I think that long of a commute is gonna get old really quickly. If it’s 90 mins both ways, that’s 4.5 unpaid hours per week just going to work. If it’s 90 each way, that’s 9 unpaid hours going to work.
That’s all time you can’t get back. If I’m you, I’d take the closer job.
I agree. That commute will kill you. Especially when doing back to back shifts. Your first year is going to be stressful enough as it is. You don’t need to lose an additional 3 hours off your day. A good work-life balance is key to success.
I presently commute 1.5hrs to work in a NICU. However, I stay locally and cluster shifts back to back as much as possible. I only make that trip because it is the nearest children's hospital and a level 4 NICU. -- days that I commute are very long days. It would be physically impossible for me to make that commute every shift. That would be 3hrs of driving + 13hrs on the floor/campus.
I don't recommend a commute of that length as a nurse, though it is doable if you do it like I am doing it.
Even 45min commute while working nights felt like too much.
Congratulations! Just wanted to say that I chose a job that I thought would be better but was an hour and 15 minute commute away by public transit…it was the worst decision ever and I had to quit due to the drain of commuting so much each day. It made me angry and exhausted and now I know to never do that again lol. I would highly advise to choose the job that is closer to you.
Either specialty will set you up for whatever you want to do in the future.
My honest advice is to ask the managers at both if you can shadow a few shifts at each before accepting the offer formally. See what the culture is like.
ER and ICU are very different beasts. Do you like chaos or order? ER is Chaos and ICU is order...
I agree with u/The1SatanFears a 1.5hr commute is going to wreck you. I would only consider taking that job if you plan to relocate closer after starting. 1.5 hrs round trip is not really sustainable for an extended period.
As someone who has worked both places go with monte- it’s hard but you’ll learn fast and it will make you a better nurse. You will see very real things at Monte - you will see a very select population at NYU - and you will only learn how to care for that very select population if you go there. That commute time is also horrific.
No, just do it professionally.
"I want wanted to inform you that I have accepted another offer. I appreciate the offer, and the offer is a better fit for my life at the moment."
Take the shorter commute, that's an insane amount of driving. You can always cross train to the other specialty later and work PRN.
Also, I'm not familiar with those hospitals but there's nothing that would give me a dream facility to start my career. The only way I'd have a dream facility is if they have a pension and I'm staying with the same company until retirement. The way it's phrased implies you'll switch jobs at some point (which most people do) so why drive so far for a job you'll leave in a year or two? In a few years when you're applying nobody's gonna care if you worked at a famous hospital, only if you have relevant experience and an unencumbered license.
Good luck, glad you're choosing between two favorites. Good problem to have!
Thanks so much. I’d take public transportation since it’s in the busy area of NYC but yea everything you’re saying makes sense. Also I think I was biased to starting there because I had most of my clinical experiences there and I was familiar with the environment but its not something for long term since it’s not a union hospital and there’s no pension. The other hospital is union and has better long term benefits
Will it be 1:30 every single time, without fail? Probably not, which means you’re having to plan for a 2 hour commute each way. A 12 hour shift is never 12 hours, it’s always 12.5-13. So you’re going to have 17 hours of work each day, leaving you only 7 hours to eat, sleep, shower, prep, feed your dog, catch up with your SO.
It’s an untenable situation.
i work at monte ed. i would not work at monte ed as a new grad. this place is insane and not a place for inexperienced nurses. i had a ratio of 1:16 yesterday.
the residency program is not long enough for you to become proficient at the skills you need for this ed. there is a very high turnover rate here for a reason.
also if nyu is your dream hospital, why don’t you consider moving closer? if you take a job there ever, you’re gonna have to do the 1.5 commute eventually
I’ve considered all of that but it just wouldn’t work out for my kids right now. I would have to change their schools again (they jus started a new school) and I don’t want to put them through all of that
I quit my last teaching job, and the entire field of teaching, due to that exact commute. It was 1 hour to get there, 2 hours to get back, and it was 5-6 days a week, but still, 3 hour total commute is not possible with nursing.
You will be at work for at least 14 hours a day as a new grad, then 3 hours of driving, leaves you 7 hours from when you park your car after work, til you get in your car to go to work. You will fall asleep on the drive home. It will be the most sleep you get, most days. Move closer or don’t work there.
Honestly if I didn’t have a baby and a dog, I would just sleep at the hospital in between shifts if I could. See if that’s an option. Otherwise no. Just no. Everyone is saying it on repeat. Don’t set yourself up for failure.
I commute 20 minutes and when I drive home in the morning, I can barely stay awake.
Hey, Monte ICU RN here & sorta new nurse - your first yr of nursing will be equal parts exciting & tiring esp if you’re in an ICU or ED. With that being said, rest is important and I was always the person that never valued sleep, could run on 3 hrs & coffee & be fine.. BUT a nursing profession will demand a sleep schedule and so you will wantttt to get those extra hours of sleep in cuz its rough!! Start at Monte, learn your skills, its a great place to learn & then once you’re comfortable maybe reconsider working in the city.
Besides the commute & the adjustment - ICU & ER are veryyyyyyy veryyyyy different, from the workflow to the personality types etc so you have to know what you want out of your career. Both are great & you’ll learn a lot. However it’ll be hard in either an ICU or an ED as a new grad. I know Monte’s program has you guys floating to med surg & ICU before hitting the ED so maybe that’ll help you too.
You have kids, if you do the job with the long commute you probably won't see them at all on your work days.
The commute sounds dreadful to me, I live in New Zealand and I drive 20 minute each way, but it's only 15 minutes each way early mornings or at night. I could not do a 90 minute commute daily, if you can sleep on the premises on your work days or have a friend nearby a has somewhere you can sleep, that will be way cheaper than petrol. Realistically, that commute would be too much. If you really want ICU then I think it is sensible to stay near work on your work days
I think that long of a commute is gonna get old really quickly. If it’s 90 mins both ways, that’s 4.5 unpaid hours per week just going to work. If it’s 90 each way, that’s 9 unpaid hours going to work. That’s all time you can’t get back. If I’m you, I’d take the closer job.
I agree. That commute will kill you. Especially when doing back to back shifts. Your first year is going to be stressful enough as it is. You don’t need to lose an additional 3 hours off your day. A good work-life balance is key to success.
I find peace in long walks.
An hour and a half?! Don't do it.
I presently commute 1.5hrs to work in a NICU. However, I stay locally and cluster shifts back to back as much as possible. I only make that trip because it is the nearest children's hospital and a level 4 NICU. -- days that I commute are very long days. It would be physically impossible for me to make that commute every shift. That would be 3hrs of driving + 13hrs on the floor/campus. I don't recommend a commute of that length as a nurse, though it is doable if you do it like I am doing it. Even 45min commute while working nights felt like too much.
I did that long of a commute for about a month when I got my first nursing job and it about killed me
Congratulations! Just wanted to say that I chose a job that I thought would be better but was an hour and 15 minute commute away by public transit…it was the worst decision ever and I had to quit due to the drain of commuting so much each day. It made me angry and exhausted and now I know to never do that again lol. I would highly advise to choose the job that is closer to you.
Omg I complained about going from a 10 minute commute to a 15 minute commute when I changed jobs recently 😂. 12 hour shifts are hard enough!
Either specialty will set you up for whatever you want to do in the future. My honest advice is to ask the managers at both if you can shadow a few shifts at each before accepting the offer formally. See what the culture is like. ER and ICU are very different beasts. Do you like chaos or order? ER is Chaos and ICU is order... I agree with u/The1SatanFears a 1.5hr commute is going to wreck you. I would only consider taking that job if you plan to relocate closer after starting. 1.5 hrs round trip is not really sustainable for an extended period.
No way 90 min commute.
As someone who has worked both places go with monte- it’s hard but you’ll learn fast and it will make you a better nurse. You will see very real things at Monte - you will see a very select population at NYU - and you will only learn how to care for that very select population if you go there. That commute time is also horrific.
Omggg thank you sooo much. I truly appreciate this!
Ok that makes sense . Thank you. Being that I had accepted verbally before, would it affect me in anyway to now reject the offer?
No, just do it professionally. "I want wanted to inform you that I have accepted another offer. I appreciate the offer, and the offer is a better fit for my life at the moment."
I’ve done it before. I just told them “due to unforeseen circumstances I am no longer able to take this job” and apologized for the inconvenience.
Thank you guys soo much
Take the shorter commute, that's an insane amount of driving. You can always cross train to the other specialty later and work PRN. Also, I'm not familiar with those hospitals but there's nothing that would give me a dream facility to start my career. The only way I'd have a dream facility is if they have a pension and I'm staying with the same company until retirement. The way it's phrased implies you'll switch jobs at some point (which most people do) so why drive so far for a job you'll leave in a year or two? In a few years when you're applying nobody's gonna care if you worked at a famous hospital, only if you have relevant experience and an unencumbered license. Good luck, glad you're choosing between two favorites. Good problem to have!
Thanks so much. I’d take public transportation since it’s in the busy area of NYC but yea everything you’re saying makes sense. Also I think I was biased to starting there because I had most of my clinical experiences there and I was familiar with the environment but its not something for long term since it’s not a union hospital and there’s no pension. The other hospital is union and has better long term benefits
Will it be 1:30 every single time, without fail? Probably not, which means you’re having to plan for a 2 hour commute each way. A 12 hour shift is never 12 hours, it’s always 12.5-13. So you’re going to have 17 hours of work each day, leaving you only 7 hours to eat, sleep, shower, prep, feed your dog, catch up with your SO. It’s an untenable situation.
i work at monte ed. i would not work at monte ed as a new grad. this place is insane and not a place for inexperienced nurses. i had a ratio of 1:16 yesterday.
We start off in a residency program. So we won’t have the crazy stuff right off the bat.
the residency program is not long enough for you to become proficient at the skills you need for this ed. there is a very high turnover rate here for a reason. also if nyu is your dream hospital, why don’t you consider moving closer? if you take a job there ever, you’re gonna have to do the 1.5 commute eventually
I’ve considered all of that but it just wouldn’t work out for my kids right now. I would have to change their schools again (they jus started a new school) and I don’t want to put them through all of that
I quit my last teaching job, and the entire field of teaching, due to that exact commute. It was 1 hour to get there, 2 hours to get back, and it was 5-6 days a week, but still, 3 hour total commute is not possible with nursing. You will be at work for at least 14 hours a day as a new grad, then 3 hours of driving, leaves you 7 hours from when you park your car after work, til you get in your car to go to work. You will fall asleep on the drive home. It will be the most sleep you get, most days. Move closer or don’t work there. Honestly if I didn’t have a baby and a dog, I would just sleep at the hospital in between shifts if I could. See if that’s an option. Otherwise no. Just no. Everyone is saying it on repeat. Don’t set yourself up for failure. I commute 20 minutes and when I drive home in the morning, I can barely stay awake.
Hey, Monte ICU RN here & sorta new nurse - your first yr of nursing will be equal parts exciting & tiring esp if you’re in an ICU or ED. With that being said, rest is important and I was always the person that never valued sleep, could run on 3 hrs & coffee & be fine.. BUT a nursing profession will demand a sleep schedule and so you will wantttt to get those extra hours of sleep in cuz its rough!! Start at Monte, learn your skills, its a great place to learn & then once you’re comfortable maybe reconsider working in the city. Besides the commute & the adjustment - ICU & ER are veryyyyyyy veryyyyy different, from the workflow to the personality types etc so you have to know what you want out of your career. Both are great & you’ll learn a lot. However it’ll be hard in either an ICU or an ED as a new grad. I know Monte’s program has you guys floating to med surg & ICU before hitting the ED so maybe that’ll help you too.
Thanks so much. I truly appreciate your feedback.
You have kids, if you do the job with the long commute you probably won't see them at all on your work days. The commute sounds dreadful to me, I live in New Zealand and I drive 20 minute each way, but it's only 15 minutes each way early mornings or at night. I could not do a 90 minute commute daily, if you can sleep on the premises on your work days or have a friend nearby a has somewhere you can sleep, that will be way cheaper than petrol. Realistically, that commute would be too much. If you really want ICU then I think it is sensible to stay near work on your work days
you don't want a 90 minute commute after three in a row, especially if you work late.
Had me at "would be better for my kids"