Need advice! Contract or travel to work??

calivianya, BSN, RN · May 22, 2015

Take the one you have to commute to. Commuting sucks, but it's more relevant to your area of interest, and if you decide you hate it, you can get out easily.

LakeEmerald · May 22, 2015

Take the level 2 ED if you are confident that you are competent and tough enough to soak up the training and roll with it. The training you will get will further you along in your ultimate goal.

Do you have a family depending on you? Any concrete benefits to being so close to home? Moving across the street might be better if you have little children depending on you.

If they pay/benefits are the same, and you don't need to be close to home, the experience you will get at the level 2 is worth it. IMO. Great problem to have!

brillohead, ADN, RN · May 22, 2015

A commute of 45-60 minutes is no big deal, IMO.

I'd go with what you know you want, unless there is a reason (like small children / childcare issues / lack of dependable transportation) compelling you to work across the street from home.

ER.rn0922 · May 22, 2015

Take the level 2 ED if you are confident that you are competent and tough enough to soak up the training and roll with it. The training you will get will further you along in your ultimate goal.
Do you have a family depending on you? Any concrete benefits to being so close to home? Moving across the street might be better if you have little children depending on you.
If they pay/benefits are the same, and you don't need to be close to home, the experience you will get at the level 2 is worth it. IMO. Great problem to have!

No kids, no husband just a boyfriend. No big commitments. Just couldn't decide on if I wanted to be close or if the drive was worth it.

ER.rn0922 · May 22, 2015

Thanks !!

icuRNmaggie, BSN, RN · May 23, 2015

Two hours a day of driving, versus living across the street and walking to work, is going to have a big effect on your quality of life, especially in the Winter.

Being a commuter is no fun after a 12 to 13 hour shift. Is the local job also an ED residency?

lovesongajp · May 23, 2015

I would say commute for the experience. I drive over 70 miles to work (one way) to a hospital that is more tailored to my interests than the one 5 miles from my house. I definitely wouldn't sign a contract somewhere that I wasn't interested in to begin with... Across the street or not, you could really luck out in that situation. If the other job doesn't work out then you can always go to the hospital nearby, not the other way around. Good luck!

ER.rn0922 · May 23, 2015

Two hours a day of driving, versus living across the street and walking to work, is going to have a big effect on your quality of life, especially in the Winter.
Being a commuter is no fun after a 12 to 13 hour shift. Is the local job also an ED residency?

Exactly my point. After 13 hours I don't want to sit for an hour and drive but I also don't want to pay thousands of dollars back to a hospital just because I want to leave after a year. And I live in Florida so we barely have a winter anyways lol but no the local job isn't in the ED.

ER.rn0922 · May 23, 2015

I would say commute for the experience. I drive over 70 miles to work (one way) to a hospital that is more tailored to my interests than the one 5 miles from my house. I definitely wouldn't sign a contract somewhere that I wasn't interested in to begin with... Across the street or not, you could really luck out in that situation. If the other job doesn't work out then you can always go to the hospital nearby, not the other way around. Good luck!

70 miles!!?! Wow. Why did you pick that hospital over the local one?

lovesongajp · May 25, 2015

It's a more reputable facility, higher pay, more varied experience, and I felt like it would look better on my resume overall. I definitely don't regret my decision so far ðŸ˜Š.