Commute!

Nurses General Nursing

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I am seriously considering a job at a hospital 70 miles one way.

Seeking the wisdom of anyone who's done a super commute for 12 hour shifts.

It's a position I am very interested in on a well-staffed unit at a Level II hospital. I am getting frustrated with no parking available for staff where I work; we are bussed in daily and I have to leave my house an hour early to catch or miss a crowded bus where I am smushed like a sardine.

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Specializes in school nurse.

Keep in mind that a 12 hour shift is never just 12 hours. On top of that, commutes can be messed up and unexpectedly take extra time (as if a 70 mile commute isn't long enough as is).

If your schedule requires you to double back, you will be severely sleep deprived and putting your practice (and patients) at risk...

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It works for some people. It did NOT work for me. Never again. Not worth the money, the time lost, the zombie-like exhaustion, the danger and the wear and tear on my car.

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

Any chance of relocacting closer to the new job?

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

Depends on the nature of the commute. I had one position that was 45 miles from my house, BUT...it was going in the opposite direction of rush hour traffic and, as such, it was a super pleasant drive. Now I drive a shorter distance but am going into the heart of downtown. I flex my hours to avoid the worst of the traffic whenever possible and my drive home, if I don't get out on time, can take upward of 2 hours worst case scenario.

I would consider getting a short stay hotel room or finding an AirBNB that you can stay at and schedule yourself for three in a row, so you aren't making that commute so many times and with the kind of fatigue we get working 12s.

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I would consider getting a short stay hotel room or finding an AirBNB that you can stay at and schedule yourself for three in a row, so you aren't making that commute so many times and with the kind of fatigue we get working 12s.

One caveat for this is that it works only if the schedulers cooperate. It can be seriously brutal if they don't.

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Thanks everyone for your feedback. I own my house so I can't move right now.

I think I just have to look for better opportunities in my community or closer than 70 miles away. :(

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

I used to commute 89 miles each way in the Northern VA/DC area, back when I was a desktop publisher/graphic designer. It wasn't that long of a commute until my company sold its building and moved our office, resulting in 1.5 hours (if I was lucky) each way. I thought I was going to lose my mind. I like driving if it's an open road, but not in that kind of traffic. I killed a couple of vehicles rather quickly with all those miles, too. I ultimately left that industry for an ER tech job (I was a volunteer paramedic while working full-time in publishing) and had a 70-mile round-trip commute three days a week, which was much more tolerable. But even that was still tough in NOVA traffic after 12+ hours, and knowing I'd have to be back the next morning. I hope you find something that works for you that doesn't require a long commute!!

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Do you live where there's winter? If so, that would be a big no from me.

I did that kind of commute for my first job. It was 8 hr shifts but still put on 50k miles on my car. I'd also leave four hours early if bad weather was predicted.

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

I wouldn't do it. I used to have an hour commute and that was bad enough, although it did have its perks like being able to decompress on the way home and listen to some good tunes both ways. And I worked only 8 hours...I can't imagine working 12-14 hour days and then having to drive 70 miles home. I hope you can find something suitable in your own area.

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Specializes in Urgent Care, Oncology.

I had an on average 1:20 commute for my first job. It was 50% of the reason I lasted only 6 months there. I'd work 13-14 hours and then just want to crash but would have to drive home. Half of the drive was easy highway but then once I hit traffic about 35-40 minutes in it became a nightmare. It messed up my sleep schedule and it messed up my eating schedule as well. I worked opposite my husband so I saw him even less.

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Specializes in Pedi.

Is the hospital 70 miles away in the city/where everyone is commuting to in the morning or is it in the opposite direction? Will you be working days or nights? In my current job as a community based case manager, I have patients who live anywhere from 7-60 miles from my house. I go to a meeting weekly 10 miles from my house. It takes me an hour on a good week to get to that meeting, because I'm driving in traffic in the city, the same amount of time it can take me to get to my patients who live on the border of the next state. Personally there's no way I'd commute 70 miles in rush hour traffic nor would I ever dream of driving that long after working a 12 hr night shift. I could barely stay awake on my 6 mile drive home when I worked nights.

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