How long would you commute?

smartnurse1982 · Jan 29, 2015

Depends....

I would commute up to 1.5 hrs each way if it a great case to work with.

Super nice family,etc.

I also would commute if it is a 16 hr case,because i still save time.

I actually did just that.

I worked 16 hrs on Tuesday and Thursday,and Friday which was an 8 hr night shift.

Do people in Atlanta really have to worry about winter?

HisTreasure, BSN, RN · Jan 29, 2015

I'm no longer in Atlanta. I'm back in NY. I have to update my info. However, if I were still in Atlanta I wouldn't bat my eye at an hour's drive because most commutes are at least that, especially if you have to take the Perimeter during rush hour. Back here an hour is a big deal.

CloudySue · Jan 30, 2015

I don't like to do more than a 20 min. drive. I'm in a fairly populated area with many cases, with good roads and highways and seldom any bad traffic, so that could be 15 miles. I have done 30-40 minute commutes but only if there's nothing else and I need the work. I am quite tired at the end of an overnight shift and I like to keep the driving to a minimum.

caliotter3 · Jan 30, 2015

I would not be bothered by one hour, I commuted an hour and a half to nursing school and even further to one clinical site. Most of my clients in the major metro area where I live require one to two hours due to the traffic congestion at any given time. Now, one hour in bad weather in NY, another story. If vehicle well equipped and practical for the driving conditions and you are used to that and it does not give you 100% stress, 100% of the time, might be ok for you.

Gooselady, BSN, RN · Jan 30, 2015

Both of my PD clients live about 45" away, and I live just outside the city limits. I'm new, so I took what I could get, and was unhappy about the travel time, esp when I do twelve hour shifts. But it's been WORTH it, these families are wonderful, the kids are adorbs and precious and I feel like I'm making a difference. Thank goodness gas prices have gone down, that too has helped me deal with the drive.

Nibbles1 · Jan 31, 2015

I used to drive 2.5 hours one way five times a week plus went to school. Now I drive 1 hour each way four times a week. As soon as I get my RN license I'm cutting back to three days a week.

Dream Catcher · Jan 31, 2015

I work at a hospital, but I travel an hour and twenty minutes to work everyday.

imintrouble, BSN, RN · Jan 31, 2015

I commuted 1.5 hrs one way for 2.5 years.

I would never do that again.

I currently drive 45 minutes one way, and that's the most I ever want to do again.

grouchybuthappy · Jan 31, 2015

I took a job that had a 1.5hour each way commute. I loved the solitude of the drive for a short while. But did not care for the small town/hospital politics that went on.

Working with less resources than I was used was a challenge.

LESSON LEARNT: no more than 45 minute commute no matter how good the position seems. I spent 15 hours plus a week commuting. Thats way too much time. Now I have a twenty five minute drive.

brillohead, ADN, RN · Feb 2, 2015

I gave up a client that was a 30-minute drive for one that is an hour and ten minutes (in decent weather), simply because the shorter commute's mom was a witch and the longer one's entire family is composed of absolute angels. I make the drive four nights/week.

Only YOU can determine what is "worth it" to you. Some people hate to drive, some people enjoy it / don't mind it. Some people have a dependable vehicle, some don't. Some people tend to fall asleep at the wheel, some don't (or at least they recognize their tendencies and have safe spots along the way where they can pull over to nap on the way home).

Like you, I'm in the snow belt -- I'm in the part of Michigan that is significantly impacted by Lake Effect Snow. However, we've really only had a few days when the weather was an issue, and I just left earlier to get to work on time. If I'm working 200 nights/year and the road conditions really only affect me less than ten times out of 200, is that really a reason to pass on a job with an absolutely wonderful family?

If the road conditions are absolutely impassable (like they would have been if I'd been scheduled last night), then you call in -- the family can look out the window and see why you can't make the drive. Otherwise, you leave earlier, and make sure you have a shovel, boots, blanket, flashlight, candle-in-a-coffee-can, protein bars, and water packed in your trunk.