[dcoroner77]

that is the question.<br><br>
I have a chance to go back to work in a coroner's office. The chief deputy coroner position in a neighboring county is available.<br><br>
My only qualms are:<br>
1) The pay sucks. Like $15K/year less than I am used to making.<br>
2) I'd have about a 40 minute drive to respond to calls.<br>
3) There's always the possibility of a pregnancy. Dead folks are not light. And not always safe for pregnant women to be around (i.e., blood borne pathogens, etc.)<br>
4) Back to the anxiety of wondering what could possibly be on the other side of that pager.<br><br>
Those certainly aren't deal breakers, but enough to give me pause.<br><br>
Pros:<br>
1) It's the coroner's office, baby! The only job I've ever had where I've been truly happy.<br>
2) It'd put me in a good position should the chief deputy job (or the big cheese coroner job) open in my county.<br>
3) No Level 1 trauma center in the county. All of their bad traumas end up here. <img alt="banana.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/banana.gif">

 

[wyrillco]

It sounds like a good deal to me. If you like the work, I'd go for it if you can swing it financially. As up front about time off/light duty if you get pregnant. If you are there a year, they have to give you time off....

 

[ElDuderino]

Mmm... interesting quandary you have there.<br><br>
If I were in your shoes, happiness and professional opportunities trump most everything else. Although I can't say that being able to pay for stuff (important stuff, like a house, college fund, retirement, etc) wouldn't make me happy, too.<br><br>
Commute - meh. 40 minutes isn't that bad.<br><br>
As for your safety during a possible pregnancy... well, that's important. But I imagine women have done the job while pregnant before, and with the proper precautions it would be doable.<br><br>
I do feel your pain about the pager... there are few things in the world that raise my heart rate like that damned beeping sound...

 

[Horrible Peanut]

<img alt="huh.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/huh.gif"> You seem <i>waaaaaaaay</i> too excited about traumas, missy.

 

[merigayle]

Enough said.

 

[luckylily]

I think it sounds like a great opportunity for some professional happiness. Very few people love what they do, and for a long time, you haven't been one of them. Don't you deserve a piece of that too???

 

[Buxtehude]

I can tell you're gonna go for it, so good luck!

 

[GaRebelRunner]

While I was looking at funeral plans for myself this past weekend, I saw that the Cremation Society of the South charges an extra $700.00 for cremating obese people, supposedly for the extra personnel and preparation. Now, exactly what kind of extra preparation goes into preparing an obese and a skinny person. In both cases don't you simply turn up the heat in the oven until crispied? Does the fat on the obese person burn a little longer than the lean meat on the skinny one? Of course, they did not define obese.<br><br>
Good luck in your decision. Don't forget to post pics. <img alt="wink.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/wink.gif">

 

[mrscoby78]

You're gonna do it. You know you are. Now go do what makes you happy!

 

[CrazyEye]

My thoughts exactly.

 

[ScratchType1]

This job involves dead people, you know.

 

[dcoroner77]

No. Traumas suck. There is not a level 1 trauma center in the county where I could be working. The level 1 trauma center is in the county I live in, and used to be a deputy in. My old office gets them. I'm excited because there would be less of them!

 

[dcoroner77]

When anyone upward of about 300 lbs is cremated, there is increased risk. When the person's fat burns, it liquefies (think of melting crisco). When that happens, there is a possibility it can cause the whole retort (cremation furnace) and the building housing it to explode.<br><br>
I actually wrote a paper about the increased costs of caring for obese people in the hospital and in death when I was in grad school. There are things that are major issues that would never, ever cross your mind unless someone mentioned it.

 

[GaRebelRunner]

Wow. Just amazing. Remind me if I'm visiting a funeral home and a crematorium is in use to ask what was the weight of the person being adjudicated. I might want to just have someone tape the funeral service for me. <img alt="wink.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/wink.gif">

 

[jebba]

<br>
Hmm. Looks like an answer to me. Why'd you stop in the first place?

 

[dcoroner77]

DH was running for the county board. So I had the appearance of conflict of interest.

 

[altoids]

I hope you pick the job you love!

 

[bootsie]

Steph - You can't put a price on happiness. Follow your heart! Everything else will fall into place. <img alt="smile.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/smile.gif">

 

[runrchk]

People always say to me that it takes a special person to be a nurse. I say the same about the coroners. I know someone has to do it but I couldn't. When ever there is a death I always have that creepy feeling they are just going to sit up and say "Hey, what are you doing?" Didn't you ever get that feeling??<br><br>
Ultimately, you should do what makes you happy. If you think this job will then go for it

 

[dcoroner77]

Nope. I'm more scared of living pts than deceased ones. Nothing a dead person can do will hurt me. <img alt="smile.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/smile.gif"> And most importantly, they are far less likely to puke on me than a live person is. That is very, very important in the life of an emetophobe!