How long of a commute do you drive

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I'm trying to decide if the possibility of an hour and a half commute would be tolerable if it meant I could work at a better hospital.

How long do you drive to work and is that tolerable to you?

Specializes in CCU, Infection Control.

I have a 15 minute commute. I don't think I could tolerate more than 30 minute commute. I do 12-hour shifts and I figure if my commute was any longer, I wouldn't have much time to sleep on my back-to-back days. I also like being near my childs school.

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Specializes in Coronary Rehab Unit.

I'm very spoiled - my commute is about 3 miles, maybe 5 minutes if people drive reasonably (and not drive like "oh, I remember when this was an old dirt road....we mustn't go too fast, now....":rolleyes: Moving south was a big eye opener - driving is a whole different experience than it was up in MI and in PA .... less traffic here, but they drive like slugs.....BUT, spring is here and I'm already cutting grass !!!:yeah: I love east TN, just couldn't handle a long commute with some of the drivers down here)

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I have an hour commute.. up to 1.5 hours with bad traffic. I dont really recommend it, but the opportunity of working at this particular hospital was worth it to me. It can be tough sometimes.. do what you gotta do.. I go to nights soon and I know the commute will be a lot harder than it currently is.. driving that far extremely sleep deprived scares me...

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Specializes in A myriad of specialties.

I commute 10 miles round-trip. Great on gas mileage; I average only 5-7K miles per year on my car which of course includes work mileage.

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Specializes in Peds/Neo CCT,Flight, ER, Hem/Onc.

I did it for 18 months (night shift). It was awful. I was useless at home because I was exhausted all the time. I had no social life because I was either leaving to go out of town or just coming back. Simple tasks like laundry became monumental. I distinctly remember sitting at my computer trying to pay my bills but being so tired all I could do was cry. Somebody said it will work if you put all three shifts together. As the new kid on the block I don't think you will be in a position to request specific scheduling without making the "old guard" angry. At my job I think the nurse who did the schedule really enjoyed working me one day on and one day off, one day on and one day off just to see me self-destruct. And I couldn't complain. After all it was my decision to take that job. I stayed with my parents when my schedule was like that which meant I was often gone for 7 days or more in a row if it was my weekend to work. I'd come home to grass up to my knees and weeds over my head. Not only that but the cost of gas was ridiculous and gas prices are going back up now. You have to consider not only wear and tear on your body but also on your car. You will have to change your oil EVERY month due to your mileage. My tires had to be replaced in half the usual time because of all the miles I was putting on them. Your major maintenance times will come hard and fast as well. Auto insurance was more expensive too. Not only all of this but driving while tired is a well known cause of accidents, many of them fatal. So you have to ask yourself "is this job worth my life?" Realistically if you drive up and back, by the time you pull into your driveway you will have been up for approximately 17-18 hours of constant activity demanding your attention. This is not quality living in my opinion.

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Specializes in OB/GYN, Peds, School Nurse, DD.

I commute about 20-25 minutes--far enough, IMO. I live in the Atlanta area and we have some of the worst commutes in the country. I used to work downtown at a big children's hospital. In the 19 years that i have lived here that commute went from a clean 35 minutes to 1-1.25 hours. I finally had to quit--it just wasn't worth it anymore. So now I work in a school part-time, making a lot less money, but I'm off every weekend, every holiday, no call, I get off on time everyday at 2:30 and my commute is easy. Now I actually have time to go work out before I go home! and cook dinner! And pick my kids up from school!

I'd rather work smarter, have less money and a well-rounded life than spend 2-3 hours in my car everyday . :nurse:

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I have a 1 hour commute :barf01:

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Specializes in ED.

I wouldnt do it for a 12 hour shift. I drive 24 miles on the FL turnpike. Gets me 35-40 minutes to get there. as long as im near the 30 minute range im good, but anything more than 1 hour is too much IMO.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

At the present time, I have a 13-mile commute (one-way) and it takes about 20 minutes to get to my workplace.

In the past, I have had a 120-mile (one-way) commute and it took about 90+ minutes to get to my previous place of employment.

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I commute 30 minutes and dont think I could do more then that, especially considering how early some clinicals start

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Specializes in NICU.

TheCommuter, your name doesn't fit at all!

:clown:

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My last clinical site was more than 30 minutes that's for sure. I left around 520AMish and got there around 615AMish. I don't like driving fast in the morning, since I know I'm still half asleep. I always stop by at a gas station and buy some food. Basically, a bag of popcorn and a drink to get me through the day. Luckily, I only have to do it once a week -- when I had to get up around 330AM (just to get myself ready for clinicals). And oh, FORCE myself to eat breakfast and watch re-runs of "Wings" or "CNN News"! It's weird -- little things like this, that I'd gotten used to. Only that I've complained about on the first day. Now, I just miss it. Huh? --- Am I this weird?

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