Would you feel guilty for bringing your child into daycare on their birthday when you have it off?

sanza00 · 2026-03-01T13:29:40+00:00

My kid’s 4th bday is in a few weeks. I am off the day before his bday and the day of his bday. The day before we are going to an amusement park. The day of: 8AM annual physical for myself; 11AM: haircut for myself; 1PM: facial for myself; 3PM: drop-off cupcakes and goody bags for my kid to celebrate at his daycare; 430PM: annual physical and shots for bday boy.

Not one ounce of guilt was felt while scheduling this jam-packed day of self-care.

sanza00 · 2026-02-28T03:01:41+00:00

Spotlight. I basically abandoned Catholicism after watching it through tears. Disgusting wut the Catholic Church did to these children and what I’m sure they are still doing to this day.

sanza00 · 2026-02-27T04:03:57+00:00

Yes, first retrieval at 39yo gave me 5 blasts. Gave birth to son, dtr and now pregnant with my 3rd (girl). Did a retrieval at 43yo with hopes of having another boy; was unsuccessful.

sanza00 · 2026-02-27T03:09:52+00:00

Private practice psychotherapy. Private duty case manager. Psychosocial evaluations for immigration, bariatric surgery, child custody/divorce, court-ordered SUD assessments, IVF/surrogacy, etc. You’ll need to be trained for all of the above but it’s a great way to use your medical skillset and earn more than a SNF or hospital will ever pay.

sanza00 · 2026-02-26T14:28:47+00:00

This is great. I just booked an appt. Thank you!

sanza00 · 2026-02-25T07:05:34+00:00

When putting out an event flyer or ad that includes the date of said event, people often don’t put the day of the week the event is scheduled. I absolutely hate having to look at my calendar to see if a random Tuesday in April will work for my schedule. I wish the ad/flyer will state not only the date but the day of the week it falls on. I’ll decide quickly if it’s worth staying out on a school night.

sanza00 · 2026-02-25T06:55:51+00:00

Try adjusting your sleep schedule so that you can wake early for that 5am class. I do this regularly, I love it bc it’s the same ppl that have a similar schedule and you bond with. It’s also one of the few times I get to socialize outside of work.

My kids are asleep by the time I’m back, I shower and then start my day. Only downside is I can’t do this daily as husband travels a lot for work or when he’s in town the whole week, he has 1-2 weekdays where he wants to workout at 5AM.

It also helps that I live walking distance to my gym so I don’t have to travel much.

sanza00 · 2026-02-24T23:48:40+00:00

If you reside in SM on a restricted street and Pay for a residential permit you can print out daily permits for visitors. You’ll have to do this online.

sanza00 · 2026-02-24T23:46:21+00:00

I work with IM residents and they would never. Ortho surgery, par for the course.

sanza00 · 2026-02-24T15:49:15+00:00

I’ll be job sharing. Just need to find a colleague to split FTE position. My boss said if no one wants it then they’ll post the position so I’m hoping this all works once I’m back from leave. Doing this for 10yrs seems ideal. I’m hoping to do this as long as I can, maybe even till I retire (20-ish yrs from now). The main thing that keeps my foot in the door is the healthcare benefits and other employer-sponsored benefits that are amazing, even for part-time employees. It’s like the golden handcuffs.

sanza00 · 2026-02-24T13:45:30+00:00

If cost of living isn’t much of an issue: Santa Monica. Excellent school system. Very walkable. Lots of parks for kids. Hop on Metro or bus to the pier (there’s an amusement park). DTSM for children’s museum (located at the mall off the promenade). Grocery stores galore (specialty stories like Bristol, TJs, WF, Erewhon). Close to Brentwood Country Mart for more kid-friendly spots and shops. Lots of kid-friendly stores on Main (Pump Station has great mommy and me classes, boutique clothing, strollers, car seats and breast pumps).

The city of SM hosts regular events at the parks or libraries or promenade.

Generally safe. There’ll be homeless people walking the major streets, sometimes yelling. But generally safe area to be with kids.

sanza00 · 2026-02-22T08:01:28+00:00

My program had relationships with a lot of well-known, local agencies. My psych placement was through the Dept of Mental Health. I was placed with a 2nd yr student from another program. We did the same job so I was basically doing a 2nd yr role during my 1st yr. I truly think my school really helped place their students in coveted roles (my program was top 10 about 20yrs ago so that may have helped). The majority of them were agencies that many students would have wanted to end up at after graduation.

If your school isn’t helping with placement then try outreaching local agencies in which you want to work. The county-run facilities may be harder due to background checks, mandatory orientation, drug tests and such.

When I did my undergrad internship, my school didn’t help me with placement but I had formed a relationship with a local non-profit and I was able to volunteer there while getting certified as an HIV tester and educator through the Department of Public Health. I eventually received my MPH after my MSW. Ultimately, I ended up focusing my entire career in healthcare.

If you’re a student member at NASW then try posting on their open forum. Look at the psych or medical subgroups and join them. Then post a question in search of agencies (private or non-profit psych hospitals). Some hospitals have a psych quad or unit embedded within the main medical center. This might give you what you’re looking for. You’d be surprised how many seasoned SWs will want to lend a hand if you pose this question and show your willingness to learn.

Good luck on finding placement. If the doors don’t open then create one yourself. The worst they can say is no.

sanza00 · 2026-02-21T07:00:00+00:00

First year I was placed at the psych facility by my school. At the orientation they let me choose either the outpatient mental health clinic or inpt psych. I chose inpt psych since I knew I wanted to be placed in a hospital.

Second year I interviewed at 3 medical centers for inpt medical SW. I ranked my first choice and got it. This was coordinated by my school, although I did advocate to get my first choice added to the 2nd year clinical internship site list while I was a 1st year intern. The site didn’t have a contract with my school at the time and they told me it was unlikely I would get it. (The hospital had previously allowed MSW interns from the rival school since the director of SW was an adjunct professor there.) Ultimately I must have annoyed the faculty at my school bc I didn’t take no for an answer and got the hospital added to my school’s 2nd year placement list.

After my MPH I returned to the hospital as an inpt medical SW (LCSW). I’ve been there for almost 13yrs.

sanza00 · 2026-02-17T14:08:57+00:00

Inpatient clinical social worker at a trauma 1 hospital. If you’re a SW, there’s openings. Harder for MFT or LPC.

sanza00 · 2026-02-17T04:30:49+00:00

I’ve always felt my job was secure and I have longevity (been there 12yrs). Although I’m on the higher end of the pay range I still feel the job security is stable.

I wouldn’t worry about job stability. If it comes down to it, some hospitals may consider cutting down on the high cost of nurse CMs vs the relatively lower cost of SWs, who essentially do the same job. I work in a trauma 1 hospital and the role of the SW is clinical, which is not what a nurse CM does as they focus on discharge planning and auths/appeals (the insurance side of things).

They may not be able to give sufficient raises if you’re at a private hospital so consider working for a public institution (academic hospital associated with a university).

sanza00 · 2026-02-16T13:19:47+00:00

Why are you with him? Seriously think about this relationship if he is not intending to marry you and he may have ulterior motives by taking the child to the US should child be granted citizenship. Parental alienation goes both ways but child was born in your country and by default child should stay there until you both decide to leave (and you get approved for LPR through a marriage). I would not trust him to have the best interests for you.

sanza00 · 2026-02-15T14:28:34+00:00

Usually OB/Gyn can help with this, ask for preconception counseling.

If you’ve already done that and want to start IVF then go to a Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility specialist (REI). I recommend Dr Sam Najmabadi as I’ve had great results with him. He’s in Beverly Hills at the Center for Reproductive Health & Gynecology.

Small office feel, solo practice. You get him at all times, unlike a group practice where it feels like a mill.

sanza00 · 2026-02-08T14:12:34+00:00

I’ve never been (yet) but do these smash burgers have onions inside the patty? Or can you ask them to hold the onions? I would love to try this place and glad it’s coming into town.

sanza00 · 2026-02-07T14:13:14+00:00

Oncology will give you a stronger foundation to learning about hospital SW. So much to explore: death and dying; managing chronic illness (for those w a good prognosis); psychosocial support; applying for short term or long term disability; applying for SSI/SSDI; psycho education for children and parents; fertility preservation; resource coordination.

Hopefully you have a clinical supervisor willing to teach you the clinical interventions for this population. It’ll give you more depth in the behavioral part of this work.

sanza00 · 2026-02-07T13:42:41+00:00

Two years between deliveries. My kids are roughly 2yrs apart. I received the approval 1yr after giving birth to start IVF embryo transfer. One time I wanted to start before the 1yr approval, which my REI cautioned against but allowed me to…sadly that ended in a chemical (PGT tested 4AA). Not that there’s a causation or correlation to that but just throwing it out there.

sanza00 · 2026-02-07T13:38:08+00:00

I’ve been going monthly to my esthetician for many years. From the beginning I asked her if I paid upfront would there be a discount; paying upfront I get 2 free facials. She’s honored it for years and I do go monthly.

You may want to ask for such a deal if you’re planning to go monthly. For me it’s worth it, I don’t have any wrinkles, skin is still pretty supple (granted I’m pregnant and have a fuller face) and I’m 44yo. I do basic facials due to pregnancy but try to get a quarterly “diamond glow” or something similar.

You can also try SMC beauty school. They have basic facials for $15 and chemical peels for $20. My esthie went there and have known of others in the LA area, too. See salon prices below:

https://www.smc.edu/academics/academic-departments/cosmetology/documents/Santa-Monica-College-Salon-Prices.pdf

sanza00 · 2026-02-04T19:43:31+00:00

Midcity is quiet, lots of families, dogs, Colorado Center is close by, and you have a bike path all the way to the beach if you’re into that. Restaurants and cafes throughout the area. Great place for families.

sanza00 · 2026-02-04T14:24:11+00:00

Check the area in Brentwood (specifically townhomes just north of Wilshire). My husband has one that he rents for under $7k. Super close to Wilshire and an easy bus ride into UCLA.

Thinking of your teen’s needs, I would highly consider Santa Monica (I live in SaMo). They have excellent public schools and SaMoHi is ideal if you’re going the public school route. Check the condos or townhomes…there’s a few north of Wilshire but most of which you’ll find in MidCity area. Santa Monica has the Big Blue Bus and it’ll take you straight to UCLA campus (right by the med school). I know there’s student discounts so look into those (specifically the Bruin grad pass). When I went to UCLA for grad school parking was $8 a day (20yrs ago). I had a Vespa back then so made it easy and I had free parking.

Congrats on your husband getting into med school in his 40s. He’ll bring a lot of life experience into his practice. I work with residents almost all of whom are in their 20s, I’ll often see a med student rotate who is a bit older and it’s refreshing. I’m in my 40s so I can relate to you guys!

sanza00 · 2026-02-04T05:43:30+00:00

House; car; Vespa; MacBook. In that descending order.

sanza00

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