What's the farthest commute you feel is possible during residency?

[RU2003]

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Hey everyone,

I was wondering if current residents, recent graduates, etc could chime in and share how long your commute was each day and what you would recommend being the longest to commute if I had to?

For those commuting long times, has it taken a toll on you? any input please

thanks

 

[amyl]

can't speak about residency but I commuted an hour a day each way to med school. it sucked... but i had to for my husband.

 

[DrDre']

what u should be thinking is what is the shortest commute I can find!!!

Life is short

Residency hours suck

Do u want to spend your free time in a car OR

studying
eating
exercising
sleeping
spending time with your loved ones

I think commuting more than 15 mins ever is silly, more so in residency

Even better, make your commute work for you. Take mass transit and study or bike or run to work. There are showers and pajamas awaiting you!

 

[drchick331]

Hey everyone,

I was wondering if current residents, recent graduates, etc could chime in and share how long your commute was each day and what you would recommend being the longest to commute if I had to?

For those commuting long times, has it taken a toll on you? any input please

thanks

My husband commutes 25 minutes to the hospital and up to 90 minutes during rush hour. I have had to pick him up post-call because he will actually admit he can't make it home...

If we had to do it all over again, we would pay the extra money for the apt right outside the hospital...🙁

 

[cchoukal]

it's easy to say, "live close to the hospital," but in many cities, that's not a great option. I'm at the University of Chicago, and although the neighborhood is "okay," you're not really living in Chicago. It's more like a tiny enclave/small town, surrounded by ghetto, which this huge, gleaming jewel of a city somewhere off in the horizon.

I figured I could either live by everything I wanted and drive work, or live by work and drive to everything else. In the end, my commute in the AM is 25 minutes, but home can be an hour... I have not once wished I had done it the other way.

 

[RU2003]

what u should be thinking is what is the shortest commute I can find!!!

Life is short

Residency hours suck

Do u want to spend your free time in a car OR

studying
eating
exercising
sleeping
spending time with your loved ones

I think commuting more than 15 mins ever is silly, more so in residency

Even better, make your commute work for you. Take mass transit and study or bike or run to work. There are showers and pajamas awaiting you!

Well, I am asking this because theres a good chance I wont have the luxury of being even 15 min away from any one of my programs because my wife and I are trying to split up the commute with me preferring to be farther so her late nights will be safer for her.
So, assuming I have to commute, is an hour or a little over by mass transit able to be done. I know it's early but i figure it would be time to read if I wanted to.

 

[Masseter Spasm]

Do not forget call when thinking about commuting. You may be able to tolerate an hour commute to and from the hospital for regular working hours but not during call. If you are expected to be available by pager after hours, that same commute may make you a true resident (prisoner) of the hospital. (i.e. if you are expected to be available for an emergency within 30 minutes, how can you realistically go home when home is one hour away.) This will be a true quality of life issue, if your program/hospital expects you to take a fair amount of beeper call.

 

[michigangirl]

I've been commuting 25-40 minutes each way for five years now (peds residency now anesthesia residency/picu fellowship). I did it originally cause I needed to be in Baltimore and my husband needed to be in D.C. so we chose a spot in the middle. Now that he works close to home, we still live there cause we love the burbs and I've gotten so used to the commute its no big deal. Even post call, I just find someone to call if i'm that tired.

The only time it sucked was when i was on cardiac and instead of waking up at 4:30 am had to wake up at 4.

But i'll be honest, i wouldn't do an hour commute. i think half an hour is doable. but its up to you where you draw the line.

 

[Frank Rizzo]

when you're working 80 hrs a week, waisting anymore than an hour total per day is ******ed

 

[Trisomy13]

If you are expected to be available by pager after hours, that same commute may make you a true resident (prisoner) of the hospital. (i.e. if you are expected to be available for an emergency within 30 minutes, how can you realistically go home when home is one hour away.) This will be a true quality of life issue, if your program/hospital expects you to take a fair amount of beeper call.

some programs will require that you live within 30 minutes of the hospital for this reason, or understand that your potential home calls will now be in-house calls.

 

[DrDre']

these guys point out a big deal. We have tons of home call at our program as we "age". I would end up being in-house 8 times a month if i lived more than 30 mins away...

some programs will require that you live within 30 minutes of the hospital for this reason, or understand that your potential home calls will now be in-house calls.

 

[coprolalia]

... my wife and I are trying to split up the commute with me preferring to be farther so her late nights will be safer for her.

Live close. Buy her a gun.

-copro

 

[kraphtymac]

I think looking at the commute a different way solves a lot of problems. I'll hopefully be bike-commuting 5-7 miles one way next year. That way you get exercise while commuting. You also get to wake up or wind-down and get some fresh air. Who said a commute has to be in a vehicle?

 

[WhoopDeeDoo]

I agree about using other forms of transportation. Of course it will depend on where I match...but I have already started looking at places for my #1...so I hope it works out.

if Walking...<15 minutes
if Biking...<20 minutes
if Driving <20 minutes
if taking the tram at OHSU then allow an extra 3 minutes. Haha.

I think it would be stressful to do a whole lot further than that for me. I fall asleep at the wheel as soon as I drive over half an hour and that's on a full night of sleep! I hate driving!

 

[Leverage]

when you're working 80 hrs a week, waisting anymore than an hour total per day is ******ed

Perfectly stated

 

[bubalus]

Except for 2 weekends, I'm on home call 24/7 this month. Doing that in house would really suck (Goodbye family, see you next month). Several jobs I looked at required living within 20 minutes of the hospital.

 

[nociceptor]

Well, I am asking this because theres a good chance I wont have the luxury of being even 15 min away from any one of my programs because my wife and I are trying to split up the commute with me preferring to be farther so her late nights will be safer for her.
So, assuming I have to commute, is an hour or a little over by mass transit able to be done. I know it's early but i figure it would be time to read if I wanted to.

I am assuming you are living in NJ and you will be taking NJ transit into NY Penn or NJ Penn. 1 hour on the train isn't anywhere as bad as 30 minutes in a car. As long as you aren't on the NE corridor line you should be able to sit and study, check your email, talk to your mistress, etc.

Most people in NJ commute for an hour each way. Just try not to breath or drink the water when you do.

GO RU!!!

 

[nociceptor]

Live close. Buy her a gun.

-copro

It is near impossible to LEGALLY own a handgun in the state of new jersey. It is a little less impossible to LEGALLY own guns in general in new jersey.

 

[VentdependenT]

Longer than 30 and you're gonna hate life

 

[coprolalia]

It is near impossible to LEGALLY own a handgun in the state of new jersey. It is a little less impossible to LEGALLY own guns in general in new jersey.

Another item added to the list of why New Jersey is the armpit of America. And, I was already convinced of that with the "no left turns" bucket-handles, can't pump your own gas, high taxes b.s. that its citizens are already subjected to. Seriously, who would want to live there?

-copro

 

[nociceptor]

Another item added to the list of why New Jersey is the armpit of America. And, I was already convinced of that with the "no left turns" bucket-handles, can't pump your own gas, high taxes b.s. that its citizens are already subjected to. Seriously, who would want to live there?

-copro

who would want to live in NJ?

 

[huron]

Hey everyone,

I was wondering if current residents, recent graduates, etc could chime in and share how long your commute was each day and what you would recommend being the longest to commute if I had to?

Why not live in the hospital?

One of the Hospital locations I rotated thru as a student had a resident that was so cheap that he decided not to rent an apartment but live in his car parked at the hospital or the hospital call room. While I might understand his behavior if it was in Manhattan, NY where $2000 per month will only get you a closet, this was in the medium size city in the Midwest where I was able to rent a nice studio apartment for $325 per month only 10 minutes from the hospital. His plan backfired about December when he had long since worn out his welcome and was being watched by security and routinely kicked out of the hospital if he was not scheduled to be working there. He apparently was told to rent an apartment or finish his residency elsewhere.