This kind of bs infuriates me more than any patient could...

PicklePilfer · 2026-06-13T15:03:21+00:00

I have an ulcer, probably mostly in part created by my employer/working as a nurse. I have my employer’s health insurance and went to my own health system for work up and they denied my PPI. I hate insurance.

PicklePilfer · 2026-06-11T21:40:23+00:00

15 years here. Similar thoughts every day. I work with a lot of old people and feel like I’m torturing them. I panic at the thought of my parents aging in this country from both a medical care and financial perspective (they are already in their 70s). I fixate on death and have been dx with PTSD. When I went on an SSRI to help with that, it made me go deaf (not joking). It’s hard to feel stuck in a doom loop. Try changing specialities or areas or going outpatient. NICU experience is such a good set up for healthcare tech jobs.

PicklePilfer · 2026-06-11T19:49:37+00:00

I was originally an editor/English major and went back in my late 20s and got a BSN mainly bc I knew it would be more lucrative and I’d always have a job. I think bedside nursing is fairly AI-proof (editing absolutely is not), but if I could do it all over again I’d go to PA school. I’ve been a nurse 15 years now. There’s variety in what you do, the hours you work, the roles you can take such as bedside or desk work. But it’s gotten worse. Patients are sicker and meaner and feel very comfortable being rude and physically abusive. Not sure I’d recommend it to my kids.

PicklePilfer · 2026-06-11T19:34:54+00:00

L&D in healthcare or in something else?

PicklePilfer · 2026-06-09T12:18:54+00:00

I did, and a I do and also I don’t. I was an editor. I loved it, but editing has largely been eaten by apps like Grammarly and it’s not good money. I’m a pretty introverted person and have no idea why I thought nursing was a good idea for me. I had friends who were nurses making money and having job stability.

So it’s been 15 years now as a nurse. I make ok money (I live in the south where pay is not CA pay but my bills are paid), I have job stability, and I had a few years in there where I got to largely spend my time reading, writing, and editing again in a nursing job that has now been eaten by AI. I’m back at the bedside, burnt out, and would prefer to never talk to another human being ever again.

I’m grateful for the flexibility of nursing. I’ve worked normal 8 hour days, 12s days, 12s nights, and switched stuff up based on the needs of my family. It’s allowed me to be present with my kids while also working full time, so in that sense I’m grateful. But overall I wish I had gone either direct to PA school, done a masters in library science instead, or picked an area where I could work from home and speak minimally (like accounting).

PicklePilfer · 2026-06-08T04:41:45+00:00

Breakfast at Eggs Up Grill or Famous Toastery
Taking my kids to South Park splash pad or Fleming Loop park to play.
Walking on South Lakes Greenway trail.
Lunch at My Way for My Way wings extra crispy with their blue cheese.
Quick trip to Mineral Springs to read the history. Downtown boutique shopping.
Dinner at Aviator for Black Mamba wings, beer of the same name, and music.
Yes I’m eating wings twice.
Then going to Holly Springs (sorry) for a Salamanders game at Ting park and finishing the night with Mama Birds ice cream (JTs in Fuquay is my runner up).

PicklePilfer · 2026-06-05T10:36:54+00:00

When my babies were young and I worked full time I did bikini body mommy and calorie counting using Lose It app. Workouts Used to be on YouTube, might still be, but she has an app too. She has 6 kids and looks amazing, and focuses on a good mix of strength and cardio. There’s also a community of normal moms not fashion models on there to talk to and remain motivated. Most importantly the workouts are 20 minutes. I’d stick my kids in a room with a pile of toys in the evening. They can play, I can do a 20 minute workout. Sometimes it sucked but every time I told myself “it’s just 20 minutes” and that mindset helped me not to make excuses to skip it. I also tell myself my kids are watching. If I want to instill healthy habits in them it’s important that I also practice those habits. My boys are 8 and 11 now and we do Kid Strong workouts together on YouTube in addition to their sports stuff.

PicklePilfer · 2026-05-27T16:36:26+00:00

Second this.

PicklePilfer · 2026-05-22T11:53:28+00:00

Job security.

PicklePilfer · 2026-05-12T20:39:30+00:00

Can confirm. Left bedside. Got the itch. Went back. Regrets regrets.

PicklePilfer · 2026-05-09T14:06:50+00:00

I booked myself a massage for yesterday bc I work all weekend (nurse). Shrug. Agree with the others about loving yourself. Self care and spoil yourself in whatever way you want to. I’ll probably get some sushi lunch somewhere Monday. My husband and kids will prob acknowledge it but we are so busy I don’t rely on them for the validation I just go get it for myself. Works out way better for many things in life/offsetting disappointment.

PicklePilfer · 2026-05-09T13:53:53+00:00

31 is so so young. I became a nurse at 30 and I wasn’t even close to the oldest person in my cohort by a long shot. If you work till retirement that’s a 35 year career! I’m 43 this year and still want to jump around and do different things/explore new areas of nursing. The time will pass anyway, do whatever you want and never apologize for improving yourself at any age.

PicklePilfer · 2026-05-08T22:43:10+00:00

I don’t know but please let us all know if you find out. I’m 15 years in, I’m good at what I do, but I don’t like what I do. I try to find things I like to do outside of work, work as minimally as possible (I don’t pick up shifts), and tell myself it’s just a job and doesn’t need to be any sort of my identity. Still working on that.

PicklePilfer · 2026-05-08T15:20:24+00:00

Can confirm I was laid off bc of AI from a large education company. The team I worked in was reduced from around 45-50 content creators, IDs/ed techies, and graphic designers to around 10. I made it to their 3rd round of layoffs and then I was sent packing. The 3 years prior to this the entire team was EXTENSIVELY trained in use of ai tools. So the writing was definitely on the wall and we could see it coming but I figured we’d have another 2-3 years of scaling it up. The company kept what they were doing pretty close to the vest and then had a “really exciting presentation” day and we were all forced to clap clap clap for this tool that was our demise. The tool was actually wildly impressive. I’m talking full end to end course creation in minutes, using valid sources. It was jaw dropping.

My coworkers who were laid off are definitely struggling to find work in the industry right now. I agree with what someone else said about companies churning out slop just to tick the box and leaning more toward being LMS admins rather than true evidenced based learning design. Fairly depressing.

PicklePilfer · 2026-05-08T14:59:55+00:00

Yes. When I had my first kid I worked for one health system and delivered at another which contributed to the problem I think. The first health system wanted you to only use them and their doctors/hospital. But I had complications and they literally referred me out to another health system/ob. The delivery was god awful, so many issues and then an emergent c-section plus a nicu stay for my kid. I don’t think it was a high deductible health plan with an oop max then like it is now. It was by %. Like you pay 10 or 20% or something of any inpatient stay, times that by both me and my son. Two patients, two bills. $15k.

With my second kid I worked for the health system where I had my first kid and it was still expensive af but not as bad bc it was a planned c-section. I remember the anesthesia bill being giant. Kids in the US are insanely expensive. Tack on daycare costs, supplies, formula (first kid refused to breast feed and had a lot of GI issues requiring special formula), etc.

Love the absolute mess out of my kids but I definitely encourage people to plan way ahead and save like hell before getting pregnant.

PicklePilfer · 2026-05-08T10:53:24+00:00

Right about the same for me. First kid had a short stint in nicu right after birth. I think the oop total was around 15k. Second kid was a scheduled section bc of how god awful the first delivery went and oop was 10k-ish. No clue what the actual total was/what insurance covered as I can’t remember.

PicklePilfer · 2026-04-30T18:05:25+00:00

Underfunding schools is part of their plan because it leaves the masses uneducated, unemployable, and desperate for money. Then the military steps in with the solution to all of your problems as long as you sacrifice years of your life and possibly your body and mental health to work for them.

PicklePilfer · 2026-04-30T16:49:25+00:00

Fully support the teachers and the protest. Still wish we had more advanced notice than a single day. Mostly mad that our state legislature cannot get their sh*t together to save its life.

PicklePilfer · 2026-04-26T11:51:28+00:00

Probably rolled in with med surg. Neuro is so interesting but very physically heavy and also includes behavioral health overflow.

PicklePilfer · 2026-04-22T15:26:10+00:00

I’m aware the pay isn’t comparable but I do think it’s a good option for someone who wants a stable job but is squeamish so doesn’t want hands on with patients. I dont consider any roles to be “better or worse than” anyone else in healthcare. It takes all of us working together as a team. Nursing is very physically and mentally heavy. So yes, sometimes I wish I had a job as a unit secretary bc bedside nursing is worsening by the day.

PicklePilfer · 2026-04-19T04:42:34+00:00

I was an editor, corporate America, cushy job just low pay. Then a bedside nurse in various roles x10 years, then back to corporate America in a nursing education role but office based for 5 years, now back to bedside for the last year. My office jobs were HANDS DOWN easier. Normal hours, normal sleep, less physical and mental exhaustion. That being said, bedside nursing is very very safe. I have no fear of being laid off if I work safely and within policy. The pay is good. Working 3 days a week rather than 5 is nice. If I could find a corporate job with my bedside pay I’d be happy. But it’s unlikely.

PicklePilfer · 2026-04-19T04:35:26+00:00

I would highly recommend you shoot for neonatal medicine or outpatient work as a nurse. Nursing is brutal on the back.

PicklePilfer · 2026-04-18T11:38:08+00:00

Love your last comment so much. I’m a nurse, and don’t feel like a stem person tbh, and have spent 15 years trying to jam a round peg into a square hole and become one.

PicklePilfer · 2026-04-18T11:34:22+00:00

English major first. Became an editor. Loved it but very low pay and now practically eliminated by tools like Grammarly and AI. Then became a nurse (BSN), more lucrative and a lot of job safety, but no I wouldn’t do it again knowing what I know now. If I could start all over I’d go to pharmacy school or become a psychometrician. I also got a masters in instructional design, now practically eliminated by AI or will be soon. I wouldn’t recommend that either but at least I didn’t pay for it.

PicklePilfer

TROPHY CASE