids, so we get crazy SNAP coverage, which we honestly would not survive a semester without it. Loans barely cover what you need, especially when you have many kids. Get a one bedroom, put the baby in a crib in your room, live like poor people. You’ll be fine.
 
1: Medicaid for you, your wife, and kids.
2: SNAP. You'll get plenty of money for this. I've lived in three states and haven't had a problem getting either.
3: WIC since your kid is still young. Provides plenty of essentials.

You'll qualify for all of it as long as your wife isn't working. Don't be embarrassed or whatever, you'll be paying plenty later in taxes.
 
Ho0v-man said:
Snap can get tricky by state. I’m the same situation as OP and I do not qualify. I would plan to not qualify and hope to be pleasantly surprised.
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The med student never qualifies, but the spouse and the kids under 6 do in most states.

Edit: to be clear, he can get SNAP, but its because the spouse and kids qualify. A rando med student, despite being poor, doesn't qualify on their own because they are getting 'financial aid' to cover their food.
 
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BorntobeDO? said:
The med student never qualifies, but the spouse and the kids under 6 do in most states.
Click to expand...

SNAP is done by household size, you all count and there is not cut off age for dependents.
 
BorntobeDO? said:
The med student never qualifies, but the spouse and the kids under 6 do in most states.
Click to expand...

False. I know plenty of classmates with kids who qualify for SNAP.

The problem original purpose is designed for poor people who need a temporary bridge for a better paying job that will pay back into the system what they took and more.

There's no shame in medical students with families being on SNAP.
 
Black Coffee 24/7 said:
False. I know plenty of classmates with kids who qualify for SNAP.

The problem original purpose is designed for poor people who need a temporary bridge for a better paying job that will pay back into the system what they took and more.

There's no shame in medical students with families being on SNAP.
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If you have assets greater than 3 k in some states you do not qualify. So no, everyone does not qualify. The same applies for Medicaid if you are lucky enough to be in an expansion state.
 
Black Coffee 24/7 said:
False. I know plenty of classmates with kids who qualify for SNAP.

The problem original purpose is designed for poor people who need a temporary bridge for a better paying job that will pay back into the system what they took and more.

There's no shame in medical students with families being on SNAP.
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I am saying he can get SNAP, but its based on the spouse and the kids qualifying. The actual med student does not. I can only speak for 3 states, but that has been the case in all three. Now some states will still count the med student as part of the household and give you more money, but as a med student, it is expected your loans cover your food cost. Hence why a med student who has no family cannot get SNAP.

Also the limit on cash in the bank is usually 2200. So if you get loans it becomes a big deal to explain unless you prepay a credit card and/or rent. Its stupid to have to justify 'loans' as not being assets, but that's what the government thinks. Of course debt isn't a asset.
 
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Rekt said:
SNAP is done by household size, you all count and there is not cut off age for dependents.
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Addressed in my comment above. Counting for the household is not equal to qualifying for SNAP.
 
libertyyne said:
If you have assets greater than 3 k in some states you do not qualify. So no, everyone does not qualify. The same applies for Medicaid if you are lucky enough to be in an expansion state.
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In retrospect, maybe we didn’t qualify for SNAP bc of my 401k? I have no idea but I’m sure I filled it all out correctly. Maybe I’ll have luck in the next state.

If it’s any consolation OP, my state did NOT expand Medicaid and we qualified.
 
Medicaid is probably the biggest cost saver and you have it out of the way.

It’s going to be tough, but it’s going to be worth it in the end financially and lifestyle once you’re done. Trust me on this especially with the info that I have gathered from fellows and attendings.
 
Ho0v-man said:
In retrospect, maybe we didn’t qualify for SNAP bc of my 401k? I have no idea but I’m sure I filled it all out correctly. Maybe I’ll have luck in the next state.

If it’s any consolation OP, my state did NOT expand Medicaid and we qualified.
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If you have a 401k (which you are supposed to report vs a pension which you wouldn't have to report) you almost certainly don't qualify. The government wants you broke when you get SNAP. While I understand where they are coming from I think its a terrible policy that encourages poverty and hiding 'assets' in cash (for those who don't care about lying) or gold, but that's just my opinion. I believe bitcoin also doesn't count as an asset as well, although I agree with the government on that one cause theres no way I would 'invest' in Bitcoin.
 
Loans don’t count as income for income based assistance, so that helps. Still gonna be tight. As your daughter gets a little older and less fragile perhaps your wife could hustle some part time work or work from home. Can also use loans or see if you qualify for childcare assistance to pay for some daycare. Downsize and live real cheap, maybe with family if that’s at all an option? Get rid of car payments, sell if you can and go down to one cheap vehicle if you need one. If you need to get under an asset limit then you can prepay rent, utilities, whatever other expenses you’ll be using the cash for eventually anyway. If you’ve got retirement savings you can withdraw them and spend them down with a penalty - you’d have to run the numbers on how much you’ve got to see whether the benefits to be received are more than the penalty would be. If you’ve got 5K in a 401k it will be a different calculus than if you somehow have hundreds of thousands (but I imagine you wouldn’t be asking how you’re going to live if that were the case). And yes, you’ll pay it all back with interest in the end via taxes and society’s investment in you will pay off handsomely. It’s a few years of scraping by but lots of people have done it.
 
Also, you’ll be surprised how many parents are in your class. Some spouses babysit to make some cash. My school has a spouse club to organize stuff like that.
 
Also look into Section 8 Housing subsidies. My family of four qualified for close to $700/month towards our rent!
 
GP0618 said:
Hey Guys,

I am in need of advice. I have recently been accepted into medical school and have a few questions regarding finances. My wife and I have a 6 month old daughter who is a premie, therefore my wife is a stay at home mom. I am curious about financial options for families so that I can still support my family while in medical school.

Any type of advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!
Click to expand...

It is common to have your wife stay home with your daughter. I suggest finding cheap rent and getting as much government assistance as possible.

As far as making money you will not have a lot of options. I donate plasma twice a week which takes about ~3 hrs/week and gets me $100 a week so $400 a month. That goes a long ways and helps mores than you would think. Plus I can study while I donate. Other options are any jobs through your school like tutoring, Research assistants, anatomy lab helper, etc. those pay $10/hr and might get you $50 a week.

I know a lot of wives with little children that have low pressure online jobs that make them a few extra bucks as well.

If none of those options work out for you I wouldn’t worry too much, loans will cover what you need and you’ll be fine. I’ve never had to worry much about money and I have kids also.
 
GP0618 said:
Hey Guys,

I am in need of advice. I have recently been accepted into medical school and have a few questions regarding finances. My wife and I have a 6 month old daughter who is a premie, therefore my wife is a stay at home mom. I am curious about financial options for families so that I can still support my family while in medical school.

Any type of advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!
Click to expand...
Dude feel free to message me. I am married, a couple kids, and just about to finish my first year. I’m pretty sure I was literally on SDN last year asking these same exact questions and stressing SO hard about “how tf are we going to do this”. I’m more than willing to explain what we are doing in order to ease any concerns you may have. Although we have “lucked out” with a few things, I now firmly believe you can control SO much of your situation to the point where you can have enough money to pay babysitters on a semi-regular basis (e.g., when exam day lands on Friday) and go out for drinks with the honey (or whatever floats your boat. I only say this since there’s like a 44% chance you’re mormon). You’ll make it happen, captain. Just prepare yourself for the most enjoyable hell you’ve ever experienced.
 
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Jesus H Christ said:
Dude feel free to message me. I am married, a couple kids, and just about to finish my first year. I’m pretty sure I was literally on SDN last year asking these same exact questions and stressing SO hard about “how tf are we going to do this”. I’m more than willing to explain what we are doing in order to ease any concerns you may have. Although we have “lucked out” with a few things, I now firmly believe you can control SO much of your situation to the point where you can have enough money to pay babysitters on a semi-regular basis (e.g., when exam day lands on Friday) and go out for drinks with the honey (or whatever floats your boat. I only say this since there’s like a 44% chance you’re mormon). You’ll make it happen, captain. Just prepare yourself for the most enjoyable hell you’ve ever experienced.
Click to expand...
So much truth, literally half the people with kids are mormans. I think its abnormal for mormans to goto med school without kids. Its always a little funny when I am talking to traditional students who are younger than me and somehow have more kids than I do and are in med school.
 
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As a 3rd year who is taking time off after having my son born 11 weeks early, my husband will continue to work and our son will go to daycare when he is 8 months old. There are a ton of money saving tips I have for having a baby if you want to pm me. We qualify for a subsidy for child care in our state so that is something to look into as well. It isnt easy but it can be done.
 
BorntobeDO? said:
So much truth, literally half the people with kids are mormans. I think its abnormal for mormans to goto med school without kids. Its always a little funny when I am talking to traditional students who are younger than me and somehow have more kids than I do and are in med school.
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Med student, 4 kids, totes Mormon. Every time a faculty member finds out I have 4 kids they go “oh, you’re Mormon! That’s great!”

I’m like “uh, I didn’t say that... and yes, I am.”
 
Spectreman said:
Med student, 4 kids, totes Mormon. Every time a faculty member finds out I have 4 kids they go “oh, you’re Mormon! That’s great!”

I’m like “uh, I didn’t say that... and yes, I am.”
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Lol same here, but 2 kids. And the Mormon/LDS question for me always comes after they ask where I'm from and I tell them Utah.
 
Spectreman said:
Med student, 4 kids, totes Mormon. Every time a faculty member finds out I have 4 kids they go “oh, you’re Mormon! That’s great!”

I’m like “uh, I didn’t say that... and yes, I am.”
Click to expand...
Dang! now I want to be mormon because I have way too many kids :laugh:

Jesus H Christ said:
Dude feel free to message me. I am married, a couple kids, and just about to finish my first year. I’m pretty sure I was literally on SDN last year asking these same exact questions and stressing SO hard about “how tf are we going to do this”. I’m more than willing to explain what we are doing in order to ease any concerns you may have. Although we have “lucked out” with a few things, I now firmly believe you can control SO much of your situation to the point where you can have enough money to pay babysitters on a semi-regular basis (e.g., when exam day lands on Friday) and go out for drinks with the honey (or whatever floats your boat. I only say this since there’s like a 44% chance you’re mormon). You’ll make it happen, captain. Just prepare yourself for the most enjoyable hell you’ve ever experienced.
Click to expand...
Mind if I PM you too?

GP0618 said:
Hey Guys,

I am in need of advice. I have recently been accepted into medical school and have a few questions regarding finances. My wife and I have a 6 month old daughter who is a premie, therefore my wife is a stay at home mom. I am curious about financial options for families so that I can still support my family while in medical school.

Any type of advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!
Click to expand...

You can check your eligibility for SNAP here:
FNS SNAP Program Eligibility Screening Tool
 
@OP and everyone else, I just want to add to the supportive tone of this thread and say that med school (and residency) with a spouse and kids is super doable.

I would say the most important things are A) make sure you communicate well and frequently with your spouse to make sure you're on the same page. Continue to do this as your education progresses, as you start to narrow down your specialty choices, and as you apply for residence. Make sure you're on the same page as far as how far you'll be willing to move for residency, how long he/she is willing to tolerate residency/fellowship (3 years vs 7ish) etc. This way, neither one of you will be caught off guard, and your interests and goals can evolve together. B) Do everything you can to limit the amount of debt you take on (pick the cheapest school you can, live super frugally, etc)

Best of luck!
 
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Spectreman said:
Med student, 4 kids, totes Mormon. Every time a faculty member finds out I have 4 kids they go “oh, you’re Mormon! That’s great!”

I’m like “uh, I didn’t say that... and yes, I am.”
Click to expand...
Roxas said:
Lol same here, but 2 kids. And the Mormon/LDS question for me always comes after they ask where I'm from and I tell them Utah.
Click to expand...
People used to (correctly) assume I'm a Latter-day Saint all the time in med school. Now I'm a resident in a part of the country with way fewer of us and lot of people just think it's weird that I had >1 kid at the start of residency. But people (co residents, faculty) have been super supportive nonetheless.
 
Hey Guys,

I wanted to say I appreciate all of the feedback. Everything in this thread is super helpful. Unfortunately a significant health event happened and Med school had to be postponed a year. However, I do have interviews coming up and I am looking forward to this cycle. I will definitely implement what I've learned through this thread I my family and I prepare for this next year.

To answer the question, no I am not mormon, but I appreciate all of the support lol.
 
GP0618 said:
Hey Guys,

I am in need of advice. I have recently been accepted into medical school and have a few questions regarding finances. My wife and I have a 6 month old daughter who is a premie, therefore my wife is a stay at home mom. I am curious about financial options for families so that I can still support my family while in medical school.

Any type of advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!
Click to expand...
Congrats on the family and congrats on the medschool acceptance. There is a lot of sound advice on this thread for you.
 
GP0618 said:
Hey Guys,

I wanted to say I appreciate all of the feedback. Everything in this thread is super helpful. Unfortunately a significant health event happened and Med school had to be postponed a year. However, I do have interviews coming up and I am looking forward to this cycle. I will definitely implement what I've learned through this thread I my family and I prepare for this next year.

To answer the question, no I am not mormon, but I appreciate all of the support lol.
Click to expand...
Good luck with everything! Lots of good advice here.
 
I’m a single mom so it all falls on me. My son and I are both on SNAP and Medicaid. There’s lots of work from home jobs that are part time or freelance your wife may need to pick up. Loans cover my childcare right now which sucks. Because I have to put kiddo in preschool/daycare (800/mo) that blows my loans way up. I also work on call at the hospital as a nurse. I am not the best student, mostly pull B’s and some C’s on occassion. This first semester has been brutal since I also had to learn how to study. My grades have been steadily improving though and I’m hopeful to pull A’s in my more clinically based programs (Anatomy kicks my butt no matter what and I’m aiming for an A but will settle with a B and still be proud lol). You would qualify for WIC in addition to SNAP, but many states would require your wife works at least some time to qualify. The only reason I get out of that is because I’m a medical student with no partner to work. But between loans, tight budgeting, working during holidays and summer break, and some assistance with the basic staples, we’re making it. Barely, but making it.
 
Jesus H Christ said:
Dude feel free to message me. I am married, a couple kids, and just about to finish my first year. I’m pretty sure I was literally on SDN last year asking these same exact questions and stressing SO hard about “how tf are we going to do this”. I’m more than willing to explain what we are doing in order to ease any concerns you may have. Although we have “lucked out” with a few things, I now firmly believe you can control SO much of your situation to the point where you can have enough money to pay babysitters on a semi-regular basis (e.g., when exam day lands on Friday) and go out for drinks with the honey (or whatever floats your boat. I only say this since there’s like a 44% chance you’re mormon). You’ll make it happen, captain. Just prepare yourself for the most enjoyable hell you’ve ever experienced.
Click to expand...
Can I pm you? Looks like you have it turned off so that I can't pm you. I just have a couple of questions that I would like to ask because I am about to start this journey of med school with a family.
 
bigdawg45 said:
Can I pm you? Looks like you have it turned off so that I can't pm you. I just have a couple of questions that I would like to ask because I am about to start this journey of med school with a family.
Click to expand...
Absolutely, I’ve pm’d you back.
 
SLC said:
Oh man, I wish I’d seen this thread last year. I had 2 kids at the start of med-school, had 1 more during and one in residency. It was hard, but we made it pretty well.

And yes, I’m a Mormon
Click to expand...

most of us in that situation are lol
 
you've gotten tons of good advice, don't listen to anyone who says you can't make it work, we had both ours during the peak times they tell you not too (both board prep times) and we made it happen. financially just live as poor as you are and you'll be fine! med school parents are a rare breed and bring a lot to the table, I've received nothing but respect for my decisions to start during school. family is motivational! you'll be super efficient with your time because you have no other choice. PM if you need current 4th year completely unashamed of my government depence for the last few years. afterall we will pay back more than most in taxes and that is just fine!
 
Ho0v-man said:
Snap can get tricky by state. I’m the same situation as OP and I do not qualify. I would plan to not qualify and hope to be pleasantly surprised.
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I (M0) currently receive SNAP/Medicaid in my state, but if I move out-of-state, will have to achieve residency status before qualifying in the new state? Thanks to anyone who can help!
 
8YearsLate said:
I (M0) currently receive SNAP/Medicaid in my state, but if I move out-of-state, will have to achieve residency status before qualifying in the new state? Thanks to anyone who can help!
Click to expand...
We couldn’t apply until we had a lease signed and our names on something with the address we were moving to. Probably varies by state and tbh who you happen to talk to. I know we’ve had to jump through lots of hoops because it seems like half the people don’t get that student loans are not income. I’ve even been straight up denied and had to appeal the decision.
 
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