Should I take this job?

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I am curious to how many of you have to drive over an hour to get to work. I have a second interview with a company that is over an hour away, nights, a 2 year contract, and $19/h with no guarantee of where they will place me (it could be med-surg, PCU, or ICU). There are also times where nurses have 7 patients at a time. I'm not a fan of driving far away, and although there are a lot of hospitals very close to me, they are not interested in me.

Does the drive take a lot out of you? What do you recommend? I have a very good feeling that I will receive this position. I just don't know whether or not I should wait to find something closer or not.

Any advice, PLEASE!! :arghh:

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Possibilities:

1) They are having a hard time filling these jobs so they are recruiting from farther and farther away

2) You'll be working late and driving an hour after a long hard shift-- risky when you're fatigued

3) Don't know what kind of job, but $19 doesn't sound like much for the effort

But $19/hr is better than $0/hr.

I'd negotiate for six months at $19/hr, and then mutually reevaluate. That will give you an idea about how desperate they are.

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$19/hr? Is this a decent rate for your area? I assume you are an RN?

I would worry about the drive home after working nights.

I have never minded driving to work. I work 10 minutes from home now and I miss the drive time of previous jobs. Driving into work gave me time to drink my iced coffee, listen to some good music, be alone, and mentally prepare for my shift. One hour would be my limit, though. 30 minutes is just right. Now I spend just as much time walking from my car to my unit as I do driving into work. I can never complain about the short commute home, though. Especially when I have to work another 12 the next day.

A two year contract is a long commitment if you find that you can't stand the drive.

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Possibilities:

1) They are having a hard time filling these jobs so they are recruiting from farther and farther away

2) You'll be working late and driving an hour after a long hard shift-- risky when you're fatigued

3) Don't know what kind of job, but $19 doesn't sound like much for the effort

But $19/hr is better than $0/hr.

I'd negotiate for six months at $19/hr, and then mutually reevaluate. That will give you an idea about how desperate they are.

I am a brand new nurse, and I've never negotiated anything before. It's for a graduate nursing program. I know that they had plenty of applicants. I am also the type where I am lethargic a lot of the time (not sure why).

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$19/hr? Is this a decent rate for your area? I assume you are an RN?

I would worry about the drive home after working nights.

I have never minded driving to work. I work 10 minutes from home now and I miss the drive time of previous jobs. Driving into work gave me time to drink my iced coffee, listen to some good music, be alone, and mentally prepare for my shift. One hour would be my limit, though. 30 minutes is just right. Now I spend just as much time walking from my car to my unit as I do driving into work. I can never complain about the short commute home, though. Especially when I have to work another 12 the next day.

A two year contract is a long commitment if you find that you can't stand the drive.

$19/hour is about $5 less than most hospitals are offering. I am a new nurse, which is why I am having so much trouble. There aren't any other programs that are currently open for me to apply to.

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.

I'd think about that.....I'm just assuming this place would be a 60 mile drive. If your car averages 20 miles per gallon you can reduce your hourly salary by $1.20/hr since it would cost you about $14.00/day in gas. Calculating a 3 day work week, 50 weeks a year, you'd drive 18,000 miles which would depreciate the value of your vehicle by at least 20% per year. and add at least 3 additional oil changes with an average cost of $30.00/change if you do it yourself (or your spouse). GrnTea makes some excellent points above. But...I certainly understand how part of something is better than part of nothing so one does what one needs to do to keep the wolves away. Good luck!

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Specializes in LTC.

Do you have to have a job in a hospital? You said you have a lot of hospitals around you, so surely there is a plethora of non-hospital nursing jobs too. 60 minutes is a long commute after a night shift, especially if you tend to be (as you said) "lethargic" on a regular basis.

A couple years ago I worked nights at a facility that was a 35-40 minute drive from home. One morning on my way home I nodded off, and didn't wake up until I was heading into a ditch on the other side of the road. I put my resignation in and started job hunting the next day. I thank my lucky stars I didn't hurt anyone or myself. My car, on the other hand, got pretty banged up. IMHO $19/hr isn't worth putting yourself or others on the road at risk.

Good luck to you.

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Thank you all...my gut is telling me exactly what you are all telling me.

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It takes me 40 minutes to get to work on some weekends, but an hour and a half to get to work on weekdays. It's tedious, but it's only three days a week, I'm well-compensated and I like the place I work at. I also tend to "wake up" when I leave work, even if I've been super-tired all night, so driving tired is not an issue for me.

If I were a new grad with no better options, I'd definitely consider the hour drive. I seriously dislike contracts, though. I'd make myself very aware of the terms and penalties for bowing out early.

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