Travel nursing for nervous drivers

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Specializes in L&D.

I'm from Manhattan and didn't get my license till I was almost 30. I now live in a small town in SC and have to drive every day but driving on highways or in big cities makes me nervous.

I feel like this may be a limiting factor in where I can go for travel nursing..

In theory would love to go to LA, San Diego, Phoenix, Houston but don't think I could handle driving there and they strike me as places you really NEED a car.

If I were to go to SF, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Seattle, DC... I think I could get by fine with no car.

What are some good places to travel to where you don't need a car or where driving is easy?

Is it possible to do an assignment somewhere like LA, San Diego, Houston or Phoenix and get an apt walking distance to a hospital?

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I've been a traveler for over twenty years now and have yet to see an assignment that needs a car. Except for getting my bicycle to the assignment initially. Bicycling to work is a personal preference and since it requires nearby housing (my comfort zone for commuting is around 4 miles, 8 has been the farthest), I find my own housing.

I know one traveler with no car who requires walking distance housing. But her idea of walking distance is two to three miles (she is not American). So it depends on your comfort zone.

I would not rely solely on public transport outside of NYC, Chicago, DC, or Los Angeles if I were you (perhaps a few other cities too). I personally never do transit as a bicycle is far more convenient and usually faster.

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Specializes in Emergency, Med/Surg.

I did Berkeley without a car and was totally okay with that. Between BART, the bus, MUNI (in the city), and Uber, I did just fine.

I do have a zipcar membership, and I used that 2-3 times. I did a few day trips with coworkers but I just contributed to gas costs for their car.

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Specializes in ICU.

DO NOT come to LA and attempt to drive. You will not fit in period. LA drivers are very aggressive drivers, in fact the worst in America. Runner up is Miami.

If you have pets it will be hard to find housing right around the corner from where you are working in LA.

NY I always found it to be the taxis causing the problems.

Houston & Phoenix is just tooo damn hot to walk, bike or wait on bus/train.

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Clearly you've never driven in Boston.

I've not seen anything I consider unusual in LA or Miami. I lived in LA (went to nursing school there) and have spent a good bit of time in Miami. Of course, perhaps I fit your profile driver in those locations!

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Specializes in ER, Trauma, Med-Surg/Tele, LTC.
Clearly you've never driven in Boston.

I've not seen anything I consider unusual in LA or Miami. I lived in LA (went to nursing school there) and have spent a good bit of time in Miami. Of course, perhaps I fit your profile driver in those locations!

Agree with this. LA born and raised. I drove around Boston and started losing my mind. The streets aren't in grids and a lot of them are named the same. LA may have aggressive drivers, but its streets were designed with cars in mind, unlike older cities like Boston, DC, or New York.

OP, don't count on public transportation in LA though. Public transportation in LA is terribly inefficient. Every now and again when I get sick of the traffic I try my hand at public transportation, and then quickly remember why I stick to driving.

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Specializes in L&D.

I may need to scratch LA off my list...

Is San Diego as bad?

In CA I may want to stick to SF and just do public transport.

Southern CA weather would be nice though...

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Specializes in ED.

San Francisco and limited slices of the east bay are probably the only places with a mature public transit system. Most west coast cities boomed during the last half of the twentieth century and are extremely vehicle centric. The SF Bay Area at one time had a well developed mass transit system with the Key Line and ferries; the Bay Bridge was built with a complete deck dedicated to rail. The automobile and related industries destroyed all that to promote cars. So driving is pretty much a necessity for most of California.

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I lived and worked in Pittsburgh for four years without a car and took the bus/walked to the hospital. I loved not having a car! Uber and Lyft are big in the city, too.

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I'm in the same boat. I'm from NY too. I'm 35 and I still don't have my license. I had to bring my hubs to SoCal with me because my entire paycheck was going to Uber. Usually I just get housing near the hospital and eat whatever is nearby. But San Francisco is a commuters dream. So is DC and Chicago.

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Specializes in ICU.
Clearly you've never driven in Boston.

I've not seen anything I consider unusual in LA or Miami. I lived in LA (went to nursing school there) and have spent a good bit of time in Miami. Of course, perhaps I fit your profile driver in those locations!

Of course I have never driven in Boston. There is little need to ever get behind the wheel in Boston unlike LA.

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Gosh I think there is an obvious answer here. Uber and Lyft. I think they have changed the conversation and you can now live in almost any big city without a car. Admittedly there are some that are better than others. LA is pretty spread out but the reality is that if you live somewhat near the facility you can easily use public transit and the Ubers of the world to explore outside your main living area. Others have said that SF is one of the easier cities and I agree 100%. I have two grown children who live and work in SF and one of them doesn't own a car. I can never find him though. He is always out and about. Not having a car in a city like that is an unbelievable savings in expenses.

If you have other questions on travel nursing you can check out my website FAQs for travel nurses at http://www.travelnursingUSA.com.

Good luck!

Conrad

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