Work Life

Life in the Bay Area

The Bay Area is an amazing place to live! With great weather, lots of parks, and various terrain the outdoor enthusiast will have plenty to do. Popular activies include cycling, mountain biking, hiking, sailing, horse riding, surfing, golfing...you get the picture.  Napa (wine country), Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, Santa Cruz and the Monterey Bay are within driving distance for great weekend getaways.

As a member of the Stanford community, you have access to all University events and "the farm's" park-like campus with orchards, gardens, fountains, hiking trails over rolling hills that offer glimpses of horses, hawks and cows grazing, as well as a lively culture of performing arts and committment to diversity.

The adjacent city of Palo Alto has a beautiful downtown with diverse shops, restaurants and events like farmers markets to keep you busy. Many fellows live in the nearby cities of Mountain View, Redwood City, or slightly further out. Some live in "the City", San Francisco.

San Francisco is a drive (or train ride) away and a cultural destination for festivals, clubs, concerts, ballet, theater, opera, museums, sporting events, restaurants, water sports, wildlife spotting, and sight-seeing. If you don't mind the cooler, windier weather and longer commute, you may be rewarded with a vibrant, urban living experience.


Benefits

Please refer to the GME Stipends and Bonuses page for full details on your benefits as a fellow.

Example House Staff Contract
House Staff Policies and Procedures

Highlights include: full healthcare insurance (medical/dental/vision), $3,000 moving stipend for fellows new to Stanford, annual education stipend, monthly living expense stipend (contingent upon timely completion of GME requirements), reimbursement for most required licensing fees and exams, and access to the Stanford University community (including academic and athletic communities).


Stanford HealthCare Resident/Fellow Salaries & Benefits, Effective 7/7/2024

Year Annual Monthly  
IV $105,830.40 $8,819.20  
V $111,654.40 $9,304.53  
VI $116,001.60 $9,666.80  
VII $121,784.00 $10,148.67  
VIII $126,734.40 $10,561.20   
  •  
  • $3,000 moving allowance for new hires only*
  • $1,000 cell phone allowance*
  • $2,000 annual educational allowance*
  • $2,000 meal allowance*
  • $10,000 housing stipend added to each fellow’s base salary*
  • Cost of initial CA MD license and renewals*
  • Cost of initial DEA and renewals*
  • Cost of USMLE III*
  • Medical, dental, vision, and long-term disability insurance
  • 1% annual bonus based on completion of a Quality Improvement Project*
  • Free personal laptop assigned (choice of MacBook or Dell) to facilitate research. (Remains University property and is returned upon departure from the program.)
  • Free Software (may include Acrobat Pro, JMP statistical package, EndNote provided by the department of Pediatrics)

*Please see House Staff Policies and Procedures for full details.

Note: stipends are subject to appropriate taxes

Housing

Palo Alto is located in the heart of Silicon Valley and is connected to San Francisco and San Jose by two major freeways (Hwys. 280 & Hwy. 101). There is easy access into San Francisco and Berkeley for cultural events. City life may be combined with the pleasures of rural Portola Valley and Half Moon Bay. Rentals in the Palo Alto area are costly but living in here more than makes up for it.  Do not limit yourself to the immediate surrounding area. Fellows have even lived in San Francisco (not recommended in the first year). Parking is scarce so many fellows choose to take public transportation or bike to campus.

Stanford Campus: Fellows are not eligible to live on the Stanford campus in dorms, Escondido Village, or purchase condominiums and houses for sale on campus land. You are able to rent apartments at University owned apartment complexes: Welch Road Apartments (at the corner of Pasteur Drive and Welch Road) and Stanford West (located on Sand Hill road).

Applications for the Welch Road apartments are included in your registration packets and should be returned promptly to House Staff Administration. Incoming interns and residents are given top priority for any available units. Assignment is based on a lottery held on May 1-2 of each year. Residents are allowed to live at Welch Road during their initial Stanford residency only.

Stanford West Apartments were completed in the Spring of 2002 and are filled predominantly by faculty and staff. You may join a waitlist for one, two, and three bedroom apartments within walking distance from the Medical Center. The complex has an on-site day care center.

For other local and Stanford owned rentals try the Faculty and Staff Housing Office suggested locations, Craigslist and SUPost (aimed at the Stanford community but not affiliated with the University) are popular choices. In addition to your direct searches or Facebook blasts, nearly all surrounding cities are safe and nice places to live. Stanford subsidizes commutes between SF and San Jose (free Caltrain pass) and East Bay (free Dumbarton Express Stanford commuter shuttle).

Visiting Stanford

 

Recreation

News

Housing & Classifieds

 

Families

Popular Day or Weekend Destinations

Fellowship Program

Images top to bottom: The Stanford Dish and hiking trail, Golden Gate Bridge from the Marin Headlands, kayak in Elkhorn Slough at Moss Landing, Main Quad arches, climbing room at AOERC gym on campus, Cantor Arts Center on campus