How long of a commute do you drive

Phlavyah · Mar 30, 2010

ok, I only have 1 mile commute now, but I remember driving 1.5 hrs at my old job (years ago) and did that for many years, if driving far for 2 years in RN school will get you to the job you want, I'd say go ahead. You don't want to regret later on. I remember thinking that those 3 hrs/day were such a waste, since I was going to school full time and had a 2-year old (I was single too), but I found out 2 good things about my crazy daily drive:

1) I got audio books that helped me study/ that was great!! much less reading!! Also listed back to recorded lectures.

2) I had time to just be by myself and decompress, or prepare my mind for whatever challenge the work/school day had ahead of me...

Your commute will be what you make of it...

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Mar 30, 2010

if you are working 12 hr shifts, you will be adding 3 hours to your day. More if you work any OT. I think you would be terribly fatiqued and this could be dangerous. That said, I know plenty of nurses here in Texas who think nothing of driving that distance. However, I will drive that far to shop in Dallas!

Phlavyah · Mar 30, 2010

oops, sorry, I thought you were talking school, not work. Yeah, I agree with classicdame. 12hr shift plus 3 hr dive would be a bit much, for me at least...

ruralgirl08 · Mar 30, 2010

Hi I commute an hour to work and work full-time DDNN, 5 off. If you plan on working 12hrs, see if you can break up the shifts through the week, so you can get adequate sleep, I think that is the biggest issue. Night shifts can be hard to do on the drive home, I need to pull over and nap once and awhile. I also have to drive through snowy winters, which sucks. I have been doing this for a year, and I am already looking to make a change for the future. If this is the job you really want I say go for it, but you will also be making some sacrifices for this job, you might not want to do over the long-term. For me, I can't imagine doing this when we decide to start a family, I am already looking into my options.

kathy313 · Mar 30, 2010

I'll have about a 1.5 hour commute on public transportation, the thing is, I really don't think it'd be that different driving, the traffic here is insane. My issue is safety...folks are getting the crap beat out of them on Muni, at least in a car it cuts some of the safety issues.

RNperdiem, RN · Mar 30, 2010

No, I wouldn't do a commute that long.

Does the 1 1/2 hour figure in coming in a little early in case of traffic, leaving late sometimes, leaving extra time to walk from the car to the unit(I work on a big university campus with no close or free parking so I can add 10 min walks each way)?

I have a half hour commute in driving alone, but my door-to-door time makes a 12 hour shift closer to 14 hrs away from home.

wooh, BSN, RN · Mar 30, 2010

I do an hour each way, but I really love my job (even if there are days that aggravate the poo out of me.) The upside is it's good "me" time. On the way to work I can listen to some peppy music, on the way home I can decompress. I do think that the hour each way is my limit. If it was any further away, I don't think I could do it. And I had a lot of trouble with the commute home when I was still working nights. (And occasionally still have trouble even though I'm working days.)

It really does make for a long time you're away from home. People are saying that 1.5 hours will give you a 15 hour day. I'd say it's more like 16. A 12 hour shift, you have to account for report, that makes it 13 hours on a good day. Add your commute, it's 15 hours. If you hit traffic, even longer. At some point you have to sleep, shower, get dressed, so you're looking at not a lot of sleep between shifts.

If you work 8 hour shifts, then you'll be working 5 days a week, that's 15 hours of your week commuting.

babynurse428 · Mar 30, 2010

I did a 1 1/2 hr. commute for a year and a half. When I fell asleep at the wheel, I quit that job. Too scary!! :eek:

kat7ap · Mar 30, 2010

I don't think I could tolerate much more than a 30 minute commute or commuting a long distance in rush hours. When you work 12 hour shifts back to back and with that time spent commuting it doesn't leave you any extra time for anything but sleeping and eating. Right now my main job is 5 miles away and it takes me about 5-20 minutes, my PRN job is 15 miles and takes 20-30 minutes.

SandraCVRN · Mar 30, 2010

If you are working 12's, I'd say no. I had an hour "drive time" at my first nursing job. LIke someone said, you have the walk from your car, getting stuff in and out of your locker, it all adds up. Plus nursing is one of those jobs that is really hard to get htere at the last minute. So for my 7a-7p shift (that really starts at 0630) I left my house at 5am and if I got out exactly @ 7p the earliest I got home was 8:15pm, that was no bad weather, road work, etc.

I could manage 2 days in a row but if I had to do 3 in row I was toast for that 3rd shift. Did it for almost 2 years.

Good luck in whatever you decide.

mightymitern · Mar 30, 2010

I only have a 12 minute drive to work. Would I travel 1.5 hrs for the experience, and or money, yes BUT would I want the aggravation of traffic, delays,etc No. I also would not like the drive home if I was emotionally and/or physically exhausted after a shift. That's a tough decision, with many pros/cons to look at. Gas, wear & tear on car and yourself, summer/winter traffic and weather.