# Stupid job skills you have (and maybe wish you didn't)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-job-skills-you-have-and-maybe-wish-you-didnt/373749>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [September 22, 2006, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-job-skills-you-have-and-maybe-wish-you-didnt/373749 "2006-09-22T18:03:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 5

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**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\
**Post date:** [September 26, 2006, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-job-skills-you-have-and-maybe-wish-you-didnt/373749/81 "2006-09-26T17:01:28Z")

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[QUOTE=Mishell]  
I can spell any medical word, even if I’ve never heard it before, just based on **it’s** root words.

I also have a bad case of editor’s eye.

[/QUOTE]

Bolding mine. 😃

By the way, it does sound like you have had quite a variety of jobs in your lifetime!

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**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\
**Post date:** [September 26, 2006, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-job-skills-you-have-and-maybe-wish-you-didnt/373749/82 "2006-09-26T17:22:44Z")

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Whenever medical equipment is shown on TV or in movies I can usually tell the brand, model, the common problems it has, what the people are doing wrong with it (if it’s not just background props,) and when/if it makes noise (like an alarm,) I can tell that 99% of the time, that’s not the real device alarm sound.

Which leads directly to a HUGE pet peeve of mine…heart rate monitors/EKGs do NOT sound one long “beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep” when the patient’s heart stops. IF (and that’s a big if,) they are set to sound with every beat, the do it at the QRS cycle. When you’re heart isn’t beating, there is no QRS cycle, and therefore the machine will not make a long beep. It will, however, alarm. But the alarms are usually a series of beeps, not one long one. Maybe once, long ago, they did that (the myth has to come from _somewhere_, right?) but not any more.

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**Author:** ![The\_Weird\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@The\_Weird\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Weird_One)\
**Post date:** [September 26, 2006, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-job-skills-you-have-and-maybe-wish-you-didnt/373749/83 "2006-09-26T17:49:17Z")

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[QUOTE=Kevbo]  
I can avoid making pukey faces when the family of the deceased ask that I play Amazing Disgrace on my pipes.  
[/QUOTE]  
Now _that’s_ impressive. 😃

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