View Full Version : The most difficult profession?
I was thinking about this, this morning when my friend informed me that her mother had brain cancer and she is basically poor. So she wasn't being treated at a great facility. I also lost my mother to ovarian cancer which later spread to the brain, which then became brain cancer four years later.Then I thought about possible jobs where you would have to bear the burden of a death. Many thoughts came up, military applications were kinda moot as you're killing for something you believe in, I keep coming back to oncology doctors as they basically know over 80% of their patents are going to die eventually in less than 5 years. The only treatments available for cancer are painful and well "not fun" so you're basically extending this persons suffering. Yet it's a needed evil because hopefully one day we will understand cancer and be able to treat it.Can others think of other difficult professions?
I'm going to disagree with your post in regards to oncologists. I would guess they get a great deal of satisfaction from the lives they save and that probably outweighs the loss of patients.
Maybe a hospice nurse. You know you will lose every patient. I know my wife worked in a nursing home for a while and it really upset her when a resident she worked with a lot passed.
BPTactical
02-05-2013, 07:59
Politician
It must be hell to conciously lie every day.....
I'm going to disagree with your post in regards to oncologists. I would guess they get a great deal of satisfaction from the lives they save and that probably outweighs the loss of patients.
So your contribution to this thread advising difficult professions is...? Oh wait you're just playing devils advocate.
Maybe a hospice nurse. You know you will lose every patient. I know my wife worked in a nursing home for a while and it really upset her when a resident she worked with a lot passed.
Quality submission.
Politician
It must be hell to conciously lie every day.....
Quality submission. But I think it comes naturally for them. Most of their decisions don't hinge on life and death however IMHO. You know we've got to plan for toilets for our open space and decide if fishing should be allowed on already controlled land where bald eagles nest.
read bailey guns post about his first day as a cop
read bailey guns post about his first day as a cop
Provide link. But in all honesty I don't think a cop who protects citizens and is reactive could match the moral dillema of someone who is asking someone to get sicker so they can get better but after they get better will eventually die statistically.
http://www.ar-15.co/threads/16458-When-have-you-come-the-closest-to-shooting-someone?p=136671&viewfull=1#post136671
heavy shit not a job i would want thats for sure
another one is flight for life medic a couple of days before he killed himself my friend kevin was telling me how burned victims smell like bbq and how its summer time and he cant goto any cookouts :(
I can honestly say I don't think that weighs even close to an oncologists job. The job with the gun implies that the person on the other side is going to end up dead for whatever reason, and if cops were called it's generally a pretty good damn reason. It takes an officer seconds to kill someone. It takes a cancer doc years of treating said "cancer" which there is no cure for... Yet they know it's going to kill said person and make them feel horrible for a long time. At the end of the day you have to sleep with what you've done... Which I doubt either side wants. But think cancer doc wins out.
i dont know i cant stand doctors
edit did you read baileys post it had nothing to do with killing anyone
also if anything i think our nurses/hospic workers have it way rougher as they are constantly dealing with the patient rather then the doctor who spends like 5 miniuts a day talking at them
i dont know i cant stand doctors
edit did you read baileys post it had nothing to do with killing anyone
also if anything i think our nurses/hospic workers have it way rougher as they are constantly dealing with the patient rather then the doctor who spends like 5 miniuts a day talking at them
Yes. I did. But I believe taking a life is the ultimate difficulty for a human being.
I have to second the hospice nurse bit. I did it for a year, and was burnt out on it 3 months in. Every pt's family thought that I would have a new perspective that somehow everybody else had missed, and kept asking questions that were subtly directed toward finding a way to "fix them". It gets harder with each visit to cheerily ask somebody how they're doing that day, because you know its going to be worse each week. There's very little we're allowed by Medicare to actually do treatment-wise, so the catch-all answer from the doctors is always to up their narcotics.
Granted, I'm not trying to make this all about me - I realize it was a thousand times harder for the pts who were actually on the other side of the whole situaiton. Hardest? Not necessarily. But as far as professions go, it sucked. I vastly prefer the hospital setting.
I would also nominate EMT's/Paramedics. Regardless of how much they may or may not enjoy it (depends on which one you talk to), it's got to be hard constantly being under that much stress, for criminally-low pay. The average EMT makes less than the average retail worker in a mall kiosk. God bless 'em for doing it anyway.
Great-Kazoo
02-05-2013, 09:27
Being a SPOUSE AND parent
Through thick & thin. Dealing with a multitude of issues over time. Depending how long you are in the relationship you will either part ways OR end up dealing with the deterioation of the others health, physically & mentally.
There's the menopause section of live 5-15 yrs where every thing is a major issue, or not.
A parent. watching the kid[s] grow up, bump, bruises, their "relationships" good, bad , indifferent. Trying to have them understand there is evil out there and TRY to be vigilant Dealing with their addictions (if any) helping them even if not asked when you know money is tight (a parent and kid) . At one time our daughter worked in a hospice / care facility. During that time her grandmother, cousin and friend all passed. she finally gave notice. We asked her why and she said it was time to get away from so much death.
When they are overseas serving our country, wondering/worrying [if] you might get that "Knock on the door"
In summation: No one profession has a market on the toughest. The LE's we know all tell us and our kid, They would never do what she does. Keeping in mind, like her at one time, they are all EOD' high risk skill sets.
No matter where you work, what you do some one always has it tougher or easier, depending on you outlook of life.
Donkey fluffer in T'town
Lawyer for any serial killer
Moderator on this board
I am sure watching anybody suffer would be difficult. Although, I have a surgeon in the family and they get use to it. Listening to them, it is more like a puzzle…something to solve.
I think any job where one puts himself in harm’s way is by far the most difficult. Human instinct is one of survival. In order to put yourself into harm’s way, one must defy that instinct. I can say I truly respect these people. I don’t necessarily respect those in the medical profession as a matter of course.
I also think of the guys that stormed the beaches at Normandy…talk about hell on earth. I can’t imagine. So many guys through history have come back shells of what they once were. Sacrificing your life and killing is by far the most difficult thing asked of any person.
Being a SPOUSE AND parent
Donkey fluffer in T'town
Lawyer for any serial killer
Moderator on this board
combat medic
shit sucker
being the person that has to ride the donkey after the fluffer is done the job
Honey dipper in south Texas in August [LOL] Brown gold... Texas tea.
Not really a profession, and not really reality, but I think the most difficult, in terms of dealing with death, would have to be an immortal- everyone you know and love will die, and then you have to go through it over and over and over again...
Back to reality- Death is easy, life is hard, that said, I think being a burn unit doc/nurse would be horrible. Paramedic as well- you're exposed to some of the worst things. Death and injuries aside, I really can say that being a career Special Operations Operator would be pretty tough in terms of stress and attachments- you're away from your family constantly, you see death more than anyone else, and your job has the highest divorce rate of any. YMMV.
So your contribution to this thread advising difficult professions is...? Oh wait you're just playing devils advocate.
Just disagreeing with you. I couldn't think of an actual occupation that would meet your criteria off the top of my head.
lead_magnet
02-05-2013, 11:00
I don't know if one could classify any profession as more difficult than the next as there is not set standard. Most difficult technically? Most difficult physical labor? Etc. Someone might see one profession as absolutely unbearable, whereas another person finds joy in it.
I could never work in a factory on an assembly line. This would be right up there with being imprisoned to me. Others would view the job I do now with equal disdain.
I would have to say DHS case worker would be a hell of a job to have. You're constantly immersed in the worst parts of other peoples lives, in way more detailed and intimate levels than say a cop or a paramedic. You make decisions that alter the lives of children, and split up families. You hear about the horrible bullshit people do to one another on a daily basis, and somehow have to not let all of that infect your dealing with the next person you meet.
Lol, I was a line supervisor at a supplement factory for a year or two. Much like prison, there was such abject boredom and repetition that I was able to learn Indonesian from one of my co-workers, as he didn't speak much English, and Indo was easier to pick up. We used to philosophize about how the manager's head looked much like the top of a penis, whenever he walked the floor. Grin.
obisean68
02-05-2013, 13:13
My $0.02. ICU nursing, because that's what I know. Dealing with patients and families at quite possibly the worst time in their life. Dealing with the anguish of having a loved one die too soon. Dealing with the anguish of families as they decide to remove their loved one from life support. Dealing with being the only human contact someone has before they die because they have no one or their family decides not the be there. And yet nursing has been one of the most rewarding thing I have ever done!
HBARleatherneck
02-05-2013, 13:31
neonatal intesive care unit (nicu)
at least with dying old people, you know they lived their lives. but one a baby or child is hurting, suffering and or dying, there is no good way to look at it. (unless you are a pro abortionist). i couldnt handle seeing hurting children (and their families)
not much else would be that bad.
neonatal intesive care unit (nicu)
at least with dying old people, you know they lived their lives.....
My wife was a NICU RN....prior to that she worked oncology at Children's Hospital....the stories she'd come home with....just heart breaking.
Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2
Army field medic. Can't imagine some of the horrors they see to fellow brothers-in-arm
soldier-of-the-apocalypse
02-05-2013, 17:09
prostitution
I've often thought that some jobs require the wearing of a uniform to allow the employee to remove their occupation and become a semi-normal human being once they are no longer wearing their uniform.
Work to live, don't live to work. Stress kills.
Be safe.
cmailliard
02-05-2013, 17:53
Burn Unit Nurse - If you have never been to University or any other burn center and seen the table where they scrub the patient to get the dead skin off and imagine in your head the screaming that goes on, even being higher than a kite. It is 100+ degrees in that room and it is not a job I would ever even want to dream about doing.
neonatal intesive care unit (nicu)
at least with dying old people, you know they lived their lives. but one a baby or child is hurting, suffering and or dying, there is no good way to look at it. (unless you are a pro abortionist). i couldnt handle seeing hurting children (and their families)
not much else would be that bad.
A huge 2nd. My daughter spent almost 3 months in the NICU and to watch people loose their children on a somewhat regular basis will haunt my wife and I for the rest of our lives. I'm not sure how NICU nurses do it.
dwalker460
02-05-2013, 20:10
Why is it so hard for people to deal with death? Newsflash- we all die. Today, tomorrow, whenever it is, it happens, to everyone. Pain and suffering is part of life. Tough jobs? How about a rancher who has to get up at the asscrack of dawn and feel his way in the dark out to the feilds to get to his livestock before they freeze or starve. How about the oil feild worker out in the middle of effin nowhere working up close and personal with equipment and forces that will kill him and his buddies in a heartbeat, or cost him an arm or leg for a small mistake.
Life is tough, work for a lot of people, is tough. Dealing with death, pain, and suffering, is not the toughest thing going.
working for Feinstein or Pelosi.
working for Feinstein or Pelosi.
A male prostitute summoned by either one of those hags...
I have found being a gun dealer has it's down sides. Trying to explain ATF&E rules as well as CBI rules and some customers think I make up the rules. I had one customer that thought it was my policy to hold guns for 8 days.
[rules]
Yuh no whut day say.. pimpin aint easy
You guys are depressing.
Is there a thread for the best profession? I vote independently wealthy Male (straight) Porn star.
Rucker61
02-05-2013, 21:32
You guys are depressing.
Is there a thread for the best profession? I vote independently wealthy Male (straight) Porn star.
I'd say fighter pilot. But you said that, didn't you. ;)
brokenscout
02-05-2013, 21:36
92M http://www.goarmy.com/careers-and-jobs/browse-career-and-job-categories/medical-and-emergency/mortuary-affairs-specialist.html
My wife died died from renal cancer. Her oncology Dr. Kept her spirits up and kept her alive for a couple of years longer than her sur geon predicted. Her oncology Dr. knew it was just a matter of time.... but he kept her smilin til the end. God bless him.
TOUGH JOB TO HAVE.
KestrelBike
02-05-2013, 21:55
prostitution
This easily wins. The fear, the pain, the risk/certainty of disease, the violence, the humiliation and societal shame. Unless you're in one of the euro countries or nevada - you're breaking the law. Unless you're a successful escort you might be giving most of your money to a handler/pimp.
Honestly I'd rather have been a Russian soldier in ww2 in Stalingrad than be a typical prostitute.
lowspeed_highdrag
02-05-2013, 21:57
Corrections/LE
Marine PFC
I'd say fighter pilot. But you said that, didn't you. ;)
Every job has its downside.
Hospice nurses likely have it rough.. EMTs/first responders aren't spending their days at a carnival either..
My wife was a Paramedic for 13 years. The horrible things that happened to kids are what eventually got to her.
gnihcraes
02-05-2013, 22:27
Brain Surgeon.
Everything is controlled there, one millimeter in the wrong direction.
Why is it so hard for people to deal with death? Newsflash- we all die. Today, tomorrow, whenever it is, it happens, to everyone. Pain and suffering is part of life. Tough jobs? How about a rancher who has to get up at the asscrack of dawn and feel his way in the dark out to the feilds to get to his livestock before they freeze or starve. How about the oil feild worker out in the middle of effin nowhere working up close and personal with equipment and forces that will kill him and his buddies in a heartbeat, or cost him an arm or leg for a small mistake.
Life is tough, work for a lot of people, is tough. Dealing with death, pain, and suffering, is not the toughest thing going.
This is actually a really interesting post. My brother once asked our doctor if he was going to die and the doctor replied with "we all die eventually" I kind of grew up with this in the back of my mind (he eventually died of a heart attack while mowing the lawn. Doctor not brother." I get up before the sun comes up and go home after the sun goes down. I don't even work a labor job. People who get up at this hour get up because they want to. They have shit to do. It's not a moral dillema. It's just what you're doing today. Although I do feel like handing out death, pain and suffering is the toughest thing in the world. I could not do it from an oncology perspective.
EMTs and First Responders, I agree that hospice isn't a picnic but it's not usually traumatic or unexpected.
Beprepared
02-06-2013, 23:57
My wife is a hospice nurse, she finds the job very satisfying. The vast majority of hospice nurses are veteran nurses like my wife that have done most jobs in the industry. It was a natural progression for her after helping people heal and live for all those years, to help them die with as much dignity as possible. Most people are ready, it's the families that sometimes are not and are the hardest for her to deal with. Strong faith seems to be essential for most nurses in the field to be successful.
My vote for tuff jobs would be the Oncology Doc, paramedic, children's hospital, burn unit, soldier, factory worker, hard laborer, ya, ya, ya.
Katastrophic
02-07-2013, 00:08
I think that social workers must see some crappy situations. So many broken families that aren't "technically" abusive so you can't do anything but you just know that years from now when the children are grown, they'll be just as F'ed up as those who raised them. Also, I feel like this is up there not because anyone is dying but because of the opposite. You are a witness to the kids/victims who will live out their lives with the scars inflicted upon them during the hard times.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imhBoE56OEs
ChadAmberg
02-07-2013, 10:31
I think that social workers must see some crappy situations. So many broken families that aren't "technically" abusive so you can't do anything but you just know that years from now when the children are grown, they'll be just as F'ed up as those who raised them. Also, I feel like this is up there not because anyone is dying but because of the opposite. You are a witness to the kids/victims who will live out their lives with the scars inflicted upon them during the hard times.
I agree with social workers over medical professions. I can accept people dying, I've almost stepped in dead body before, what I thought was burnt seat cushion was a husband and wife (first responder to a plane crash), and I know that their existence is over, no more pain. I can see though how repeatedly it would really get to someone and make them burn out over time.
I've also worked with DHS for foster care, and I can see how the abuse that some people have caused means decades of future pain. I see every day how much hurt is caused by parents that should have been put down.
I would also nominate EMT's/Paramedics. Regardless of how much they may or may not enjoy it (depends on which one you talk to), it's got to be hard constantly being under that much stress, for criminally-low pay. The average EMT makes less than the average retail worker in a mall kiosk. God bless 'em for doing it anyway.
Agreed. EMT's should make more. Especially when you see an ambulance bill.
USAFGopherMike
02-07-2013, 23:52
Jay Carney's job ---> requires you to be a souless Bullshit artist incapable of telling the truth and obligated to make a piece of shit and all his lackeys look like saints.
That aside, hospice/neonatal/anything in trauma probably has the most suck. Cancer doesn't kill quickly. Border agent down South would suck too. Wanting to shoot illegals, knowing you can't, and the fact that your fed gov't doesn't support you.
jhood001
02-08-2013, 00:03
Agreed. EMT's should make more. Especially when you see an ambulance bill.
+1
Mountain Man
02-08-2013, 00:10
Proctologist. Pretty crappy job [ROFL1]
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