How far are you willing to drive for work?

angeloublue22, BSN, RN · Jul 9, 2017

On one hand it's a great way to get your foot in door for when you become a nurse. Plus, you would already know the policies and protocols by watching and learning while you are becoming a nurse. It's great to have some real world experience as you are attaining your degree. The down side; that drive may get taxing and take precious time away from other activities, especially if you are planning on going to nursing school at the same time. I say go for it and see how it works out. You may have to cut your hours somewhat if you want to focus on school but as a previous supervisor, I would be happy to have an employee go to school to better themselves, and then have a ready employee that already knows the ins and outs of the hospital. You just have to pick what works for you.

llg, PhD, RN · Jul 10, 2017

My limit is about 45 minutes -- prefer under 30. For the past several years, my commute has been under 10 minutes, giving me a couple hours per week of "extra free time."

Consider what the very long commutes do to your health and alertness. If you are working a 12-hour shift, and are actually at the hospital for 13 hours per shift ... and spending 2 hours each day commuting ... that has you "driving or working" for 15 hours that day. That doesn't give you much time to relax, shower, eat, etc. when you have to work 2 days in a row. While it can be for a while, that kind of schedule can shorten your life if you try to keep it up for a long time.

Flames9_RN, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Jul 10, 2017

for me it depends on traffic. If I can move right along, a 45 min drive isnt too bad. But a 45 min drive in bumber to bumper traffic sucks..especially working nights.....almost fell asleep a few times.

Columnist · Jul 11, 2017

Moved to General Nursing for more response.