St. Louis is known as one of the most livable cities in the U.S., a place where residents can afford to buy their own home, commute to work by short car ride, bike, or on foot; and, at the same time, enjoy all the cultural activities a great city can offer.

Entertainment

Chief Resident Rupen Desai, MD, takes in a Cardinals game at Busch Stadium in downtown St. Louis, MO.

Within five miles of Washington University School of Medicine, residents cheer on the Cardinals at Busch Stadium, see Hamilton and other Broadway shows at the Fox Theatre, revel in Bach at the Saint Louis Symphony, attend Slam Poetry contests in north city, deconstruct Van Gogh and Monet paintings at the Saint Louis Art Museum, and pet stingrays at the Saint Louis Zoo.

Residents can also play golf or tennis in Forest Park, directly across the street from the hospital, starting as early as March and as late as November.

Energy

Faculty and residents attend the 2022 Chiefs Dinner.

With substantial resources for startups, St. Louis has become a top destination for entrepreneurs, attracting a growing millennial population, and with them an expansive network of craft breweries, music venues and restaurants. In fact, Yelp recently named St. Louis the No. 2 “food city” in the U.S. just behind San Francisco.

Camaraderie

Our residents were seen taking a well-deserved break from clinical training and research, but didn’t sit still for too long. 

Neurosurgery residents enjoy many of these St. Louis venues together, during the monthly department-funded social events, at gatherings with faculty, and in outings planned on their own.

Because of the camaraderie within the program, and all of the fun activities they can do together in St. Louis, residents find that they make some of their best, lifelong friends here.

Cost of Living

Graphic courtesy of Visual Capitalist.

Owning a home in St. Louis while completeing your residency is absoutely realistic. According to Visual Capitalist, the annual salary needed to buy a home in St. Louis, MO is $49k – significantly lower than the national average.