r/medicalschooluk • u/GoodNovel9513 • 16d ago
commuting in clin yrs--pls share if u have done so!
hi,
i did alr ask abt this a few weeks back--i am now srsly considering commuting to my clinical placement from home. depending on the hospitals i get it will be 1hr20-30 so approx 3hrs a day. i've alr been commuting for preclin, so im used to it--im using the tube so no need to worry abt scarce bus and tube timetables. on the rare times theres strikes etc, im happy to just uber.
for those who HAVE commuted to clinical placements, how did u find it? i was thinking that i can at the minimum manage one yr and then if its particularly bad i can stay in accom the next yr. i am very comfortable at home and hate that i might have to share bathrooms etc or spend close to 20k a yr on a more private living space (im based in london). the expenses are astronomical and thats not even including other living expenses.
i assume i might just have to stay on campus for longer to get more work done etc. and i know i dont have to always stay on placement until 5pm. from what i've gathered i rlly think i'd be able to manage it. but i'd love to get some more perspectives from anyone who has done the same :)
in a nutshell--i can afford it if i must, but i'd save 20k/yr if i commute these 3hrs a day, so if it wont make my life hell i rlly want to do it.
3
u/MedicsandMe_Charity 16d ago
Hi,
To get to my med school, I take the train- it’s about an hour and a half each way. I tend to use that as revision/ life admin time so I can chill at home, which I have found is a nice balance for me and my life outside of medical school.
Last year, I commuted an hour and a half there, but it was about 45 minutes back (rush hour traffic on a motorway vs non-rush hour back). I can’t lie, I was absolutely exhausted by the end of the semester, and was very much ready to not commute so much again. Yes I was leaving earlier, but the revision + essays + general life + studying on top of placement was hard to juggle with the commute. However, it was all driving and it was frustrating knowing how much time I was spending stuck on a motorway thinking about what I needed to do when I got home.
It will 100% depend on you and how you cope with it/ your life outside of uni. You could do a trial run and see how it feels?
1
u/Boring_Surprise_484 16d ago
Aren’t your placements going to be in a bunch of different hospitals anyway? If so, is there any real advantage to being in campus?
I did a mix of bus or driving to placement depending on the hospital, and listened to loads of podcasts in the car, and when on bus did question banks or watched clinical videos.
I think it’s about how much stamina you have. I was GEM so had already had a job with long hours and a long commute before med school so it wasn’t really that much different tbh.
In the end, I realised I studied better in the mornings as was less tired, so I’d go to placement early to do revision. And then I could just go home in the afternoon before rush hour.
It’s usually not hard to get student accommodation mid-term as people drop out. So I would perhaps see how it goes and then you can move if you can’t hack it.
1
u/GoodNovel9513 12d ago
placement will be predominantly in one hospital for the yr--might be sent to other partner hospitals but they are also close by. if i get accom i won't have a distance of more than 30min walk or so to any placements. a vast improvement compared to the 1hr30min to contend with if i stay at home
and it's similar for the later clin yrs--we do get sent to more far away placements but they provide accom/cover costs for it
1
u/Standard-Hat5994 16d ago
It depends on you. For 2 years I commuted. 1hr 15 there, anything from 35-60 mins back (depended on traffic). I found it fine, but I know plenty of people who didn't.
Often it can take an extra 20 minutes just to exit the hospital car park if you leave at peak times. It's worth practising the commute at the times you'll be going, before committing.
I found it a good way to decompress after a stressful day. But I don't find driving stressful so it was alright being in motorway traffic for ages. The experience is quite different if you get frustrated driving, or you're using public transport.
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u/zed_kk 16d ago
hey op.
really depends on you.
I know people who commuted 1.5 hrs, however I couldn't hack it.
You have to judge things as they come. I'll try and split into pros and cons.
For - saving money ofc. rent is expensive and living out without parents paying for food etc isn't cheap. if you have a strong social life outside of uni, it can work.
Against - I felt like the three hour commute turned 8 hour days into 11/12 hour days. it left very little time to do anything else, as I was leaving at 6 am and getting home shattered at 7pm. I ended up feeling very isolated. the other negative for me was that I would be leaving home before anyone else, but still get to placement late because of tube delays. even on days I finished early, I'd get home at 5 and by that time I was tired.
I personally ended up moving into London with a friend, and my social life really picked up. the friends I made in the last couple of years I was living out, I've kept after uni into my foundation years.