Hospice worker

  • Name: Emma Rucker
  • Hometown: Southaven, Ms.

I'm a certified nursing assistant. I've done this job for 22 years, the past seven working in hospice care. I see four to five patients a day in both their homes and in facilities.

It's physically demanding. You have to move patients around and lift them. The job breaks your body down.

But the biggest stress is that many patients have mental issues with bad mood swings. You get kicked, bitten, spit on and called all sorts of foul words. You have to smile and take care of them because that's your job.

The people can break your spirit and the pay is bad, too.

First published June 30, 2014: 5:49 PM ET

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