Driving 1.5 hrs (one way) to work. Good idea?

HiddencatBSN, BSN · Sep 22, 2020

I did it for 5 years. I’d be careful about timing- the house we bought was an hour and 5 minutes away from work but allowing for traffic turned it in to a 90 minute commute. Are you factoring traffic in to your current estimate time? Time to park, walk to your unit, etc?

90 minutes was hard but doable. That definitely felt like my absolute max tho. I listened to podcasts or audiobooks. Having the built in “reading” time was nice. Adding 3 hours to my workday not so much. But at the time we couldn’t afford homes closer to the two cities I was commuting to, and the jobs with 20-30 minute commutes paid well below our expenses.

I love my current 6 minute drive/20 minute walk commute. But I managed the 90 minute one for several years.

HiddencatBSN, BSN · Sep 22, 2020

Adding, I work with a lot of people who do similar commutes. It’s not uncommon if you live in a rural area, or near a high COL city with many commuters. Healthcare facilities are sporifice in rural areas and often the difference in pay between closer job options and ones with a long commute is significant, plus specialty availability might be better with the further commute. In suburbs around high col cities the traffic often makes commute longer despite closer geographical distance.

caliotter3 · Sep 22, 2020

The money you save in a less expensive home will be countered by the replacement transportation that will become necessary sooner. I made an hour and a half commute for nursing school and was up a tree when my car broke down on the highway one time. It wears on you. It wears on your car.

NightNerd, MSN, RN · Sep 22, 2020

Did that for a five day a week job and it was wretched. It ended up being a poor fit anyway, but that commute on top of it made it absolutely unbearable and I lasted five months. For me, definitely not worth it, and I can't imagine doing 12s with that much driving time before and after each shift. I could see myself doing a 45-minute commute each way if needed for a job I really liked, but not much more than that.

Sour Lemon · Sep 22, 2020

I once worked "45 minutes" away, but it ended up being at least 1.5 hours with normal traffic ...and 2+ hours with heavy traffic.

1. I love alone time, and I love driving and listening to the stereo in my car. I do NOT like traffic that moves at 5 miles an hour for MILES AND MILES.

2. You're more likely to encounter some sort of problem when you have a lot of ground to cover. There could be an accident or construction anywhere along the way.

3. I was never tired after work. In fact, I was always excitable and wide awake when my shift ended at 7:30AM.

4. I hate being late, so I got to a point where I was leaving at 16:30 for a shift that started at 19:00. The earlier I left, the lighter traffic was. When I left later, it was much heavier. Most of the time, I was ridiculously early. Other times, I barely made it. It was a "damned if you do and damned if you don't situation".

5. At that time, my life revolved around work. I did have other things in my life, but work was my #1 priority. After I had my first child, I no longer wanted to spend hours a day driving to and from work.

6. Meetings ...yeah. They like to schedule half hour, mandatory meetings that you're expected to attend on your days off. No thank you. There were also meetings scheduled before and after 12 hour shifts. "Just come in a half hour early ...leave at 16:00 instead of 16:30. No thank you.

7. I did end up custom ordering a more luxurious vehicle due to how much time I spent in it. I still love the car and consider that one good thing that came out of the situation.

8. I now work less than five miles from home and can't believe I ever did the long commute!

9. I like my mother in law, but I would NOT want to sleep at her house between shifts. I want to go HOME.

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Sep 22, 2020

This is an individual decision. Have you worked 12 hour shifts before? Have you done the math? On a good day you will be commuting and working for 16 hours. Imagine two shifts in a row, or even three. Add in the wake up, and get ready to go time. There will not be enough time to rest between grueling 12.5 shifts.

You will leave at 5:30, get home at 9:00. Rinse and repeat and do it again. Not safe for you or you patients. Please take care of yourself.

Dragonfly.RN · Sep 23, 2020

That's too long of a drive. Seriously. I max out at 45 minutes and even some morning's that's too long. I don't mind it too much however, it does really help me unwind and decompress.

90 minutes? Nu huh. I mean, but that's up to you. You should drive the route for a few days and get a feel for it. Then consider... after a 12 hour shift, can you drive that?

I had a coworker who lived 2 hours from our hospital. She actually rented an apartment that was local to the hospital with a couple other nurses who had to commute far. Prior to that, she'd just rent air B&B's, do her 3 days, then go home. The issue with this is... you're away from home for 3 days, not that anyone is going to see you or you will be able to do anything those three days because of the need for sleeping and the length of the commute. The other issue is you may not always get 3 shifts in a row. In every hospital I've worked, you put in your preferred schedule and then it get's balanced, which means the manger might move your days around.

Nunya, BSN · Sep 23, 2020

I think 1.5 hours would be a lot, especially if that's only the drive without accidents, having to go slow because of snow etc. And as someone else said you need to look at how much extra for parking and the walk to your unit. That being said I left my house at 5:15pm to be at work by 6:30. Sometimes I was at work REALLY early, but most times I was there only 15-20 minutes early, experience time to get something at the cafeteria if I wanted, to go to the bathroom and to sit for a few minutes and relax before the craziness started. I had no problems doing that and I don't think I was any more tired then when I had a shorter commute (other than missing my exit once ?). I was 53-54. Plus you should look at the long-term commute. Are you going to have kids and keep working, how will that work? And how will your husband feel if you stay at your Mom's/MIL's two nights every week, assuming you can put three shifts together?

Editorial Team / Moderator · Sep 23, 2020

I had commutes like that in the DC area. Nope nope nope, never again! I got to the point where I was angry when I got to work and angry when I got home. I did work through a lot of books on tape though, haha. 45 minutes is my absolute max.

areason4stars, ASN, RN · Sep 23, 2020

I currently work 2 11p-7a shift and 2 7p-7a a week. I live 35 mins away. I couldn't imagine working farther. It seems to me that lots of the other nurses at my job live closer. But its ridiculous the rent/mortgage difference between where I live and where my job is. Around my Job is much more expensive because most of this area is newer than my area .

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Sep 23, 2020

I did a 45-minute commute, five days a week, for three years. I didn’t mind it too much, I used the morning time for prayer and listening to music, and the trip home to decompress and reflect on my day. But I wouldn’t want to make that commute if I were working 12-hour shifts. I once lived 10 minutes from the hospital where I worked and fell asleep at the wheel more than once, I was that exhausted after the long night shift. So I really don’t think a 1.5 hour drive one way is a good idea, especially when you’re working 12-hour shifts (which as we all know tend to turn into 13- and 14-hour shifts). You don’t want to be unsafe on the road.

**CommunityRNBSN, BSN, RN** · Sep 23, 2020

My FIL (an MD) once took a job like that, almost two hours from his house. It was in Kansas, so it was two hours of high speed, interstate driving, not urban in traffic. He thought it would be fine, because he likes driving and finds it relaxing, but he only lasted a matter of months at the job.