With respect anonymous YOU do not know what it is like. You do not know the pressures of having responsibility for the lives and wellbeing of others who are in pain, frightened, anxious, angry, etc... Add the relatives, Joe public, unsocial hours, silly targets, threats to oneself.... I work unsocial hours as a nurse - I chose this profession and I thoroughly enjoy it. I try to eat well, exercise, etc... but there are days when there is not enough time to eat properly i.e. slowly so as to avoid indigestion. But my job in comparison to Tom's is sedentary. I don't lift/ move patients around; rush to each incident so as to avoid breaching targets; attend to drunken and beligerant hooligans who see uniforms as fair game for venting their anger on. There are days when one's best is not good enough for managers/ relatives/ media. Yes, there do need to be rules regarding sickness but my impression of Tom's post was the unfairness of the application of the system. That is, two unknown suits and a HR representative. No attempt to examine the case by local management and seek ways to reduce the sickness. As for Tom's moaning...it is his blog and a way to let off steam. To moan about all those annoying things as well as to redress the balance of other representations of the LAS in the media. I know a scientist who works in artificial intelligence. Does that mean, applying your logic, that I know artificial intelligence? If so I am wasting my time as a nurse and need to applt to MIT for a job.