Commuting to Nursing School?

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How many people will be commuting to their campus for school, and if so, for how long? I have went through my head a thousand times the best possible way to finish my 2nd BS. The circumstances just seem better for me to commute 260 miles 2-way for the start and finish of my BSN program. I just had a baby and all my support is at home. Since I graduated, the only thing I can take out is loans. Therefore, I would need to budget. I'm thinking about getting a tape recorder to utilize the time while driving. Any advice or suggestions?

Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
Ridiculous. Why on earth would anyone want to drive 2 hrs one way to school, when you have the option to go to one closer?
'Ridiculous' is a rather strong word. A feat that seems ridiculous to you is very feasible to those of use who have survived multiple commutes during our lives.
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'Ridiculous' is a rather strong word. A feat that seems ridiculous to you is very feasible to those of use who have survived multiple commutes during our lives.

Ridiculous, crazy, insane, whatever. I've learned in life, some situations and troubles can be avoided. I'm not saying it can't be done, because it can be, and it has been done. HOWEVER, I would hate for her to be stuck on the side of the road, and she has car trouble. Missing/late for classes, or stuck in traffic. Sometimes traffic is heavy for no reason on rare occasions. Even worse, her falling asleep behind the wheel.

Most clinical sites are close to the schools. Now that 2.5hr drive, can easily turn into a 3 - 3.5hrs ONE WAY. I'm all about living a stress free life as much as possible. Too much wear & tear on the brain, body & car.

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Specializes in Emergency Department.

I used to commute about 2 hours each way to work for about 2 full years. While it was for an ambulance job where I'd essentially work 36 hours straight, the basic idea was very simple, really. I found a place to stay early on and what I'd do is go over there early the night before, sleep there, then I'd have a leisurely 10 minute commute to work. I'd be at work for those two days and then I'd head for home. So, in reality, I'm only commuting 2 hours, once each way per week. What I'd suggest is to network with someone there in class and see if you can set up some kind of an arrangement where you can stay locally during class and clinical and then go home on your "weekend" from class. You can use that extended commute time to and from school to listen to your lectures. Some recorders will play back at a faster speed but will change the pitch so the voices sound normal, just faster. People can normally take in the spoken word several times faster than they can speak. You might be able to speed up a 4 hour lecture to where you can review it in 2 hours.

If your only recourse is to commute every day, it is very possible that you may be away from home 16 hours (minimum) every day. In those remaining 8 hours, you have to find time to study, deal with child and pet needs, take a shower, do homework, and sleep. You're going to find this to be a very taxing time for you until you're able to find a place to stay locally.

I'm not saying that it's impossible, I'm saying that it's not going to be easy. The hardest part of commuting such a long way is that once you're tired, it becomes very easy to fall asleep behind the wheel and that can lead to disaster. I've come very close to nodding off during such a commute while driving during a very dangerous section of road... and while disaster didn't happen, I was saved by two things: waking immediately back up and having a TON of driving experience and skill because I was literally within 2 seconds of departing the roadway. If I wasn't as good of a driver, I probably wouldn't have been able to pull off an emergency maneuver that prevented a serious crash.

You'll have to develop some very good time management skills in order to make it all work. Remember, difficult, but not necessarily impossible.

Good luck!

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So, I commute to school. I live in rural MN and drive to South Dakota. Yeah we have a thing called winter here and I just adjusted my driving time to accommodate that. So, yes that meant getting up at 3am to go to clinicals. For me totally worth it. I however have a GREAT nursing program. They are very caring and understand that I commute. This past winter the highway was closed because the weather was so bad and my professor was totally fine with it. I would suggest letting all your professors know you will be commuting and getting their email or cell phone number so you can let them know right away if there is a problem. I am a single mom, I moved in with my parents to save money and they help with my kids. If you want to do it and are committed it will be fine. In my class there are married people who stay in town during the week and go home on weekends (about the same distance as you) to be with their spouse. Now my drive is only an hour, but let me tell you after being in class for 8-10 hours a day, the last thing I wanted to listen to was my professor lecturing on what I had just had that day. I would say, don't commit to it, but maybe around test time record yourself going over notes and points for the upcoming exam. There are also podcasts I have heard about too. Good luck! You can do it!

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Wow! So many commuters!!! I decided to commute and I'm doing just fine! Besides my sleeping hours being a little thrown off, I am making it. I'll tell anybody if they are dedicated to it to do what's best for them. My parents have been a really big help and sometimes I can even practice my skills with my daughter. Now that I've been doing it... 4 hours everyday is nothing and I'm just as prepared as the other students in my class and will continually be financially afloat with all the help I'm getting back home! Best decision ever!

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Specializes in Emergency Room.

Depending on the day I commute about 45 mins each way to school. Most of my classmates commute as well anywhere from 45 mins to an hour and a half

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

Thank you for returning to provide us with an update of your situation! When you look back on this stage in your life several years from now, the commute will be mere water under the bridge, and you'll be amazed at yourself for being able to pull it off.

Wow! So many commuters!!! I decided to commute and I'm doing just fine! Besides my sleeping hours being a little thrown off, I am making it. I'll tell anybody if they are dedicated to it to do what's best for them. My parents have been a really big help and sometimes I can even practice my skills with my daughter. Now that I've been doing it... 4 hours everyday is nothing and I'm just as prepared as the other students in my class and will continually be financially afloat with all the help I'm getting back home! Best decision ever!
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I used to have my iPhone read me kindle books on the topics being covered in class while commuting (3 hours RT on good days, 4 hours on bad days). Some classmates would relisten to recordings of the lecture, but I personally did not find it helpful to hear it again. Other classmates would find stuff they liked on YouTube or iTunes (like from iTunes university) and listen to that content in the car. For me, it was really helpful to try to make use of that otherwise nonproductive time stuck in the car.

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I commute around 2 hours in the morning, and 2.5-3 hours on the way home. I use public transit so it takes a lot longer than it should. I'm managing but I really want to try transferring second semester because it just cuts out too much study (and sleep) time!

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