Speaking about your job in public- is it ok?

[ohhcrumbs]

My friend is a medical professional at a hospital and we met for a coffee and had a walk after. We were just walking around a park but it was very busy, as it usually is, on a weekend. We caught up about family etc and then she was telling me about work. She didn’t mention anything identifying but did say things like ‘I was rushed off my feet and didn’t stop’ and ‘dealt with someone who so rude to -name of colleague-, swore and spat at her and then deliberating started peeing everywhere, I couldn’t wait to get home’

From the way she was talking anyone that was walking ahead of us or behind us might’ve heard and been able to assume her vocation and think she was talking negatively about it. I pointed this out to her and she seemed a bit offended and said she would never mention anything identifying, like name, age, circumstances or anything. I think saying a person swore and spat is identifying enough and if any members of the public heard and reported it she could surely get disciplined or sacked? I’ve come home and mentioned it to DH and he thinks I’m being daft as nobody would’ve been near enough or tuned in to what she was saying, but I think she shouldn’t have been talking about it. Then again- I don’t work public facing so I’m not really sure about the etiquette!

What’s MN thoughts?

Why and how would anyone be sacked for this? You sound really unsupportive. I think it is quite funny that you are worrying about your friend’s ‘etiquette’ and not about the floor pisser etiquette.

She'll probably get through to the OP's mate! 🤣🤣

We need to stop referring to people's jobs as "vocations". That seems to be a pretext for expecting people (and, let's face it, usually women) to put up with all manner of exploitation and abuse.

You're an awful friend

Ffs

Presumably it was colleague’s first name?

Oh right, so she had to put up with abuse at work and shouldn't talk about it even in generic terms in case ...what?

Stop being so precious. Everyone moans about their job, it's not like she was loudly exclaiming about Dorothy Daniels from number 7 and her infected fanny flaps is it?

Also I can assure you in the medical profession being sworn at and spat at is not identifying at all. In some instances it's a daily occurrence.

I have worked at a special needs school and also been rushed off my feet / kicked / hit / spat at. Colleagues have been weed on. So not exclusive to healthcare professionals.

I agree. If she wanted to she could write a book about how patients swore and spat at her. I would feel awful if I were here, not because I'd don't anything wrong but because I'd confided in a friend about a very stressful experience hoping for empathy and I got judged instead

I'm going to disagree with others here and agree with the OP.
I worked in residential education for many, many years (tho' not now) and was often woken in the night, sworn at and so forth. It could get very wearing. Yes, we all need to talk about work - as did I - and we all need to let off steam and have a rant to our friends.

But no, not in a public place where others could hear. May not have been identifying as such but in my job, that would have been enough for a serious reprimand at least. The point being, I may not have identified anyone but someone might know who I was, or where I worked, and I would have been overheard giving a very negative viewpoint. And while it might have been justified, it could have given the impression that I didn't care about my charges, or didn't care enough about the professional trust placed in me.

The place to rant and get things off your chest to friends is in the privacy of your own home or an equally private place, not where you can be overheard.

I absolutely don’t think your friend has done anything wrong other than maybe be more aware of her surroundings.
she hasn’t named anyone so no data breach.
i work in a similar setting and it’s challenging but sometimes need to discuss distressing situations I come across. We all discuss situations with family and friends as long as we do not name anyone. We don’t usually do this in a public setting though but privately. I am very careful of what anyone could overhear.
She looking fur support not criticism.

Do you often hear the ful details of people’s conversations as the walk on by? You might hear the odd word but it’s hardly breaking data protection by saying you were spat at…. no way did she say anything that someone could pin point exactly who she was, ward/dept worked on and which patients she was dealing with.

She wasn’t on the bandstand with a megaphone!

This. Op you sound like an awful friend and horrendously sanctimonious.
Were you hoping for cries of 'sack her!! YOU in fact op should report her! You'd be doing an world saving task if you did!!"

What your friend did was fine. There was no breach of confidentiality at all.

There are some aspects of my job I can't talk about in public or at home, but since my friends and family don't know what those things are, they don't know that I'm not telling them.😂

I've been sworn and spat at by the public in previous roles as a waste collector and hgv driver, as a local authority officer and as a fast food worker. So your friend's profession is not really identifiable.

I work in MH. I talk to my friends about my job. Nothing identifying, no confidentiality concerns, but I will sometimes need to vent about being very busy, or difficulties with colleagues. I did once post something here about a colleague and some snarky arse decided to read my other threads and post a disparaging comment about us all being in MH. Without perhaps realizing that you may work around a range of people. Your friend did nothing wrong, OP. As long as she was not identifying or slagging off patients, she is allowed to talk about what life is like for her.