Think you have a bad job?

Some time ago, I wrote about the worst job I had ever seen. At the time, I was in college and willing to do about anything to earn an extra buck. So, I signed up for every study, blood donation or whatever that came along.

Responding to a bulletin board flyer, I showed up at a warehouse one morning. We were issued an unlabeled tube of a substance to smear under our arms and a clean t-shirt. We then worked diligently, shoveling sand from one pile into another until we had all worked up a good sweat.

Then, we lined up and a man with a clipboard went from one to another, asking us to lift our arms. He would lean forward to the armpit and take a deep sniff, making notes. I deemed that the worst job I ever saw.

But wait, we have a new champion. Yesterday, we attended a barbecue at a friend's house. DJ, his son, was home and I got to talk with him. He's a bright kid, studying to be a physician's assistant.

He's into rotations and I asked if he's encountered any interesting things for his memoirs. He said the ER has provided some fodder, but the weirdest thing came in his training.

They were instructed in how to give a prostate exam (the "magic finger"). Then, they were each provided with two subjects to do it on. These guys were paid to be subjects and also to give the students feedback, which DJ found especially bizarre when one told him he had particularly gentle hands.

Now that's a bad job.