How far to commute?

Commuting 2 hours is a bit of a drive, at least for me. I do know that some here might really do it. An hour or so is reasonable. But 4 hours of your day would be being spent on the road.

You don't say where you live, but inclement weather could also be a deterrent and add to that travel time. And it would take its toll on your vehicle's wear tear and gas/maint, etc.

Depending on work schedules, some folk have taken out short term apartment rentals for their work days. But that's an expense in money and time away from family.

Try applying anyway. You might have some time to come up with a Plan B or Plan C.

You asked for opinions ... sorry not too helpful.

@hjh5673 Do you live in an area with variable weather? If so, make family plans for the times you will need to stay overnight at the facility.

Nursing is exhausting as it is. I can't imagine driving two hours before the start of my shift, working a full shift (and probably staying late to chart) and then driving 2 hours home each day.

You don't specify your family dynamics, so I'm wondering if it might be possible to "live" away from them part of the week. You could probably find some kind of cheap room for rent close to your work. If you work 12s, and arrange to do your shifts back to back, you could potentially be away from your family just two nights per week. Get up early and do the two-hour commute on the first day of your shift, and do the two-hour commute home on the 3rd day. I warn you that 3 12s in a row are going to be exhausting, but I think they'd be less so than adding 4 hours of commute each workday.

I did an almost 2 hr commute when my kids were little and my husband had a very flexible schedule, and the money was great! BUT as my kids got older and were in school and doing sports and community events, it got MUCH harder, and I quit, as I wanted to be there for their events. It was a day shift job, 7 am to 5 pm, so I left at 430 am and got home at 730 pm, sometimes later if traffic or commuter rail was a nightmare. BUT I was making HUGE $$$$$$$.

Just consider all of this when you plan. This worked for us, see what is doable for your family. In the end the money wasn't worth it for me to miss my kids.

Tough decision to say the least. If you live in an area where weather can be a concern a two hour commute would not be the best choice. Having a family makes this even harder. If you didn't have kids I would suggest looking for a cheap room or getting a room mate and staying there when you work. This could still work if the employer is willing to schedule you with consecutive shifts to minimize your time away from home. But even if you could do that, do you really want to be away from your family for days on end just for a job?