We all think our jobs are stressful, but having a job on the extreme end of the spectrum can mean strict deadlines, brutal criticism, and even regularly having other peoples lives in your hands. To find out what the most stressful jobs in America are, we reached out to career information expert Laurence Shatkin, Ph.D., who compared the stress levels of the 747 occupations identified by the U.S. Department of Labor. This list is ranked by the stress tolerance for each job, which measures how often employees face high-stress situations. It also includes the consequences of employee errors, which measures how serious it would be if mistakes were made, and the jobs time pressure, which measures the strictness of deadlines. All factors are based on a scale from zero to 100 for prevalence in each job, where a higher rating signals high stress levels. The stress factors are from the Occupational Information Network (O*NET). 1. First Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives Stress tolerance: 94 Consequence of error: 71.5 Time pressure: 76.3 Average annual salary: $78,270 What they do: Directly supervise and coordinate activities of members of the police force. 2. Mental Health Counselors Stress tolerance: 94.2 Consequence of error: 57.2 Time pressure: 70.5 Average annual salary: $115,080 What they do: Work with individuals and groups to promote mental and emotional health. 3. Education Administrators Stress tolerance: 94.2 Consequence of error: 54 Time pressure: 53.8 Average annual salary: $43,950 What they do: Plan, direct, or coordinate research, student administration and services, and other educational activities. 4. Broadcast News Analysts Stress tolerance: 94.7 Consequence of error: 47.8 Time pressure: 96.7 Average annual salary: $55,380 What they do: Analyze, interpret, and broadcast news received from various sources. 5. Nurse Anesthetists Stress tolerance: 94.7 Consequence of error: 78.8 Time pressure: 67 Average annual salary: $148,160 What they do: Administer anesthesia, monitor patients vital signs, and oversee patient recovery from anesthesia. 6. Phlebotomy Technicians Stress tolerance: 95 Consequence of error: 85.7 Time pressure: 79.8 Average annual salary: $29,730 What they do: Draw blood for tests, transfusions, donations, or research. 7. Pilots, Co-Pilots, and Flight Engineers Stress tolerance: 95.2 Consequence of error: 76.5 Time pressure: 89.8 Average annual salary: $114,200 What they do: Pilot and navigate the flight of fixed-wing, multi-engine aircraft, usually on scheduled air carrier routes, for the transport of passengers and cargo. 8. Air Traffic Controllers Stress tolerance: 96.2 Consequence of error: 82 Time pressure: 76.8 Average annual salary: $122,530 What they do: Air traffic controllers coordinate the movement of air traffic to ensure that planes are safe distances apart. 9. Surgeons Stress tolerance: 96.2 Consequence of error: 91.3 Time pressure: 82.5 Average annual salary: More than $187,200 What they do: Surgeons operate on patients to treat injuries, diseases, and deformities. 10. Obstetricians and Gynecologists Stress tolerance: 96.5 Consequence of error: 89.3 Time pressure: 73.8 Average annual salary: More than $187,200 What they do: Physician specialists with an expertise in pregnancy, childbirth, and disorders of the reproductive system. 11. Dancers Stress tolerance: 97 Consequence of error: 29.3 Time pressure: 58.7 Average annual salary: n/a What they do: Dancers use movements to express ideas and stories in performances. 12. Psychiatric Technicians Stress tolerance: 98.5 Consequence of error: 64.5 Time pressure: 56.5 Average annual salary: $30,050 What they do: Psychiatric technicians provide therapeutic care for patients with mental illness and developmental disabilities. 13. Police, Fire, and Ambulance Dispatchers Stress tolerance: 98.5 Consequence of error: 86 Time pressure: 68.3 Average annual salary: $36,300 What they do: These employees, also called 9-1-1 operators, answer emergency and non-emergency calls. They take information from the caller and send the appropriate type and number of response units. 14. Psychiatric Aides Stress tolerance: 99.5 Consequence of error: 57.5 Time pressure: 46 Average annual salary: $26,680 What they do: Psychiatric aides help patients who have mental illness and developmental disabilities with their daily activities. Stress factors are measured by O*NET, with higher scores indicating more stress on the job. Salary and education requirements are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics as of May 2012.
Posted on: Sat, 16 Nov 2013 23:10:30 +0000