[rnbeauty]

Hey Guys,
Just curious. Does anyone commute more than an 1 1/2 hr back and forth to school daily. Considering a school about that far and do not want to move again. I was thinking during that travel time I could listen to lecture tapes, unwind, etc. Just need to see what others are doing in terms of commuting. Worried about the early morning hours/late days and possible call shifts.

Thanks

[trendz80]

Originally Posted by rnbeauty

Hey Guys,
Just curious. Does anyone commute more than an 1 1/2 hr back and forth to school daily. Considering a school about that far and do not want to move again. I was thinking during that travel time I could be listening to lecture tapes, etc. Just need to see what others are doing.

Thanks

Hi,

I commute an hour a day. I live in Manhattan and my school is in South Orange New Jersey. I am sometimes in traffic for about 1 1/2 hours depending on the time. You can listen to your lecture tapes while driving because it helps out alot, but as for me, I just started the nursing program and it has not gotten that hard yet, so I am still listening to the radio at this point in time. But I am sure soon I will be taping the lectures to listen to that instead of music.

Good Luck
Lashawn

[goodknight]

I drive over 2 hours a day for school. It's more time than that if it rains, snows, or I get behind a school bus or slow-poke.

I try and NOT think about school while I drive. I use that time to decompress and relax. Listen to music, talk to friends on my cell (bad I know), eat sometimes, that way, when I get home I am almost ready to start studying.

[LisaG21]

I drove 2 minutes up the road to school every day lol So I don't have anything to offer here but I wanted to say you shouldn't listen to your lecture tapes lol If they are as boring as my nursing school's classes were you would fall asleep at the wheel lol....especially if your driving so long! haha

[RNin'07]

There are 2 people in my class who commute 2 hours. I commute 1 hour and it's not bad at all because I carpool with someone and have someone to talk to.

[miloisstinky]

There is a HUGE difference between a straight cruise control freeway commute and a stop-and-go commute. I will take the cruise control commute anyday!! But, im in L.A. so that is not the case, it's only for 2 years, i try not to think about it too much, gotta do whatcha gotta do i guess. It sucks, but like i said....its only temporary. I spend about 2.5-3 hours on the road per day.

[louloubell1]

Hi, rnbeauty. I think so far you've received replies mostly from undergrad students, & I thought maybe you'd like to hear more from SRNAs, so I'll put in my $0.02.

First, in general my commute isn't anywhere near what you're considering. I live about 20 min away from campus, but my next clinical rotation will be at a facility that is about 1.5 - 2 hours away. I will definitely not be commuting there and back everyday. I can understand what you are saying about using that time to listen to lecture tapes and such, but so much of your learning as an SRNA will require massive amounts of reading in addition to formulating care plans and such... things that you just can't do while driving a car. Besides that, after getting to my clinical site at the butt-crack of dawn, working hard all day & sometimes into the evening, the last thing I want to do is get in the car & spend time driving. Then when I get home I'd have to be preparing for my next day's cases. That three hours a day spent commuting back & forth would seriously cut into my already scarce sleep time.

Good luck to you in whatever you decide!
Lou

[Retired R.N.]

Originally Posted by rnbeauty

Hey Guys,
Just curious. Does anyone commute more than an 1 1/2 hr back and forth to school daily. Considering a school about that far and do not want to move again. I was thinking during that travel time I could listen to lecture tapes, unwind, etc. Just need to see what others are doing in terms of commuting. Worried about the early morning hours/late days and possible call shifts.

Thanks

Look into any good Anatomy & Physiology book and see what it says about the body's need for sleep. Then Google "Sleep Deprivation" and study a little more.

If you fall asleep at the wheel because you failed to supply your body with the hours of sleep you need, please do it out in the desert somewhere so you don't take any other motorists or innocent pedestrians with you in your crash.

Sorry if this sounds harsh, but too many nurses (and doctors, too) don't seem to be able to put into practice what they should have learned in basic A&P.

[Athlein1]

I would consider this option only if you have NO other choice. I have been a commuter for most of my CRNA program (we change sites every other month, and the nearest site is 45 minutes on a good day). I calculated my average commute time to be between two and four hours per day for over 80% of my program.

I have been in two accidents (neither my fault, just the unfortunate result of the number of hours and miles I have spent in my car). My car is a mess and I am physically and emotionally exhausted from commuting. Road time takes away from study time, too, so expect to have to put in longer hours at home studying at night and on the weekends.

It can be done. I am weeks away from graduation, and I haven't committed hari-kari yet, but I am seriously close. If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't think twice about selling my house and moving closer to school. As I said, the mental and physical price I have paid to stay put and commute has been very, very high.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

[New CCU RN]

I am considering applying to schools that are about 1 1/2 to 2 hours away. I don't want to sell my house, and my husband doesn't want to leave his job if necessary. If I end up going to one of the schools that are that far away - I plan on renting a cheap apartment with basically a bed and a desk and my laptop. That way I will have somewhere to crash on long days, go to in between classes, etc if I need to. I don't know what area you are in - I am in the south where it is affordable - not to mention with the price of gas - it would probably come out to be about the same. (A cheap apartment will probably be about 400/month plus electricity and internet - so like 525 or so)

If you are on the road three hours a days:

60miles * 3hours = 180 miles/day

180 miles * 5 days = 900 miles/week

Assume an average car gets 25 miles/gallon

900 miles/(25 gallons/mile) = 36 gallons

36 gallons * $2.50/gallon = $90 on gas per week

So - about $400 dollars on gas a week plus at least a monthly oil change - plus the wear and tear on your car and body.

With me staying some weekdays at my ghetto apartment, this will mean seeing less of my husband - but we don't have kids - and so it is just one of those things you have to do to get where you want to be. He also works a schedule where he either has a Friday or Monday off each week (gotta love the government) - so there is some flexibility there. Plus it is a quick drive away.

In my opinion, anything over 45 minutes of a commute is really going to drain you. Anesthesia school is more than challanging enough. Don't throw yourself into a situation where your school work will be hurting as a result.