Thoughts on Commuting

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Specializes in Critical care.

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I've been accepted into a program that is about a 3 hour commute daily. I have also been accepted to a program about 30-45 minutes daily would be spent on commuting. I am very fortunate to have options and I am needing advice here. I would like to know if anyone who has commuted over an hour daily noticed any differences in the efficacy of their work? If you'd take the shorter commute even if it meant you may not be hired as soon as the further commute, and the NCLEX pass rate is lower? If you felt the commute makes you a better student? Anything you can share would be helpful. I am really struggling here. I would really like to go to the school further away because it seems better overall in pass rates, job offers after graduation, higher state of the art skills lab, but factoring in the rise in gas prices, and the things I'm reading about what it takes to create care plans for clinicals the day before, I am really questioning if I can do this, if I should bite the bullet and spend 3 hours of my day in traffic 5 days a week, or go to the school that will afford me the opportunity for less time spent driving.

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Specializes in CVSICU.

Ultimately this decision is up to you however I can speak to the fact that you should not go to a school that is not nationally accredited. I'm not sure if that's what you mean by less reputable but whatever you do non-accredited schools are not worth it. If you can study during your commute (listen to lectures, videos/podcasts, etc) then it might be okay. I would be wary of what you can handle mentally/physically as nursing school is not a walk in the park and added stress can be detrimental if you don't have the right support system.

I know for my program my clinical rotations were based around the school's location and some of my fellow students had to drive 45 minutes in to class/clinical and it was very draining (financially and otherwise) for them. I also had to look up patients the night before or an 1-2 hours before during clinical so that was not always a good fit for a distance commuters schedule. I would list out your pros and cons. Good luck!

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First off congrats on your acceptance. 
 
2-3 hours daily commute is gonna be rough. That’s more time taken away from studying and reviewing. Only so many hours in a day right? I would also be concerned about clinical placement. I would ask the program where you guys are usually placed. Say if they typically assign you guys to a site that’s 20-30+ minutes further away from the school in the opposite direction of where you live? 

Is it not feasible for you to move closer?  Im assuming this is a 2 year program, and you may be able to keep up with the commute and school for one semester but I’d be concerned about being burnt out by the end. I think it’d be worth biting the cost of relocation to attend the RN program with a reputable reputation and 20% higher NCLEX passing rates. 

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It depends how many days a week you are driving. If it is max 3 days a week, then it might be worth it because the 3 hour commute you can still "study" by listening to recorded lectures if they have them, or videos you didn't get a chance to listen to which would give more time to sink in. I would just look at how many days a week are you making the 3 hour commute, if it's 2-3 then maybe. Some students fly or do weekend trips to their clinicals to a different location just make it work.

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Specializes in SNF/LTC, Wound Care, Infection Control.

Commuting can be very tiresome. It currently takes me 45-50 minutes to get to my work. This wasn't so bad when I used to work only 3 or 4 days week. I listen to audiobooks and have a nice drive through the countryside. Now I am working 5 days a week and my new boss has said I can't do anymore days working from home. Plus gas prices have reached an all time high. It might be OK for you for a while if this is temporary, but it can get exhausting. 

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Specializes in CEN, Firefighter/Paramedic.

Is there a blended option at the "more reputable" school?

 

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I agree with the previous post 'jack', is it possible for you to relocate?  Three hours a day driving five days a week is a lot (wear compression socks).  You will most likely have the energy to be highly productive on the commute up.  It's the commute back that's going to have you like ....are we there yet....?

 Also, I wouldn't go to a school that has an iffy reputation/pass rate

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Specializes in NICU.

You might reach out to classmates to see if you could crash at their apartment a few days a week in exchange for cash (gas money that you saved instead of commuting).

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Specializes in PACU.

I would choose the school with the better pass rate and if particularly if it’s nationally accredited. But I would figure out a way to move closer. I don’t think that commute is gonna work

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Specializes in Emergency / Disaster.

I did it and didn't die. Looking back - that was actually something that never occurred to me.

I had to do it 4 if not 5 days per week for 16 months. I would do it again in a heartbeat.  Here’s what I learned:

  • I listened to all my lectures. I figured out how to make siri talk to me and she read my textbooks. I relistened to lectures on Panopto or however they recorded them. I LISTENED to a lot of things. I would download appropriate videos and listen. Listening for me was key because that was 2 hours per day that would be wasted otherwise. I often re-listened to things to "cement" them in. I became an auditory learner because of this. I previously did not learn in this manner.  I WAS a visual learner - I'm not now.
  • If I had to write a paper, I recorded that paper while driving with talk to text and then edited it when I got home.  Sometimes I would ramble – but I recorded it all and was able to have most of the bits done by the time I got home. It wasn’t a wasted hour because I was able to piece together most of a paper in much less time than sitting down to write when I did actually get home.
  • I also left EXTREMELY early in the morning. I would leave at 4:30 am for an 8:00 class. It was a 60 mile commute and at 4:30am it took an hour and 15 min or so. If I left at 5:30am or later sometimes I would be running into class or even late.  I took the additional time in the morning to either study or sleep.  Sometimes the reverse commute was the same.  If it was a terrible time for traffic, I would stay and take a nap or study in the library for a little while until traffic slowed down.  I also paid to park in a garage that was safe and covered. My car didn’t get to 1000 degrees during the day and I could actually sleep without sun beating down on me.
  • I didn’t do study groups unless someone would call me and I could listen.  I personally don’t learn in study groups and I find them to be a waste of time for me. Again – I am an auditory listener and hearing discussions about wrong things would get stuck in my brain. Then I would wonder if I was remembering their conversation about coming to the right answer or the actual right answers.  Study groups DO work for a lot of people though because they learn by teaching the topic to others. So if you learn that way – figure out how to do it over speakerphone while driving. Heck – give your mom a stack of note cards to quiz you while driving. I also did this for myself – I recorded me reading one side of the notecard and then pausing for so long and stating the answer – this is one way I took up time in my car before class.  I did it to study – I just did it out loud and recorded it then I could play it back later.

If you are creative – the time in the car is not wasted.

Gas was not stupid expensive like it is now – but I still commute over an hour to work for my 3 shifts per week.

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