Unique ID,First Name,Last Name,text,platform,year_joined,Age bin,Finance Status,Education,Locale,Marital Status,Gender,source,content_type
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Twelve hour shift in the pediatric ward tonight. By the end of it I forgot what my own name was but I still knew every single patient's name and medication schedule. That is the job.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,My daughter asked me why I smell like the hospital when I come home. Told her it is the smell of helping people. She said it smells like hand sanitizer. Fair enough.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Five years at Seattle Children's Hospital and I still get emotional when a kid gets discharged healthy. You would think that would get easier. It does not and I am glad it does not.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,The rain in Seattle in November is not weather. It is a lifestyle. I have lived here for eleven years and I still wear a rain jacket to the mailbox without thinking.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,My son started kindergarten today. He asked if there would be needles. I said no bud that is my job not yours. He looked visibly relieved.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Nursing school at University of Washington was the hardest four years of my life. My BSN diploma still hangs in the hallway where I can see it every single morning before work.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,My husband cooked dinner three nights in a row while I was on back to back overnight shifts. Thirteen years of marriage and he still surprises me with how good he is at this.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Healthcare workers do not get enough credit for the emotional labor. I held a crying parent's hand for twenty minutes today because that was exactly what medicine required in that moment.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Seattle housing market update: our neighbor listed their place for 875k. We bought our townhouse in Capitol Hill in 2016 for 510k. The number on Zillow right now makes my eyes water.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,My daughter is seven and already bossy and organized and takes notes in her little notebook. My husband says she gets it from me. I consider that a compliment.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Mandarin classes for both kids starting this fall. My parents spoke it at home when I was growing up in Bellevue but I let it slip in adulthood. Not letting that happen to my children.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Burnout in nursing is real and it is not talked about honestly enough. After the pandemic I took three months of leave and I would do it again without hesitation. Self-preservation is not weakness.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,My mom drove down from Bellevue to watch the kids while I covered a double shift. She brought homemade dumplings. At 38 years old I still need my mom and I have completely accepted this.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,The best thing about working pediatrics is that kids tell the truth about everything. A seven year old patient told me my scrubs were a weird color. She was right. They are a weird color.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,"Just renewed my RN license. Eight years of continuing education credits, certifications, and skills updates. The paperwork alone is its own part time job.",twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,My husband is an architect. He designs buildings that stand for a hundred years. I keep children alive one shift at a time. We have very different relationships with timescales.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,"Capitol Hill neighborhood appreciation post. We can walk to three coffee shops, two parks, a library, and our kids' school. Seattle is expensive but this specific block justifies most of it.",twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Night shift solidarity. If you work nights you understand the specific surreal quality of driving home at 7am when the rest of the city is starting their day and you are ending yours.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,My son asked why some of the kids at my hospital are sick for a long time. I told him their bodies are working very hard and we help them while they do. He said he is going to be a doctor. I said start with vegetables first.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Took the kids to Pike Place Market on Saturday. Spent 40 minutes watching the fish throwers. Classic tourist behavior from people who have lived here over a decade. No regrets.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Our unit just got new monitoring equipment. Spent two hours in training. The tech is genuinely impressive. The documentation for the tech is genuinely not.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,My husband and I have a standing date night on the first Friday of every month. We started it when our daughter was born and we needed something that was just ours. Still going strong seven years later.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,"The difference between a good nurse and a great nurse is not technical skills. It is the ability to read a room, a family, and a patient and know what they need before they ask.",twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Just submitted my application for the pediatric critical care certification exam. If I pass this is the credential I have been working toward for three years. Terrified and ready in equal measure.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Both kids are in school full time now for the first time. I did not expect the quiet on my days off to feel so strange. Turns out I am better at chaos than I thought.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,My mom immigrated from Guangzhou in 1981. Worked two jobs for fifteen years. Now she drives to Seattle to make dumplings for my kids and watch them while I work. The sacrifices stack across generations.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,"Flu season in pediatric nursing is its own category of challenging. The ward is full, the staff is stretched, and every parent is terrified. You just keep moving and you keep caring.",twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Just passed my pediatric critical care certification. Cried in the parking lot of the testing center. Called my husband first. Then my mom. Then my charge nurse who wrote my recommendation letter.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Rain jacket count in our household: six. Rain jacket usage: constant. This is Seattle. This is correct.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,My daughter told her teacher that her mom saves kids at the hospital. Her teacher told me this at pickup. I held it together until I got to the car.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,"Healthcare worker pay is not commensurate with the skill, the stakes, or the emotional weight of the work. I will keep saying this until something changes.",twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Thirteen years married this June. My husband proposed at Discovery Park in the rain. I said yes immediately partly because I was cold and wanted to go inside. He still finds this funny.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,The kids wanted McDonald's for dinner after my twelve hour shift. We had McDonald's for dinner. Some battles are not worth having on a Thursday night in February.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,My son has been asking how vaccines work every day this week. I explained antigens and immune response in increasingly simple terms. By day four he explained it back to me correctly. Future nurse or doctor in this house.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Capitol Hill has changed so much since we moved here in 2016. Some of it is great. Some of it makes me miss what it was. All cities are in permanent conversation with their own past.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Participated in our hospital's nursing mentorship program for the third year running. If one of the nurses I mentor stays in pediatrics because of our conversations that is better than any award.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,The Sunday before a stretch of overnight shifts has a specific energy. Meal prep done. Kids' lunches packed. Bags ready. Internal monologue on repeat. Then you walk in and it all clicks into place.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,My husband and I are refinancing the townhouse this quarter. The rates are difficult but the equity we have built since 2016 makes the math work. Seattle real estate is painful and sometimes rewarding.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Took a mental health day last week. Hiked the Tiger Mountain trail with a friend from the unit. We talked about everything except work for four hours. Came back a different person.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,My daughter wants to be a marine biologist. My son wants to be a chef. Neither of them wants to be a nurse. I consider this an absolute parenting success.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Precepting a new graduate nurse this month. She reminds me of myself at 23. Told her the same thing my preceptor told me: the anxiety means you care. The day it goes away is the day to worry.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,"Weekend dim sum at Jade Garden with my parents, my husband, and the kids. Four generations of a family that crossed an ocean now sharing har gow in Seattle on a rainy Sunday. Good life.",twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Applied for the charge nurse position on our unit. Did not get it this round. My manager gave me detailed feedback. Already working on every single item on that list for the next opening.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,My husband's architecture firm just completed a project he has been working on for three years. Took the kids to see the building. My son said it looks like a robot. My husband was delighted.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,The Seattle coffee culture is not an exaggeration. I have genuine opinions about extraction ratios. I order the same thing from the same cafe on the same corner every single morning I am not working. This is who I am now.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,One of the hardest parts of pediatric nursing is the families. The patients are resilient in ways adults never are. The parents are holding themselves together with nothing and you see that every shift.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Daughter's school project this week: interview a family member about their job. She interviewed me for forty five minutes with follow-up questions. I got the most thorough journalism of my career from a seven year old.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,We are seriously considering a bigger house. Three bedrooms works until it does not. My husband wants a proper studio for his drafting work. I want a bathtub I can actually use. The search has started.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Eleven years in Seattle and I have never learned to ski properly. Every winter I say this is the year. Every spring I report that it was not the year.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,"The best career advice I ever received came from my charge nurse in my second year: document everything, ask every question, and never let anyone make you feel small for not knowing something yet.",twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,My son got his first stitches last month. He was incredibly brave. I was not. Being the healthcare professional parent does not make it easier. It just means you know exactly what they are doing to your child.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Thinking about a part time MSN program next year. Nurse practitioner track in pediatrics would let me practice at a higher level without leaving the patients I love. Talking it over with my husband this week.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,The Pacific Northwest in July is the reason people move here. The mountains are out. The air is dry. Everything smells like cedar. I think about this exact feeling every November and it keeps me going.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,"Nursing is a second language I have spoken so long it now feels native. Assessment, intervention, documentation, hand-off, repeat. The rhythm of it is part of who I am.",twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,"My mom asked when I am having a third child. I told her I work 36 hours a week keeping other people's children alive and I have exactly enough left over for the two I already have. She said she had four. I said I know, Ma.",twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Got the charge nurse position. Start in six weeks. Eight years of building toward this. My husband took the kids out for ice cream to celebrate. My daughter made me a card. Worth every single shift.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,The hardest conversation I have ever had at work did not involve a procedure or a code. It involved sitting with a family in a quiet room and not having any good news to give them. That is the weight of this work.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,"My kids know what a stethoscope is, can identify hospital scrubs by brand, and think hand sanitizer is a normal household smell. This is a nursing household and they are fully acclimated.",twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Seattle in March is tulip season and muddy trails and everyone acting surprised that it is still raining. I find the predictability comforting. I always know what March will be.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Thirteen years married and my husband still texts me during my shift just to ask how it is going. Not to talk. Just to check. That five-word text has gotten me through more than he knows.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,"Looking at MSN program options at UW and Pacific Lutheran. Both strong pediatric NP tracks. The cost is real, the career impact is real, and my husband is fully supportive. Going to apply this fall.",twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,My daughter decided tonight that she wants to be a marine biologist who also does ballet and also runs a bakery. I fully support this and will not be the one to limit her timeline.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,"Son came home from school today with a permission slip, a broken shoelace, a drawing of a dinosaur, and zero memory of where he put his lunch box. Classic Tuesday.",twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,"Homework hour in this house is a full production. Two different subjects, two different temperaments, one table. My husband and I divide and conquer like it is a shift handoff.",twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,My daughter asked me how much nurses make. I told her enough to own a townhouse and eat dim sum on Sundays. She said that sounds good. It does.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Both kids were sick the same week I had three back-to-back shifts. My mom drove down from Bellevue with soup and zero judgment. I owe her everything.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Kid number one is a morning person. Kid number two is not. Getting them both out the door before 8am is a daily exercise in conflict resolution and I do not get enough credit for it.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,My son asked me what happens when people die. We had the whole conversation. He was quiet for a minute and then asked what was for dinner. Seven year old emotional processing is wild.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,"Family movie night rules in this house: everyone gets one pick per month, no skipping to the end, snacks are mandatory. My husband cheats by picking long movies so we have to stop and finish the next week.",twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,My daughter has started giving me unsolicited feedback on my cooking. She is seven. She has opinions about salt levels. I am raising a monster and I could not be more proud.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,"Parent-teacher conferences this week. Both teachers said the same thing: very engaged, asks a lot of questions, sometimes too many questions. I have no idea where they get that.",twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,"Sunday meal prep is the thing that holds our week together. Four containers of rice, a pot of soup, pre-cut vegetables. Monday through Thursday run on Sunday Sarah.",twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,My husband attempted dumplings for the first time. The filling was perfect. The folding was ambitious. We ate them anyway and they tasted like effort and love.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,There is a pho place three blocks from our house that I have been going to since 2016 and the owner knows my order. That is the kind of Seattle neighborhood relationship that makes a city feel like a home.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,I made my mom's mapo tofu recipe for the first time without calling her halfway through. This is a milestone. I am 38 years old and this is a genuine achievement.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Jade Garden dim sum on a rainy Sunday with my whole family is one of the top five experiences available in this city. I will hear no arguments.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,My kids will eat things from a restaurant that they refuse to eat from me at home. The exact same dish. I have tested this. They know it is the same dish. They do not care.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,"Costco run completed. We now have enough rice, soy sauce, and frozen dumplings to survive whatever Seattle throws at us for the next month.",twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,I started making congee on Sunday mornings. My parents ate it every week growing up and I somehow let that habit slip for fifteen years. Getting it back now.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,The Capitol Hill farmers market in summer is genuinely one of the best things in this city. Stone fruit in July. Corn in August. I plan my schedule around this.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,My husband cooks better pasta than I do and I have accepted this about our marriage. We each have our lanes.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,First week as charge nurse officially in the books. The technical side I was ready for. The navigation of personalities and competing priorities is a different kind of clinical skill.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Being charge nurse means you are everyone's first call when something goes wrong. I have started thinking of this as a sign of trust rather than a source of stress. Most days.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,One of the newer nurses on my unit handled a really difficult family situation today with more grace than I had at her stage. Made a note to tell her that directly. Feedback should go both directions.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Staffing meetings are where policy and reality meet and negotiate loudly. I now attend these meetings. I now have opinions about these meetings.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,The documentation requirements for charge nursing are extensive and I say that as someone who already thought the documentation requirements for bedside nursing were extensive.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Had a hard conversation with a colleague today about a pattern I had been observing. Did it directly and privately and with care. It went better than I expected. These conversations are skills.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Charge nurse lesson learned this month: the nurses who seem the most composed are often the ones most in need of a check-in. The squeaky wheel gets the grease but the quiet ones need attention too.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,My charge nurse before me left me a one-page note of things she wished someone had told her. I have read it four times. I am going to do the same for whoever comes after me.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Ran a difficult code situation today. Everyone performed. The debrief afterward was honest and useful. This is what good units look like under pressure.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Three people on my unit are thinking about leaving nursing. All three gave me different reasons that are actually the same reason with different faces. The system wears people down.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Refinancing update: we locked in a rate. It is not the rate we wanted but it is the rate that exists right now. The equity math still works. Moving forward.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Property tax bill arrived. I looked at it for a long time. Then I went for a walk. Then I came back and paid it. This is the Capitol Hill homeowner experience.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,"We have officially started the bigger house search in a low-pressure way, which means my husband sends me Zillow links at 10pm and I send them back with comments in the morning.",twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,"The Seattle housing market is a conversation I participate in but cannot fully affect. Bought when we could, built equity, staying put. This is the plan.",twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,The difference between our take-home pay and what our peers in tech make is something I have made peace with by focusing on other forms of value. Most days this works.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Our retirement accounts are finally at a place where I do not feel anxious when I look at them. Eight years of consistent contributions after a slow start. Compound interest is real.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Got a new health savings account option through the hospital this year. Between that and our insurance it is genuinely decent coverage for a family of four. Not nothing.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,My parents did not have retirement savings to model. I am learning as I go and trying to set a different example for my kids. This is generational work.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,We pay for the kids' extracurriculars by cutting elsewhere. Date nights are now often walks and homemade dinners instead of restaurants. We are genuinely fine with this.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Tuition for the MSN program I am applying to is significant. We ran the numbers with the expected salary increase for a nurse practitioner. The math works over a ten year horizon.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,I give health advice professionally all day and still struggled to make my own annual physical appointment for four months. Physicians and nurses are the worst patients.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Started running again after a two year gap. The first week was humbling in ways I will not describe. Week three is better. The Tiger Mountain trail is waiting for me to earn it back.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Sleep hygiene is something I counsel patients about and something I am personally terrible at after night shifts. The transition back to days takes me three days minimum. Every time.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,My blood pressure is textbook normal. My cholesterol is good. My vitamin D is low because I live in Seattle and I work inside. Taking the supplement. This is the whole update.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Mental health days are not a luxury. I have had to say this out loud at my unit. I will keep saying it. You cannot care for patients well from an empty tank.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,The overnight shift cortisol hit is real and documented in the literature and I experience it personally every rotation. Night shift nursing is a full-body commitment.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Had a migraine last week bad enough to call in for the first time in two years. The guilt of calling in as a nurse is its own specific and irrational feeling that I am still working through.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,My husband and I do a 30-minute walk together after dinner on the nights I am not working. This started during the pandemic and we kept it. It is the best habit we have built.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Eating well on a 12-hour shift requires planning that I do not always have. The hospital cafeteria is what it is. Sunday meal prep saves me more than once a week.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,I got a therapist two years ago and kept it going after the acute need passed. This was one of the better decisions I have made as an adult. Preventive mental health is still health.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,"Applied to the MSN program at UW. Application submitted. Now the waiting part, which is not my strongest skill.",twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Reading through the NP curriculum requirements and there is something both exciting and terrifying about being a student again after eight years in practice.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Precepted my third new graduate this year. All three are still in pediatric nursing. This is the metric I actually care about.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Presented at our unit's monthly education session today. Talked about documentation practices for pediatric patients. I was nervous. It went fine. I keep doing the things that make me nervous.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,The charge nurse certification exam is on my list for next year. I passed the PCCN so I know I can do it. I also know it will require studying in small pieces between everything else.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Continuing education credits are due at the end of the year. I have been doing them gradually since January like a responsible adult. I am proud of this. I used to be a December scrambler.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,My mentor from nursing school emailed me this week. She had seen something I posted about the charge nurse role. Some professional relationships just last and they are the best ones.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,I still keep my NCLEX prep book on the shelf. Not because I need it. Because the spine reminds me of how hard I worked to get here.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Had a student nurse shadow me for a day. She asked good questions and was not afraid to say when she did not understand something. I told her that quality will make her excellent.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,The difference between what nursing school teaches and what the floor teaches is enormous and not a criticism of nursing school. They are two different kinds of learning.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,The Space Needle is visible from a specific corner of our neighborhood on clear days and I still look for it every time even though I have lived here for eleven years.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Gas Works Park on a sunny July evening is one of the experiences that makes Seattle worth every grey November. Kite flying. Picnic. The whole thing.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,The I-5 through Seattle at 5pm is not a commute. It is a meditation on patience and urban planning decisions made in the 1960s.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Elliott Bay Bookstore on a rainy afternoon with no particular agenda is my specific version of self-care. I always leave with two books I did not plan to buy.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Seattle has done things to my coffee standards that make drinking bad coffee elsewhere an active experience of loss.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Took the kids to the Museum of Pop Culture last weekend. My son was entranced by the sci-fi exhibit. My daughter had strong opinions about the music hall. They are my children.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,The Puget Sound from the ferry on a clear day is a view I have taken approximately four hundred photos of and will take four hundred more. It does not get old.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Cherry blossom season in the UW quad is the most beautiful two weeks in Seattle and also the most crowded. Worth it anyway.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,"We have lived here long enough that I have Seattle opinions. Strong ones. About neighborhoods, coffee shops, hiking trails, and which bridges to avoid and when.",twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,"The Olympic Mountains from a Capitol Hill rooftop on a clear day remind me that this city is genuinely, unreasonably beautiful and I live here on purpose.",twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,My parents came to the US with very little and built something through work and sacrifice and community. I hold that history every day. It shapes how I show up at work and at home.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Teaching my kids to use chopsticks properly because my grandmother taught me and her mother taught her. Some things are transmitted hand to hand across generations.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,My parents speak Mandarin to the grandkids. My kids answer in English and sometimes Mandarin and sometimes a mix that belongs only to them. Language is alive.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Chinese New Year is the holiday my family takes most seriously. My mom starts the cooking two days in advance. The table gets loud and crowded and I love it completely.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,My mom immigrated from Guangzhou in 1981. She learned English at night school while working days. My kids will never fully understand how much was given to them before they were born.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Being second-generation is holding two cultures simultaneously and knowing that neither one has the full picture of who you are. I have stopped trying to reconcile this and started finding it interesting.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,"My kids see Chinese faces in their teachers, their doctors, their storybooks. I grew up not always seeing this. The difference matters in ways that accumulate quietly.",twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,I make my mom's recipes from memory now. There are three I still have to call her for. I am in no rush to learn the last ones. I like having the reason to call.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,My dad worked in a restaurant kitchen for twelve years after arriving here. He never complained. I think about this often when I have a hard shift.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Going back to Guangzhou with my family is on the list. My kids should see where the other half of their story starts.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Thirteen years married and my husband still makes me laugh at least once every single day. I do not take this lightly.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,We had a disagreement last week that took us two days and one long walk to fully resolve. Healthy conflict in long marriages is a skill set. We are still practicing.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,My husband brings me coffee before my early shifts without being asked. He has done this for years. Small repeated acts of care are the architecture of a good marriage.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,We went on an actual date last night. A restaurant and everything. No phones except for one check on the kids. It felt almost illicit.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,My husband is better at asking for help than I am. I am trying to learn from this. It is harder than any clinical skill I have acquired.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,"We do not agree on everything. Parenting style, home improvement timing, what counts as clutter. Working through disagreement without accumulating resentment is ongoing maintenance.",twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,My husband read my personal statement for the MSN application and cried a little. He has always believed in this more than I give him credit for.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Thirteen years and we are still figuring each other out. I think this is what it is supposed to feel like. Not solved. Continuously interesting.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Every time there is a healthcare staffing story in the news I want to send it to every hospital administrator I have ever met with a note that says we have been saying this.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,The nursing shortage is not a pipeline problem. There are people who want to be nurses. It is a retention problem. And retention is a working conditions problem. Full stop.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Pediatric mental health beds are at capacity and the waitlists are long and the kids in our ward feel this. This is a crisis that is not getting the headlines it deserves.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,AI in healthcare is a topic I have strong opinions about that I am still forming. The tools can help with documentation. They cannot replace clinical judgment. Both things are true.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Healthcare worker safety legislation in Washington state passed this session and I will take every small win in this space.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Paid family leave policy should not vary by employer. I say this as someone whose employer has a good policy and who knows that most people's employers do not.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,The conversation about four-day work weeks does not translate directly to nursing and people forget this when they talk about it. Twelve-hour shifts are already a different framework.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,"Every time a study comes out about nurse burnout I read it and think yes, obviously, and wonder when the response will be proportional to the problem.",twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,I have strong feelings about the organization of the hall closet and my husband has strong feelings about not having strong feelings about the hall closet. We have reached an understanding.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Rain jacket review: the one I have been using for four years finally gave up. Spent an unreasonable amount of time researching the replacement. This is Seattle adulthood.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,My commute to Seattle Children's is 22 minutes on a good day and 47 on a bad one and I have learned to treat the 47 as an opportunity to listen to the podcast I am always behind on.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,"I started a garden on our small back patio. Tomatoes, herbs, one optimistic attempt at cucumbers. This is either going to work or teach me something.",twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,The amount of administrative email that arrives in the first week of any month should be a regulated substance.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,I cleaned out my work bag and found a granola bar from a manufacturer I no longer recognize and a note I wrote to myself that I cannot decode. This is who I am.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Both kids are in bed. The house is quiet. My husband is reading. I am not doing anything productive for the next forty minutes and this is a protected event.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,I have said 'we will see' to my children approximately 800 times this month. I am told this is good parenting. I am told it builds tolerance for ambiguity.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,The question I am most asked by new nurses is how do you not take it home with you. The honest answer is you do. You just learn to put it somewhere that does not damage you.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text
schen_nurse_001,Sarah,Chen,Eleven years of Seattle winters and I will never fully normalize the light leaving at 4pm in December. Every year it surprises me. Every year I get through it.,twitter,2013,30-44,Medium,Bachelor's,United States,Married,Female,Twitter,text