driving in residency?

[ellorie]

I don't go to bars or night events

 

I go home and tuck myself into bed at 9 pm every night like a boring person.

[holiday1001]

I can understand not having a car, but i can't for the life of me see why someone wouldn't want a driver's license... you don't take your passport to the bars do you? :eek:

ya my gf does that. then freaks out about possibly losing her passport.

[sprinkles]

I don't go to bars or night events

 

I go home and tuck myself into bed at 9 pm every night like a boring person.

 

lol like a boring person hahhaa one of my work mates goes to sleep at 10 and I thought that was crazy early! Are you actually sleepy at that point? what time do you get up at?! thats crazyyyy for me. My brain actually starts WORKING best at 10 pm hahaa

[ellorie]

I'm sleepy by then - I usually go to sleep at 10 and wake up around 8 or so. My brain doesn't work so well after 5 pm. Yes, I know this is likely to present difficulties.

[sprinkles]

oh wow so 10 hours of sleep! haha my body is envious of yours since it is curently running on 4 hrs lol

[Robin Hood]

oh wow so 10 hours of sleep! haha my body is envious of yours since it is curently running on 4 hrs lol

 

Is it insomnia or you only need 4 hours of sleep?

[Birdy]

I'm sleepy by then - I usually go to sleep at 10 and wake up around 8 or so. My brain doesn't work so well after 5 pm. Yes, I know this is likely to present difficulties.

 

You'll adapt. I used to need 10-ish a night to be functional, but since having kids I usually max out around seven hours, and do fine with 6 (though right now I'm going on two weeks of 4-5 because my daughter is getting molars and my son wakes up at 5am). I imagine med school is the same way: you adapt because you have to.

[sprinkles]

Is it insomnia or you only need 4 hours of sleep?

 

neither! more like too many things to do and not enough time to do it haha I was up until 4 am and had to be at work by 8:30 am so technically I only had 3 1/2

[Robin Hood]

Back to the OP's question: can you survive in residency without a car (like with cabs)?

[Lactic Folly]

As other posters said, the difficulty would depend on your situation - where your rotations are, how much travelling back and forth you have to do in the course of one day, etc.

As you said, having a car is also a safety issue. There are parts of town that one might feel safe driving to, but not walking/biking through or standing at a bus stop alone. Not everyone feels comfortable taking a cab alone in the middle of the night either.

[rmorelan]

Back to the OP's question: can you survive in residency without a car (like with cabs)?

 

I would say sure it is possible - but you would have to structure things to make it works and you would also have to accept it is more difficult with certain programs and sites (family medicine is a lot easier than say cardiac surgery). We do have residents for instance that simply cannot drive at Western and they do get through the program (some simply have medical conditions that prevent them from being able to drive for instance and they are doing fine with adjustments).

 

I am not saying it is advisable, just that it is an option.

 

Not sure why people are worried about taking a cab safety wise - it is a lot safer to get picked up by a cab probably a few seconds out in front of the security desks with lighting and cameras (where they are at western) than walking through the dark parking garage which takes 5+ mins to get to your car depending on the floor at 3am.

[Lactic Folly]

Not sure why people are worried about taking a cab safety wise - it is a lot safer to get picked up by a cab probably a few seconds out in front of the security desks with lighting and cameras (where they are at western) than walking through the dark parking garage which takes 5+ mins to get to your car depending on the floor at 3am.

 

It is not the wait, but rather the ride:

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/Ride-gone-wrong-Cameras-GPS-cited-as-safety-enhancements--136473808.html

But you are probably ok with a licensed taxi. While waiting for a taxi, I have had another driver (cannot remember if it was a taxi) pull up and offer a ride for cheaper - no regrets about declining.

[obi]

Just something to keep in mind guys.

 

Insurance ~350 / month (maybe its just me but insurance is fricking insane)

Car Payments ~200 / month

Gas ~ 150 / month (im thinking this is being chincy, probably more)

 

So unless you're going over 700 / month on cabs, its technically cheaper to just cab whenever you need to and use public transit whenever time is not an issue. Of course when you eventually own your car it will be an asset that you can later sell but there's still 500 / month of money down the drain every month regardless.

[Birdy]

Just something to keep in mind guys.

 

Insurance ~350 / month (maybe its just me but insurance is fricking insane)

Car Payments ~200 / month

Gas ~ 150 / month (im thinking this is being chincy, probably more)

 

So unless you're going over 700 / month on cabs, its technically cheaper to just cab whenever you need to and use public transit whenever time is not an issue. Of course when you eventually own your car it will be an asset that you can later sell but there's still 500 / month of money down the drain every month regardless.

 

 

Insurance depends a LOT on where you are. We pay $80/mth for full coverage with low deductibles on a six month old car (both have perfect driving histories, though, which makes a difference.) When we moved here from Ontario, our insurance premiums dropped 80%, and we had each only had our licenses for a year.

 

But otherwise, you do have a point.

[goleafsgochris]

Seriously are you guys like 14?! Grow up and get your license lol, its like not knowing how to use a phone, its just insane. I live in Toronto for resodency, and even here, the situations have come up where I have NEEDED to drive. I honestly know ppl who have IQs of like 55 who can drive, you will figure it out,

[mm88]

I never drove until I was 21. It's easy to pick up even for someone as spatially challenged as myself (I got 61 in engineering drafting and I busted my ass. lol!). All you need is a patient teacher, a car and some time to practice.

 

Good luck.

 

You'll never know when you need a car. Walking places and taking transit SUCKS in some cities.

[obi]

Insurance depends a LOT on where you are. We pay $80/mth for full coverage with low deductibles on a six month old car (both have perfect driving histories, though, which makes a difference.) When we moved here from Ontario, our insurance premiums dropped 80%, and we had each only had our licenses for a year.

 

But otherwise, you do have a point.

 

Your situation sounds like you're not in Ontario and the "we" part makes me think you're slightly older than most med students? In Ontario (**** this province.. seriously) insurance is insanely high until you're 25. We're kinda at the bottom of the barrel

[Birdy]

Your situation sounds like you're not in Ontario and the "we" part makes me think you're slightly older than most med students? In Ontario (**** this province.. seriously) insurance is insanely high until you're 25. We're kinda at the bottom of the barrel

 

I'm not that much older, 25, and I only got my license at 19. When we got our first car (in Ontario) my husband and I had each been licensed less than a year and it was only a year later when we moved to PEI and our insurance rates dropped like a rock. Just living somewhere else meant that much of a difference, which is all I was pointing out.

[Robin Hood]

I never drove until I was 21. It's easy to pick up even for someone as spatially challenged as myself (I got 61 in engineering drafting and I busted my ass. lol!). All you need is a patient teacher, a car and some time to practice.

 

Good luck.

 

You'll never know when you need a car. Walking places and taking transit SUCKS in some cities.

 

And a good vision.

Ok, I don't have a visual handicap as per Quebec's law, but I was told by an ophtalmologist that I can't drive.

[sprinkles]

And a good vision.

Ok, I don't have a visual handicap as per Quebec's law, but I was told by an ophtalmologist that I can't drive.

 

if you don't mind me asking....why can't you drive? If the law permits it.... it can't be that serious? Have you gotten a second opinion on this?

[Robin Hood]

if you don't mind me asking....why can't you drive? If the law permits it.... it can't be that serious? Have you gotten a second opinion on this?

 

I'm not considered visually handicapped by the Quebec law, but I seem to be under the criteria of the SAAQ (Societe de l'assurance automobile du Quebec). I first did the SAAQ visual test, which I failed, then I saw an optometrist which referred me to an ophtalmologist, but no, I didn't ask for another opinion on this.

[greengrassgrows]

Go to Queen's. You can very easily manage both med school and residency there with no vehicle. Most people live downtown from which both hospitals are easily accessible by foot. Ditto for grocery stores, banks, bars, restaurants, movies, pharmacies etc.

 

During clerkship (I'm told, by a reliable source) you may get an out of town rotation but you can bus there and then they give you accommodations which are within walking distance to the relevant hospitals/clinics. Apparently they'll also reimburse you for the bus fare!

[NutritionRunner]

MUN, certainly yes, you need a car. St. John's is not a city to live in without a car. Especially in the winter. I lived there for 28 years so I am speaking from a wealth of experience.

 

Agreed! While I certainly didn't live in St. John's for as long as NLengr, I did spend enough time there to know that I wouldn't want to live there without having a car.

[rmorelan]

And a good vision.

Ok, I don't have a visual handicap as per Quebec's law, but I was told by an ophtalmologist that I can't drive.

 

Yeah we have residents like that as well - point is that there are ways to work around any issues and they do fine.

[thebouque]

Driving is bad for the environment. BMW, bus metro walk . If your city doesn't offer those services then your city isn't green enough and you should leave.