I Get It

I just got the blog I don't like. It would be like patients and their families reading a nurses' blog about all the frustrations of nursing. Or students and families getting an insight to teachers' gripes. I get it.
I would complain about anything about nursing, working too many hours, the constant complaints from the occupants of the beds, the having to work on Christmas Day and a non nurse person looked at me like I was the most evil person he had ever seen.
How can a nurse explain the many downfalls, yet the pleasure of caring for people? Yet, another nurse will get a discouraging word completely. Sometimes, I wouldn't even have to finish a sentence when the feeling of total understanding flooded into me from another nurse. Yes, we know a patient is sick, in pain, worried. They no more want to be where they are on Christmas Day as I do.  We all want to be with our family or comfortable.
I think when an outsider looks in at our expressions, they are surprised. I often hear, "I couldn't do what you do." The other night as one resident became violent, a visitor said his eyes were opened. I laughed it off, "You have to know how to duck, stay calm and keep a bit of a distance. The main thing is safety."
I think of how often medications can shift a mood. A pleasant man in the Connecticut hospital, turned on me one morning as I brought in his breakfast tray. He had his hands around my neck. I slowly backed out of the room and calmly called for our six foot four nurse, "John."
Times like this, fiction becomes an outlet for frustration. Often times now, patients are not the source of burnout, but lack of support from management. The fear of payment, lawsuits and the "State" fuels discouragement.
Sometimes with blogs, a disclaimer should be in the title-For this group only, all others may be offended. Offense is taken so often now a days. As I read the other blog or even see the titles, I feel that offense rise in me. Then I remember they need to express their feelings. I think though just like with nurses, teachers, pastors, waiters, lawyers some ideas need to be kept only among the group. Does that make you feel uncomfortable? What are your thoughts?