The 14 Most Stressful Jobs In America

by Vivian Giang

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 people’s 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 job’s 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: $40,080
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 pas

sengers 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

Posted by on Jan 23 2014. Filed under Community News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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