I started a new job last Monday and was in orientation M-F 8-4. I live about 62 miles from my new place of employment, and the facility is in a highly populated area with terrible rush hour traffic. All week I left at 6 am. My trip varied from 1 hour 15 minutes to 2 hours, and there was no way to tell. Once I start my 12 hour shifts (next week) I'm hoping this won't be such a big deal. After orientation, I'll be on nights which should help even more.
I would just like to hear from others who commute as well, how long have you been doing it, how far do you drive, do you have any tricks for dealing with it, is there anyway to save gas when you are constantly stopping and starting? I thought I had been dealing with it well, but by Friday evening I was SO tired and just wanted to get home, and it seemed the trip got longer every mile I drove. I'm hoping some of that was just exhaustion from sitting in orientation all week (which was LONG and BORING) coupled with the drive.
This new job will give me lots of experience and I am very excited about it. I don't want the commute to affect how I feel about my job.
Wow. See if your hospital offers any assistance to travelers. Here, if you work more than 50 miles from the hospital, they will pay for you to stay in a hotel the night before you work, all the days you work. We have several people who use this option. HTey work their 3 12's and stay in a hotel for the 3 days. Nice hotels, too.
I have a long commute as well, 40 - 60 minutes one way depending on traffic...best advice I can offer, sleep well, always make sure your tank is full, and don't forget to go to the BR before you leave :chuckle! I carry a blanket and extra bottled water in the trunk.
Hi, I can relate. Before I went to nursing school and was working my drive was always 1 hour. IT seemed even when I moved closer to my job, my department would move and I ended up with a 1 hour commute. I'm in my last semester now but my school is 1 hour away and so are my clinicals. (I started with the school I'm at now before I got married and since nursing school is so hard to get into I just accepted the drive since I got in there.) In any case, it takes awhile to get used to. Large amounts of caffeine always help. I think you said it was your first week, so just give your body some time to adjust. Also, I did read something recently that said if you are feeling very tired pull over and take a 10 minute cat nap. I recognize that you might not want to do that, especially when you just want to get home but it's better then getting in an accident. A couple of years ago, I "pushed" myself and ended up falling asleep at the wheel, and hitting a telephone poll. Thank god, I didn't hurt anyone else or seriously injure myself. I just have a nice scar on my nose (broke it) and my car was demolished. I attribute not having worse damage to having worn my seatbelt which I believe stopped me from not going flying out my windshield and the grace of god. In any case I'm not telling this to scare you, just to stress the importance of pulling over and taking a cat nap or resting at work if possible before leaving if you feel very tired. That day I thought I was in control of my fatigue and my body had a mind of its own.
Congratulations & best wishes at your new job. :smiley_aa
Specializes in MDS coordinator, hospice, ortho/ neuro.
i won't do a commute more than 30 minutes, but i live in an area where i have lots of options.
my former office-mate used to do 65 minutes one way. she started thinking about the cost of gas, the extra wear on the car, the extra cost for child-care, the 2 hours of her life she was not getting paid for 5 days a week. she eventually took a job a few minutes from her home, with a bit of a pay cut but came out ahead just on the gas bill.
Ditto. No job is good enough or Pays enough for me to drive more than 30 min. If you drive more than that, you're wasting what little they pay you lol.
No seriously, I'm thinking of giving up the job I have as an LPN at $25.00/hr. to take a local job at $19.00 JUST because they will be more flexable with my schedule with school and theyre 10 min down the road. The other job is across the bridge and I'm convinced if I keep it up, I'll get smashed in the car. They drive like idiots!!!!
I am in a refresher program that is a 90 minute drive (on good traffic days) from my home. I have applied for a job in that same area too. It is WO schedule, and the pay is so much more than what local hospitals pay that I am going to drive. I think since I will just be 2 x 12's it won't be bad.
My new job- I'm driving further (60 min) and making less... but I'm at a hospital with far more opportunities. So it's worth it, for now. But it's wearing on me.
Thank god, I didn't hurt anyone else or seriously injure myself. I just have a nice scar on my nose (broke it) and my car was demolished. I attribute not having worse damage to having worn my seatbelt which I believe stopped me from not going flying out my windshield and the grace of god. In any case I'm not telling this to scare you, just to stress the importance of pulling over and taking a cat nap or resting at work if possible before leaving if you feel very tired. That day I thought I was in control of my fatigue and my body had a mind of its own. 
HappyNurse2005, RN
1,640 Posts
Wow. See if your hospital offers any assistance to travelers. Here, if you work more than 50 miles from the hospital, they will pay for you to stay in a hotel the night before you work, all the days you work. We have several people who use this option. HTey work their 3 12's and stay in a hotel for the 3 days. Nice hotels, too.