As a physician, you spend the majority of your time taking care of and giving to others – your patients, your family, and your friends. This holiday season, we hope you’ll take the time to invest in yourself and your dream. Whether you’re dreaming of a sabbatical in Spain, or trying out a year abroad in New Zealand, or if you’re looking to make a more permanent move to Germany, we’ve got a gift for you!
Here we highlight 7 gifts that are inspiring, supportive, and practical so that you can kick open the door to new possibilities.
1. Grab a book and be inspired
Dotoressa: An American Doctor in Rome : Dr. Susan Levenstein, a primary care doctor and internist, left New York City in 1978 – trading the East River for the Tiber River. In her memoir, Dr. Levenstein lets us in on what it has been like to practice medicine in Rome over the past forty years. Buy on Amazon
ExpatMD, Your Guide to Living and Working as a Physician in Australia and New Zealand: For Dr. Carmen Brown, a one year locums position in New Zealand turned into 10 years and a permanent move, split between New Zealand and now Australia. She shares her wisdom in this book. Buy on Amazon
2. Learn a New Language
Don’t let a language barrier get in the way of enjoying your life abroad. If you’re hoping to move to any non-English speaking country, whether you choose to work in-person or remotely, you’re gonna need to learn the language. Dr. Greven learned German as her first foreign language, from scratch, after moving to Germany and Dr. Arthur brushed up on her French and achieved professional fluency for her mid-career transition to France. You’re never too old or too monolingual to learn a new language!
Here are a couple options to help you learn a new language:
- Find a local in-person class near you
- Italki offers virtual one-on-one language lessons online. Sign up for Italki here and get free credits.
- Babbel is a language learning app that offers 14 languages including Spanish, French, Portuguese (Brazilian), German, Italian, Swedish, and Norwegian! I personally found Babbel to be a great complement to traditional classes when I was learning French. Sign up for Babbel here and get an exclusive discount!!
3. Focus on Jobs that Can Be Done From Abroad
Save time and focus your outreach with the Telemedicine & Other Opportunities Resource. which lists the opportunities that can be done from abroad. This includes the telemedicine companies that allow you to work from abroad and those that don’t, non-clinical opportunities including utilization review, and unique in-person opportunities.
Sign up here and started applying to jobs that can be done from abroad. This resource complements our Job Board.
4. Build Your Website
If you’re thinking of starting your own telemedicine private practice, you’re gonna need your own website, which often takes 2-5 months to create. Take one thing off your plate and let the team at Artillery Media create a professional website for you (we worked with them to create the Hippocratic Adventures website!).
Visit Artillery Media, get a quote for your website today, and mention Hippocratic Adventures for $200 off!
5. Get Guidance From A Fellow Physician
Relocating abroad can be overwhelming and it can be hard to know where to start. It’s helpful to learn from a fellow physician who has relocated to the country you want to go to and can help you prepare for the move.
If you’re thinking of moving to Canada, Spain, Germany, Israel, India, Taiwan, or want to start a telepsychiatry private practice, or need help brainstorming how to approach a move abroad, sign up for Guidance.
6. Get a Virtual Private Network (VPN)
After committing to a destination, make sure you sign up for a Virtual Private Network (VPN). A VPN allows you to connect to a US Electronic Medical Record, many of which block IP addresses from outside of the United States. It can also help you watch American Netflix or access financial accounts from overseas.
NordVPN: Consistently receives high reviews for its speed, ease of use, and the fact that its servers are located in privacy-friendly Panama. Sign up and use this affiliate link for 3 free extra months with NordVPN.
Private Internet Access (PIA): I personally use PIA. It’s simple to configure, you can connect up to 10 devices simultaneously, and in 5 years of using it I’ve never run into glitches. It’s also slightly less expensive than NordVPN. Sign up and use this affiliate link for 3 extra months with PIA.
7. Sign up for a HIPAA-compliant mailbox
When you’re in the final stages of packing and selling your stuff, you may be wondering what to do about your mail. Consider signing up for a virtual mailbox If you’re going to:
- receive patient health information
- need a US address for your US State Medical License,
- receive mail from financial institutions that require a US address
Traveling Mailbox: Offers a HIPAA-compliant mailbox with a real street address (not a PO Box). They will scan the outside of your mail and then you decide what to do. You can ask them to open the mail and scan the contents, forward the mail to you, or shred it. Sign up with this affiliate link.
Bottom Line
This holiday season, make sure to take care of yourself and to invest in your dreams. Try out these gifts and let us know in the comments below which one you found to be very helpful!
Dr. Ashwini Bapat is a palliative care physician, Founder and CEO of EpioneMD, which provides virtual Aging & Illness Coaching to help people who are healthy & aging, living with illness, and their caregivers navigate the healthcare system with confidence. She resides in Portugal.
All products and services featured in this post are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. This means you’ll also support the development of Hippocratic Adventures!
