how far would you go???

Sis123 · Dec 2, 2005

You might check out a house-sitting or house-share arrangement. I even did a live-in cooking job for an elderly gentleman one year in order to trade that for a place to live close by where I was attending school. It was an easy easy job, too. The job was to make fresh carrot juice each morning, keep some homemade soup & salad in the fridge, and simple, simple dinners each night. He grocery shopped. I'd do the dishes, keep the kitchen tidy and then Blanca would come every other week to clean the house. She even cleaned MY room. I was extremely grateful for the trade, plus I did also take my housemate (Fred) in to the ER one night when he had a totally out of control nosebleed.... (This was is the westwood neighborhood.... it was very very nice).

It's really too bad that more people don't do homeshares like this. I got a place to stay while in school, and Fred got nice, home cooked meals....

P_RN, ADN, RN · Dec 3, 2005

I went an hour each way. A house share or a sublet would be another choice. Drop any idea of going to an unaccredited school.

honeyb111 · Dec 3, 2005

I drive 45 minutes each way this semester. Next semester should be the same but Fall 06 my clinicals will be 1 to 1 1/2 hours away. Its the closest community college with a nursing program so I didn't have much choice.

**RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN** · Dec 3, 2005

1 hour away. I re-located and rent an apt. a few blocks from the school.

FNPhopeful · Dec 3, 2005

I'd commute an hour, its not that bad compared to the people who commute 2 hours from Modesto to the Bay area (crazies!). If you get into the one 2 hours away I'd try my best to move.....at least in between. You cant pass up an opportunity like nursing school!

I live in the Merced area and applied to schools in Fresno, so I'll have to commute until I can move closer (I have husbands job and kids to think about as well).

RedSox33RN · Dec 3, 2005

My commute is an hour and 15 minutes one way, during good weather. Bad weather is a part of New England though, and it's taken me almost 3 hours to get to an hour and a half lecture some days. Luckily they will call off clinical/school if the driving is bad, but unfortunately, I live so far away and much more north, that the driving can be horrendous where I am with snow/ice, and just rain by them.

I'd say this commute is the longest I'd do though. It does get tiresome, but I live in the boonies, so I have to drive some distance for everything.

Wondergirl0905 · Dec 4, 2005

WannaBEanRN,

Where in NE do you live? I'm in NH... may need to commute up to two hours if I go somewhere in the Boston area. :sniff:

allnurses Guide · Dec 4, 2005

For my LVN it was 40 miles one way to school with a couple of the clincial sites being 60-70 miles away.

For my RN/BSN I drove just a little over 50 miles one way. The drive is a pain, but you should be able to find a classmate(s) to carpool with. Some people use it as a time to relax away from everyone (there is a rumor out there that nursing school can be a little stressful....just pure rumor I am sure......lol) or if you tape lectures this is a great time to listen to them. Also, if you carpool you can actually do some group study during the drive. Just don't try to read and drive at the same time.....it doesn't work very well.......

Good Luck! I hope you get the school you want!

HeartsOpenWide, RN · Dec 4, 2005

I would go to the ends of the earth to get into a nursing program with out a mile long waiting list. But, unfortunately married woman do not get to get up and move where ever is best suited for their educational goals.

At my community college, the last nursing program graduates only had three graduates from this area. All the rest were from out of the area. This really makes me mad. It is called a community college for a reason. We live in a rural area and do not have but two choices for nursing school, the local JC to get a ASN or the state college to get a BSN, which means you have to do a lot more schooling before applying and fork out a lot more money, and for me drive more than twice the distance. Not only does the medical community suffer from having student nurses from out of the area, return to their homes as soon as they graduate, but so do the students who are trying to make ends meet while waiting to get into the programs while people from out of town are getting in before them. I understand if it is people that are coming here from even more rural areas that do not have colleges near them at all, but these people that are from big cities and apply to as many college as the want and just move where ever because they have no commitments to spouses or children and mommy and daddy will pay for where ever they want to go...aw, here I go venting, but you see how I feel?

NeoNurseTX, RN · Dec 5, 2005

I used to drive an hour to and from everyday but I moved this semester!

palesarah · Dec 6, 2005

Lectures and clinicals were about an hour from where I lived, when I was in school.