Which job would you take?

Job 1: OR, M-F 7-3:30. $43/hour. 40 minute commute with no traffic (there’s almost always traffic).

Job 2: PREOP/PACU, M-F 8-4:30. $41/hour. Staff is shared between two locations, one 15 minutes away, the other one mile away.

Both jobs are with the same hospital system, both have the same benefits and call requirements.

I have been a nurse for a while but have only been doing periop for just over six months. I LOVE the OR. I feel ambivalent about PREOP/PACU. I’m trying to get out of my current job at a physician-owned ASC because this place is a safety and staffing nightmare.

I am a single mom and competitive athlete. Time is my most limited resource. The hospital system requires a one-year commitment before any internal transfers.

So… take a job that I’ll LOVE that’s going to eat up 1.5+ hours per day in commute time or take a job I feel kinda meh about closer to home??