I'm trying to get some advise on the longest reasonable commute I could do during residency. I'll be doing radiology. Problem is that my husband is fixed to a city, and I'm not sure if I'll be able to match there. So there's a chance I end up about 80 miles away, so one solution would be to move somewhere in between the two jobs. Any thoughts?
longest acceptable commute?
- Thread starter nprap
- Start date
You really have to look at how traffic works. I have had commutes of 70 miles that took an hour but ones of 15 miles that took hour and 20 because traffic stunk.
So in terms of time, what do you think would be the maximum possible? Would an hour commute be acceptable?
It depends.
Are you doing any home call? Some programs require that their senior residents or anyone doing home call live within a certain distance of the hospital (for mine it was 15 minutes).
Otherwise the length of the commute depends on traffic patterns and the hours you work. If you have a reasonable residency schedule which gets you out of the hospital every day at 5:00 pm and you don't have to be there before 6 am, it might be reasonable to drive an hour. But what about post-call days? Are you really going to want to get into the car and drive an hour? Even after a nap that's gotta be hard.
I'm afraid this is a question only you can answer (but you might want to do a search because this was discussed here only a few months ago).
Are you doing any home call? Some programs require that their senior residents or anyone doing home call live within a certain distance of the hospital (for mine it was 15 minutes).
Otherwise the length of the commute depends on traffic patterns and the hours you work. If you have a reasonable residency schedule which gets you out of the hospital every day at 5:00 pm and you don't have to be there before 6 am, it might be reasonable to drive an hour. But what about post-call days? Are you really going to want to get into the car and drive an hour? Even after a nap that's gotta be hard.
I'm afraid this is a question only you can answer (but you might want to do a search because this was discussed here only a few months ago).
- Mar 6, 2005
- 19,857
- 14,554
- Status (Visible)
-
- Attending Physician
An hour tops. If you're doing something like GS or a surg specialty where you'll be doing Q3 o/n call then 30 min at the most (15 would be preferable).
I chose my housing location based on proximity to the hospital, 15-30 minutes by bike which is my primary mode of transportation. 5 min by car if I need to get there ASAP.
I have a friend who lives an hour away but stays closer (10 minutes) when she's on a call month.
I chose my housing location based on proximity to the hospital, 15-30 minutes by bike which is my primary mode of transportation. 5 min by car if I need to get there ASAP.
I have a friend who lives an hour away but stays closer (10 minutes) when she's on a call month.
This is an issue my husband and I have talked about at great length.
We live 30 minutes (at least) from my med school, and up to an hour away (at least) from the hospitals I've rotated at during my third year. During one particularly brutal rotation in the winter, I was leaving my house at 3:45 am to make it to the hospital by 5 to round on my patients. If we stick around here, I may be doing residency at that hospital...
It's a personal choice. I honestly don't mind the commute, even when I'm tired. But many (well, most) med students and residents I talk to cannot imagine that commute. Totally up to you whether you can handle it.
We live 30 minutes (at least) from my med school, and up to an hour away (at least) from the hospitals I've rotated at during my third year. During one particularly brutal rotation in the winter, I was leaving my house at 3:45 am to make it to the hospital by 5 to round on my patients. If we stick around here, I may be doing residency at that hospital...
It's a personal choice. I honestly don't mind the commute, even when I'm tired. But many (well, most) med students and residents I talk to cannot imagine that commute. Totally up to you whether you can handle it.
Thanks to everyone for the comments. It seems that one hour would be an acceptable commute during residency, especially if it's not surgery (i'll be doing radiology).
I would never have been willing to commute for 1 hour to my medicine residency...also think I would have died on the way home postcall since we did 30 hour in house calls.
I think for radiology it might be doable. I would suggest getting closer than 80 miles if you can, though. That sounds brutal.
I think for radiology it might be doable. I would suggest getting closer than 80 miles if you can, though. That sounds brutal.
Yeah, I more thought of living somewhere in between, meaning I'd be around 40 miles away.
Well is it 40 miles in Iowa or 40 miles in the middle of NYC? That would make a difference in your commute time. I guess 40 miles is doable though...you gotta do what you gotta do for your family sometimes.
Yeah, I cant imagine it either (an hour or 40 mile commute). I lived 7 miles from the hospital and some days (especially in the old days) those 7 miles brought me closer to death than I've ever been before.
Did you do surgery or medicine? I'll be doing radiology. Hopefully I won't have crazy hours.
Surgery.
And I wouldn't be so sure about Radiology having great hours especially if you work in a trauma center. I suspect you will be doing a medicine prelim year before starting Rads.
Our radiology residents were in house and responded to all traumas. They didn't go home at the end of the "shift" at 0700, they stayed and had to dictate and review all trauma and other studies done overnight with the attending. So many of them pulled 30 hour shifts as well.
This is clearly institution dependent and YMMV.
Yes, I think the hours of radiology residencies really do vary a great deal.
One thing that will be important will be whether you are doing a cushy transitional year vs. a medicine prelim year. I mean, as a medicine intern I did 30 hour calls Q3 and Q4 every month of the year except one. I know a lot of medicine programs have gone to different schedule like night float, but if not then I sure wouldn't want to be you trying to get to the hospital by 6 a.m. to preround every day, and I wouldn't want to be driving behind you on the highway after you did your 2nd 30+ hours in the hospital for the week and are driving home. But that's just one thing to think about...I know some folks who lived in the suburbs about 30 minutes from the hospital and they seemed to manage fine...but I'm talking like 15 miles away, not 40 or 50.
One thing that will be important will be whether you are doing a cushy transitional year vs. a medicine prelim year. I mean, as a medicine intern I did 30 hour calls Q3 and Q4 every month of the year except one. I know a lot of medicine programs have gone to different schedule like night float, but if not then I sure wouldn't want to be you trying to get to the hospital by 6 a.m. to preround every day, and I wouldn't want to be driving behind you on the highway after you did your 2nd 30+ hours in the hospital for the week and are driving home. But that's just one thing to think about...I know some folks who lived in the suburbs about 30 minutes from the hospital and they seemed to manage fine...but I'm talking like 15 miles away, not 40 or 50.
Are you living in CT and working in New York or vice versa?
If you had a reverse commute, it might fall under a conceivable definition of feasibility (not *my* definition, but a definition). If you're trying to come into the City with hordes of others, packed onto the commuter trains, to a job where you can never be late... that would be awful.
If you had a reverse commute, it might fall under a conceivable definition of feasibility (not *my* definition, but a definition). If you're trying to come into the City with hordes of others, packed onto the commuter trains, to a job where you can never be late... that would be awful.
- Mar 6, 2005
- 19,857
- 14,554
- Status (Visible)
-
- Attending Physician
Are you doing the regular (CT --> NYC) or reverse (NYC --> CT) commute? If it's the former, your 40 mile commute will likely take >2h unless you're on the road before 5am and don't head home until after 8pm (or before 2pm). One of the faculty members in my grad school dept used to commute from Fairfield, CT to NYC, 55 miles each way. He usually left home @ 4:30am and left work around 2pm, that way his commute was only ~90 minutes rather than 3 hours.
If you're doing the reverse commute, a 40 mile commute would probably be more like 60-75 minutes assuming no problems with traffic.
Thanks everyone for the comments.
I'll most probably be doing the prelim/transitional in the city. I've had several interviews already and feel very confident about them. So I think I should have no problem matching in NYC.
I'd be working in New Haven and my husband in Manhattan. He has a pretty demanding job. The possible situation would be living between New Haven and NYC. I thought maybe we could live in Stamford so each of us would commute about 40 miles.
In any case, based on everyone's comments here it seems not very doable this whole thing. Any other comments? Anyone familiar with the area?
I'll most probably be doing the prelim/transitional in the city. I've had several interviews already and feel very confident about them. So I think I should have no problem matching in NYC.
I'd be working in New Haven and my husband in Manhattan. He has a pretty demanding job. The possible situation would be living between New Haven and NYC. I thought maybe we could live in Stamford so each of us would commute about 40 miles.
In any case, based on everyone's comments here it seems not very doable this whole thing. Any other comments? Anyone familiar with the area?
people commute from connecticut to nyc every day on metro north. i dont know exactly how long the ride is into the city, but an hour on the train is 100x better than an hour stuck in traffic.
I rotated at Stamford so rode that train in and out (not every day, I had a house in CT). It is one of the most common sites for a reverse commute and of course the train into town for your husband would be packed. It would be 45 min at least to and from Penn Station and Stamford station on an express train.
If you have to be at Yale and he has to be in the City then it is what it is. Plenty of people are in your situation.
If you have to be at Yale and he has to be in the City then it is what it is. Plenty of people are in your situation.
In this particular scenario Metro-North wouldn't kill you going into the city or even into New Haven from somewhere in CT while driving from from a town along the Merritt or 95 into New Haven is also pretty doable. Just keep in mind that the train does not favor people who get out of work after midnight.
As previously mentioned this is a pretty common daily commute for many people in the 9-5 crowd, you just don't want to be stuck in the city with no way to get home b/c of some scheduling problems.
As previously mentioned this is a pretty common daily commute for many people in the 9-5 crowd, you just don't want to be stuck in the city with no way to get home b/c of some scheduling problems.
- May 13, 2008
- 282
- 1
- Status (Visible)
-
- Medical Student
Just a different kind of suggestion. Maybe you could rent a small furnished room in the city you'll be working in and stay there 3 or 4 nights a week and commute the rest? I'm sure you could find someone to work an arrangement out with.
That way you aren't totally separated from your husband but when you're post call you can stay. On busier months you could stay more at that place, etc.
Best of luck. Hopefully you can match in NYC and not have to deal with it at all!
That way you aren't totally separated from your husband but when you're post call you can stay. On busier months you could stay more at that place, etc.
Best of luck. Hopefully you can match in NYC and not have to deal with it at all!
I agree with milk.
I was about to suggest the same thing.
I mean, being an intern is honestly pretty heinous sometimes, work hours wise, unless you're just in some super cushy transitional year where you barely take any call. Unless you like getting up at 3 or 4a.m. daily, I'd try and share a small apartment, or rent out a room in somebody's house in New Haven. Your quality of life is probably going to suck at least during certain months of the year, if not all, and I can't see compounding that by trying to commute multiple hours/day. If you're on some evil rotation you're not going to have time to see your husband much anyway during the week, and you'll just wear yourself out.
I was about to suggest the same thing.
I mean, being an intern is honestly pretty heinous sometimes, work hours wise, unless you're just in some super cushy transitional year where you barely take any call. Unless you like getting up at 3 or 4a.m. daily, I'd try and share a small apartment, or rent out a room in somebody's house in New Haven. Your quality of life is probably going to suck at least during certain months of the year, if not all, and I can't see compounding that by trying to commute multiple hours/day. If you're on some evil rotation you're not going to have time to see your husband much anyway during the week, and you'll just wear yourself out.