Commute

[pedsisthebest333]

what is the average commute for residents especially as an intern. I know of course ideally you want as close as possible but that's not reality for a lot of people who have spouses that you have to take into account where they work, outside bigger cities due to schools and cost of living..families..etc. So my question is for those who can't live five minutes from the hospital what is the average commute for those who have to live outside the city?

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[Mountaineer12]

I don't know the average, but I'll be commuting about 25 minutes, probably more during rush hour in the evening. It's not ideal, but my program isn't in a great neighborhood and my SO is doing residency ~20 minutes in the opposite direction so we're kind of in the middle. I'm also interested in hearing about some other residents' commutes and if I'll be pulling my hair out in few months.


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[FlowLimited]

I would guess that most residents live within a 30 min. drive to the hospital, but you're not likely to find any data on this subject. The answer is likely to be both program and specialty specific. Unless your program has rules about distance, the decision on where to live will depend entirely on you and your family's needs. Talking to upper level residents in your program would be the best place to start if you're trying to decide if a particular commute is reasonable.

 

[smq123]

I don't know the average, but I'll be commuting about 25 minutes, probably more during rush hour in the evening. It's not ideal, but my program isn't in a great neighborhood and my SO is doing residency ~20 minutes in the opposite direction so we're kind of in the middle. I'm also interested in hearing about some other residents' commutes and if I'll be pulling my hair out in few months.

I lived across the street from the hospital during intern year (subsidized housing). I actually really really hated it. I lived with a bunch of IMG/FMG residents from the hospital down the road, who insisted on leaving the doors open, so the entrance way was filled with half-dying moths every morning in the spring and summer. Many of them lived with extended families, so there were always a bunch more cars in the parking lot than there should have been, making it difficult to park. There was no central AC. Plus, it felt like there was literally no escape from the hospital.

I moved about 25 minutes away, to Center City Philadelphia the following year. Even though it was a longer commute (during rush hour, it could stretch out to an hour), I was ok with it. It depends what city and what specialty, for the most part. I also had no kids and was in a long-distance relationship, so there was no external pressure to make it home by a certain hour.

 

[FlowRate]

My near locations are a 15-20 minute walk or 5-10 minute bus ride. Far locations are the same bus ride and then a 15 minute shuttle.

I have some colleagues who commute an hour or so, but usually that's during their PGY2/3 years when they're no longer working medicine hours every single day.

(Psychiatry.)

 

[xffan624]

what is the average commute for residents especially as an intern. I know of course ideally you want as close as possible but that's not reality for a lot of people who have spouses that you have to take into account where they work, outside bigger cities due to schools and cost of living..families..etc. So my question is for those who can't live five minutes from the hospital what is the average commute for those who have to live outside the city?

I haven't moved yet, but I got a place already. It'll be about 15 minute commute with no traffic. 25-30 min with. I could be much closer, I just don't want to live in the city. I asked a lot of residents about this during the interview trail and it seemed like there was a good mix of long/short commutes based on preference of living situation (house vs apartment, city vs suburb).

 

[RangerBob]

I have a 15-20 minute commute door-to-workstation. Add that to PM&R residency hours, and life has been great. If you can find a decent place close to where you work, you really appreciate that extra time in the day to study/sleep/eat/watch Netflix.

 

[bannie22]

Intern year was spent within walking distance from the hospital. Literally just a block or so.
Thereafter it was more varied, with various locations to rotate at the distance by car with traffic could be upwards of an hour. Many times just slept in the hospital call rooms for an extended period of time.
More recently, its around a 10-20min drive depending on how much I step on the gas.

I think you gotta live within 20min or so if not there are rapidly diminishing returns of ever leaving the hospital because you would have to be back pretty soon thereafter.

 

[PistolPete]

My commute is about 20 minutes door to door in the morning and 30 minutes in the afternoon.

 

[LUCPM]

20 - 25 minutes, perfectly doable.

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[Hakuna Matata]

My commute is ~52 minutes each way with no traffic. It sucks. But needed to do it for my spouse's job. I have 4 people in my class who commute similar distances. It's a great chance to listen to some medical podcasts, drink your morning coffee, or wind down from the day. With that being said, I would kill to live within 5 minutes from the hospital.


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[icd22]

I'll be starting a residency in family med. My commute will be 35-40 minutes, which although not ideal, I really don't want my daughter to change her daycare. This is her third daycare, and we are finally happy with it, and more importantly she loves it. Also, I did an away rotation there, and was able lo listen to quite a few podcasts while driving. In the end, you have to decide what you value more.

 

[mimelim]

We polled our residents/fellows... 10% lived within 2 miles, 50% lived within 4 miles and all but one lived within 6 miles.

Personally, I live 1.5 miles from the hospital. If I drove, it would take longer to get out of my parking garage and get into the hospital parking garage than to get between the two buildings. But, I now run to the hospital most days. I try to get a short (4-6 mile) run in and then end at the hospital. Been pretty consistent since I started.

Right now though I'm at one of our community hospitals which is a 30 mile drive. Granted at 65+ mph most of the way, but that is still 30+ minutes.

 

[aDOdoctor]

I will be living about 15-20 minutes from the hospital, depending on the time of day. 5-6 miles depending on which route I take. I'm sure I will be able to get there quicker during the early morning hours. It's not entirely ideal, but the price was competitive and the apartment is very nice in a great location, which are variables I was not going to let up on. I've lived in crap apartments for too long that make my clothes smell and need something nice to come home to. If I lived closer with the same type of nice apartment, I would be paying upwards at least $4,000-$5,000 more per year, so that was a compromise I had to make with myself.

 

[evilbooyaa]

As an intern, I lived walking distance from the hospital, like less than a mile.

As a PGY2+, in a field that doesn't have super early morning starts, I'm about 15-20 minute drive (30 mins on a bad day) each way, which I'm happy with.

 

[deleted500612]

Hey guys, I'm about to start CA1 anesthesia year in a new city this July and was wondering how far y'all commute to the hospital each day, especially those with the early morning starts. The hospital is in kind of a sh|tty area where houses/apartments are dumpy and are super overpriced (because of proximity to hospital and campus) so the neighborhoods I've been looking at are 18-25 minutes commute without traffic and about 40 minutes during rush hour... does this sound like a little too much wasted free time to maintain balance and sanity or are some of you guys doing this sort of commute and are content with it? The trade off is I'd have to live in a worse neighborhood and a sh|ttier apartment for the same price I'd pay for a nice apartment in a safer neighborhood out in the 'burbs. My wife and I will be looking to start a family in the next year or so as well so kid-friendly suburban life seems appealing, though the commute certainly does not.

 

[Ladholyman]

Live as close as you can to the hospital. Those minutes add up to hours add up to days.
Unless you are starting a family then you have to weigh the school district and day care, etc.