Can I count commute or travel time as hours?

The line most programs draw is between getting to work and doing work that happens to involve travel. Your trip from home to your placement is treated like any employee's commute. Travel your preceptor sends you on as part of a task is usually treated as practicum time.

Travel that usually does not count

• Your regular commute to and from the site, however long it is
• Travel to your campus for classes, advising, or program meetings
• Personal errands during the workday, even if you pass by a partner site

Travel that often does count

• Driving to community outreach events, health fairs, or home visits that are part of your assignment
• Moving between clinics or satellite offices during your workday
• Field data collection, such as traveling between survey sites or inspection locations
• Attending a meeting or conference your preceptor asked you to cover for the organization

Rules vary here more than on most hour questions, so confirm with your practicum coordinator before you log any travel. Some programs cap travel time or want it logged separately from the activity itself.

How to log work travel

Record travel as its own line with its purpose, for example "Drove to county fairgrounds to staff vaccination outreach booth, 45 min." Keep it separate from the event time so a reviewer can see exactly what you are claiming. If your site reimburses mileage, the mileage record doubles as supporting evidence.

When the commute itself is the problem

If a long commute is eating into your ability to meet your hours, the log is not where to solve it. Talk to your preceptor about remote days or a compressed schedule that keeps your total hours intact. The hidden cost of commute time walks through how to raise that conversation and weigh it when choosing a site.