commute time

[8t7x]

need some advice about commuting vs. moving closer to campus during 3rd year

is a 35-45 minute (up to an hour with horrible traffic) commute feasible on a daily basis?

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[turkeyjerky]

Feasible? Yes--although it would suck. Most of the time traffic won't be so bad, since you're gonna have to be in the hospital before rush hour really gets going. Having to drive >30 min each way every day would seriously up the suckage factor though.

 

[SeekerOfTheTree]

need some advice about commuting vs. moving closer to campus during 3rd year

is a 35-45 minute (up to an hour with horrible traffic) commute feasible on a daily basis?

It slowly sucks the life out of you and makes you hate what you do...everyday you die a little inside as you drive on the road contemplating ending it all if you just could muster the courage up to take your car and slam it into the bridge support beam like this guy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3cI6Eqj_d0

Please move closer.

 

[partydoc]

need some advice about commuting vs. moving closer to campus during 3rd year

is a 35-45 minute (up to an hour with horrible traffic) commute feasible on a daily basis?

That's about an hour of sleep you would lose per day. It might not be so bad on lighter months, but the busy months would be horrible.

I wouldn't worry about traffic, you will seldom be on the road during rush hour.

 

[jace's mom]

I live 45-60 minutes away from my medical school and commuted at least that far for all of third year and fourth year to date. Depending on where I was assigned, some rotations involved longer drives. I've had a couple of months where I drove 4-5.5 hours (depending on traffic) round trip each day. It's not always fun, although honestly the 1 hr commute doesn't even bother me anymore...it's just something I do that no longer even registers. The months with the longer commutes were a bit much, but they were temporary. I have a family, and moving closer wasn't an option for med school. It can definitely work, but it helps if you like to drive and can pick out the smoothest routes and have alternate routes picked out for difficult days. I've always commuted to school and work, even before med school, so it wasn't that big of a change for me.

 

[8t7x]

I live 45-60 minutes away from my medical school ....

do you think your grades suffered or that you were at a disadvantage academically 3rd year because of the time lost in the commute?

 

[MossPoh]

I have to drive 30+ minutes for a bunch of rotations and then wherever my attending goes during each one (which may entail trips to different hospitals). I downloaded a bunch of medical podcasts to at least pick up some factoids while driving and I've kind of developed an enjoyment for the drive. I usually get to the hospital or clinic before traffic picks up. The drive home is a little more tiring. That extra time gets sucked out of studying. I've done fairly well on my shelf exams though. I'd say the biggest issue are the costs associated with driving. I spend a ton on gas.

 

[jace's mom]

do you think your grades suffered or that you were at a disadvantage academically 3rd year because of the time lost in the commute?

Not that I can tell. For the early morning drive in, I wouldn't be studying that early anyway. For the drive home, I wouldn't study during that time period because I need a bit of time off right after work before I settle in again. So I use the morning drive to gear up for the day's events and talk myself through anything important that might come up, and I use the afternoon drive to relax and change back into "mom" mindset before I get home. Then I study before bedtime. I also make good use of downtime at work to read as much as I can. As MossPoh says, I also listen to medical podcasts sometimes.

Hope this helps!

 

[nitemagi]

It's possible. Not ideal.

Audible.com or librivox.org

 

[Bartelby]

Here is some food for thought: http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/10/06/the-true-cost-of-commuting/.

If I remember correctly a long commute is one factor that studies have shown to reliably decreases happiness.

 

[MilkmanAl]

I would never live farther than ~15 minutes from where I worked. That's just too much commuting for me. I think you'll likely grow to resent the time you have to spend in your car every day that would otherwise be precious free time.

 

[8t7x]

I would never live farther than ~15 minutes from where I worked. That's just too much commuting for me. I think you'll likely grow to resent the time you have to spend in your car every day that would otherwise be precious free time.

would your opinion change if you were living with your parents?

they would cook, clean, do laundry, do groceries, pay for all expenses, etc...

 

[jace's mom]

would your opinion change if you were living with your parents?

they would cook, clean, do laundry, do groceries, pay for all expenses, etc...

I personally think that's a huge plus. I know I love having a family to come home to at the end of the day, and it definitely helps to have some assistance with all the chores and other things that can get neglected during clinicals.

There's no one blanket decision that will work for everyone; you'll have to decide how much it means to you. Have you ever commuted for anything before? Do you like to drive? Does traffic completely stress you out? Is the route you'll have to take highly stressful? If so, you might not do so well with a long drive. On the other hand, if you relax behind the wheel and find that driving gives you time to get ready for work or switch gears (haha) at the end of a day, then the commute might not bother you at all. I've commuted for a LONG time, both before and during med school, but I like to drive and like having time to myself in the car. I actually had a short commute (<10 minutes) once for work and found that I didn't enjoy being so close to home because I didn't have time to decompress before I walked in the door and need to be mom/wife/friend. So I don't even notice, honestly. Lots of people commute all the time to work - some hate it, some don't.

Also, for future reference - less than 15 minutes to the hospital might not always be possible. If you have a family, you might have to live further away for safety/better schools/etc. Doesn't sound like it applies right now, but it's a consideration for the future.

So....can you try it for awhile and then move closer if it's not working out? That might be an option.

Again, hope this helps! Sorry to be so wordy about it, but I figured you might benefit from hearing from someone who's been there.

 

[JohnCarterIIIDO]

OP - did you make this commute all through first and second year? And if so how did you manage it with your studying, mandatory days, etc?

 

[8t7x]

OP - did you make this commute all through first and second year? And if so how did you manage it with your studying, mandatory days, etc?

ive rarely gone to school these past 2 years since they've been video taping the lectures. the only time i've consistently made the trip was first semester to dissect the cadaver.

i guess the biggest thing holding me back is the money. @ ~1k/month (all expenses), i'm looking at an additional ~25k in loans if i get an apartment for both 3rd & 4th year.

 

[partydoc]

ive rarely gone to school these past 2 years since they've been video taping the lectures. the only time i've consistently made the trip was first semester to dissect the cadaver.

i guess the biggest thing holding me back is the money. @ ~1k/month (all expenses), i'm looking at an additional ~25k in loans if i get an apartment for both 3rd & 4th year.

One of my classmates does a 40 min/ 35 mi commute to the hospital everyday. He hasn't complained once about it, I think he actually enjoys it. Personally, I'd never be able to do it.

I think it's worth a shot. If you decide you can't handle it you could always try to move later. It would only be pretty bad during IM/surg anyways.
You could also move back after 3rd yr, 4th yr shouldn't be too stressful.

 

[sineapse]

need some advice about commuting vs. moving closer to campus during 3rd year

is a 35-45 minute (up to an hour with horrible traffic) commute feasible on a daily basis?

Man, I'd love a 35 minute commute. We are placed at hospitals all around the surrounding area, most are around a 30 mins - 45 minute commute. At four of our hospitals, we are given accommodation on site as it is uncommutable ( 1 hr to 1.30 hours away from our base hospital).

My parents moved just before the start of the year and I was crashing on their couch in between placements....an hour and a half each way by public transport, that was a killer. Literally was losing the will to live.

 

[Sheldor]

How many miles it? Like others have said, when you're needing to be there at 5 AM, there will be absolutely no traffic!

 

[MilkmanAl]

would your opinion change if you were living with your parents?

they would cook, clean, do laundry, do groceries, pay for all expenses, etc...

That'd change my tune a little but not all that much. I mean, I'd strongly prefer to not live with my parents, regardless of what they were offering, but I can certainly see why it'd be an attractive option. Still, living very close to my rotations is worth a lot of money to me. That extra hour+ of free time per day plus the reduced stress is really nice.

 

[MossPoh]

I have to say that my commute for outpatient wasn't that bad, but it helps that I get to drive across a long bridge with the ocean and stuff. The 30-45 minutes was tolerable and I was able to listen to a lot of audio lectures and spout off stupid factoids that impressed my attending.

 

[Sheldor]

For what it's worth I could do easily do a 45 min rotation for all of my rotations except Surgery and OB. For those I had to be at the hospital by 5 AM, so that commute would have been terrible. However, that is just two rotations. For the rest, getting there at 6:30 to 8:00 isn't really a big deal. I'd vote commute, with the knowledge that a few of those months will be difficult.

 

[PTPoeny]

I live a 30 min walk from our main hospital and I chose (well, requested) to do most of my rotations at a hospital that is 45-60mins of driving because everybody is nicer. As other people have said, most of the time you will be commuting when there is no traffic whatsoever. Podcasts help in terms of feeling like I might be learning something and there is also somthing to be said for having almost an hour of time to yourself. I can definitely jump right into studying when I get home as opposed to needing to take some time for myself first. As long as I don't have something planned with friends on a given evening I really don't even mind traffic, it just gives me more time by myself.

 

[45408]

I wouldn't worry about traffic, you will seldom be on the road during rush hour.

That's really not true. Most of my rotations didn't start until 7-8am, except OB and surgery, which was only 1/3 of M3 year. I also usually went home between 5-6pm.

 

[DrShazam]

I was wondering about commuting as well. Seems like it's feasible in M1/M2 since most schools don't mandate lectures, but might be more difficult to pull off in M3/M4. Thanks for all the helpful responses

 

[Alby]

Overall, I am fine with the commute. I love living outside of the city and being able to go for a run without dodging drug deals and carrying a weapon of some sort. Besides, I like to use the drive time to reflect on my life. The trick is to find a way to not let traffic bother you (the trick is to leave more than enough time to allow for unforeseen traffic... I'm still working on that).

I have to drive 30+ minutes for a bunch of rotations and then wherever my attending goes during each one (which may entail trips to different hospitals). I downloaded a bunch of medical podcasts to at least pick up some factoids while driving and I've kind of developed an enjoyment for the drive. I usually get to the hospital or clinic before traffic picks up. The drive home is a little more tiring. That extra time gets sucked out of studying. I've done fairly well on my shelf exams though. I'd say the biggest issue are the costs associated with driving. I spend a ton on gas.

What podcasts do you recommend? I too live 30-45min away from school. I usually listen to NPR so at least I have some clue of what is going on in the world, but I should consider using this time for medical knowledge.

 

[MossPoh]

Emcrit, ICU rounds, arizona grand rounds, annals of internal medicine, etc. I just go through and download what seems interesting, If it sucks, I move on. There is a good dose of NPR and other junk thrown in too. Sometimes I catch up on PTI or sports stuff.