Is a long commute worth it?

[RatherBHiking, BSN, RN]

We live in a rural area and have two hospitals within 30-40 min of us. They are just run of the mill general hospitals. We have to combine units like telemetry, oncology, and hospice or pediatrics and neurology , etc. We constantly ship people out for major stuff. The biggest cities near us are an 1 1/2 hours away. They have a lot of nursing positions my daughter is interested in. If she has 3 shifts in a row her plan is to either stay with family or get a hotel and come home on her days off. Her plan is to do it for 2 yrs then travel maybe. Can anyone offer advice on if this is a good idea or not? She wants to get the best experience possible before traveling. I just thought I’d ask for her since she didn’t want to take the time to make an account. 

[Wuzzie]

I’ve done it and it’s awful. Her plan may be to work 3 days in a row but there is no guarantee that will happen. She will be scheduled any combination of days including every other day so she could effectively be away from home for 5 days. Eventually that messes with your head. 12 hours shifts are rarely 12 hours long. Driving 1.5 hours after a 13 or 14 hour shift is dangerous.  Add bad weather into that equation. Wear and tear on her car will be an issue especially with prices as they are now. That being said I’m sure someone will come along and say it was the best thing they ever did. 

[JKL33]

I think getting a foundation in a bigger place is a great idea but the commuting plan is not. Agree with Wuzzie it's very unlikely she will always be getting 3 in a row; staffing needs will demand otherwise and that'll be that. Could she start networking and try to find a place to rent with others so that rent is reasonable? If so that would easily be less than gas and a few nights/mo in a not-scary hotel. If she is close with the family you mention and could maybe offer to pay them something and plan on potentially being there more often that's another option.

I did drive for my first job in a big place. I don't regret it but I also had an excellent experience with a great orientation and with that job overall; things seem to have taken a turn for the worse since those days--and that tips the balance as far as whether something is "worth it" (or not) in a very big way.

I would consider all options and not have 3 in a row be any part of the plan.

[RNperdiem, RN]

Is your daughter in a position to work at a local hospital for a period of time, and  save up money to be able to move to a bigger city when she gets a job there?

As others have said, getting your days all together will not always happen, and there will be days you need to come in for orientation, new equipment training plus admin days.

Sometimes with adult children, we can offer advice, but many people need to find out for themselves if a situation is doable. My prediction is that the long commute will be doable for a while. For most people adjusting to a new job has a honeymoon phase, a dip in morale and a slow improvement to a steady satisfaction/dissatisfaction state.  In the "honeymoon" phase of a new job, you have the energy to do a lot of things like dealing with orientation and long commutes. But generally within a couple of months, morale dips, and she will have less time for self-care, a social life and other factors that might help. Over time she will evaluate for herself if the long commute is worth the sacrifice and expense.

[Wuzzie]

1 hour ago, JKL33 said:

If she is close with the family you mention and could maybe offer to pay them something and plan on potentially being there more often that's another option.

When I did it the part I didn’t factor in was being away from home so much. Staying with family is great (and what I did) but not being in your own environment surrounded by the things and the people that make you happy chips away at your morale. It’s insidious at first and by the time you realize what’s happened the damage is done. I also cannot overstate the importance of sleeping in your own bed. 

[RatherBHiking, BSN, RN]

 Sometimes it helps hearing from other people and seeing different viewpoints no one may have considered. She said she never thought of some of these things. It’s so true about the honeymoon phase until reality sets in!  She’s decided it wouldn’t be a bad idea to work locally, save, get some experience and then try to move. That makes me feel better. Thanks so much for your insights and replies! 

[JKL33]

13 hours ago, Wuzzie said:

When I did it the part I didn’t factor in was being away from home so much. Staying with family is great (and what I did) but not being in your own environment surrounded by the things and the people that make you happy chips away at your morale.

I wouldn't be able to do it at all, for a little bit different reason--I find nothing about that scenario relaxing and wouldn't  feel relaxed even if it were a fairly close family member. I get way too wound up about being a proper guest/trying not to burden or bother anyone in any way.

[hppygr8ful, ASN, RN, EMT-I]

As a general rule I say no it's not worth it., but I work five blocks from my home. I could walk if I wanted to. As and another poster mentioned 12 hour shifts are rarely 12 hours especially when you are just starting outl I work 8 hour shifts in Psych but even that is very draining. If she is going to work that far away I would suggest she look into a room mate or a room for rent. Hotels are very expensive. 

Please ;look at the post that describes a woman being detained by police for suspected drunk drive when she was 100% sober but exhausted from working a 12 hour shift.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

I currently commute about 45 minutes to work and about 75 minutes to home (stupid traffic!). I say it's worth it for me compared to my previous job, but I am still working out a plan to relocate in the not so distant future.

Why it's worth it to me:

• Much, much better environment. Not perfect, but nowhere is
• Much better compensation, both in benefits and in salary
• Much more freedom in how I do my job, and I'm actually able to TEACH the new nurses as opposed to "here's your two weeks, cram it all into them" I had before
• My happiness. I had no idea how badly my previous job was affecting my mental health until I got out of it

The downsides:

• While the increased salary more than offsets the increase in gas costs, it still takes time to do those commutes. Time can't be replaced
• The wear and tear on my (turning out to be a total lemon) car is increasing mechanic and maintenance costs mostly due to manufacturing issues that didn't crop up when I was only driving 10 miles round trip but that have had serious consequences when driving 70 round trip

Bottom line, in my view my commute is currently worth it to me, but not sustainable as a long term plan. And my commute is about half of what hers would be. (Disclaimer- I work 5 8s, not 12s)

I think she would be wise to consider starting at the nearby hospitals while saving up to move for the bigger hospital experience. Also, I wouldn't count on traveling being as lucrative or as available in 2 years. My facility is working on bringing over foreign trained nurses in order to eliminate travelers, and I know we are not the only facility doing that.

[K. Everly, BSN, RN]

I would never do this. No amount of experience is worth this for me.

If she is a new nurse, she will get plenty of experience anywhere she goes, at least for the first couple years - we really have so much to learn! 

As others have shared, the 3 day on stretch, 4 off, is one of the most coveted and very unlikely to always be her schedule.  

[Epidural, BSN, RN]

I work in a large teaching hospital. Many of my coworkers have really long commutes. Most have been doing this for years-even decades. Whether or not this will work for your daughter depends on so many different variables:

• What is the traffic like
• What are the working conditions like
• Does the unit have self scheduling
• Is this a day shift or a night shift position (would never drive this far after a night shift)
• What type of housing will she have in this new city (does she get along well with her relatives-does her room have a bathroom attached)
• She could get a travel nurse deal at a hotel or rent a room more cheaply-many people prefer to have  travel nurses as tenants (a lot of my friends use this discount)
• Does she have any mandatory obligations that are far from this job (children-school-etc)
• Does she have a reliable car that gets good gas mileage

One of my friends just decided that this type of a commute was too difficult for her. She had been driving this distance for three years. (she worked four tens-three twelves would be easier to handle-and she had young children)

I would not rule out this position if it is her dream job.