What sort of people do you want on your team?

alright lets take this hypothetical situation. TSHTF and you are a leader of 5 people you only have the choice between a engineer,or doctor. you can only take one. pick you can only use one guy. i won't bother to fill in the story maybe we could make this up as we go along. I think it is important to consider that other skills besides shooting. if you are involved in a extended bug out situation you will need somebody with medical knowledge, you will need a macguyver type so that you could build things such as welders to make machines and irrigation equipment.

I would go with the doctor.

I don't think I would have a need for an engineer. I have some basic knowledge that an engineer would have (mathematics, structural engineering, systematic designs, etc.), and little to no medical knowledge beyond mid-level first aid.

Doctor all day long.

I am knowledgeable at wood working, plumbing, electrical, welding, roofing, carpentry, auto mechanics, fabrication, gardening, shooting and a few other things....

I don't know squat about medicine. Give me the Doctor.

And knowing alot about medicine, I'd take the engineer. I'd just electrocute myself.

reply to post by pellian


I want that guy who talked the Israelis into buying all those rubber bullets...
Dont know who he is but you just know this guy can talk anyone into anything!!!!

Seriously I want my brother in-law... He was a Navy Medic and now works as a PA at a Vet hospital...
if you get hurt or sick he knows how to fix ya, with whatever is on hand

I dont really need the Engineer ,can i trade the Doctor for a Nurse? They have the compassion and wound care which would be more important than diagnostics.Sexy uniform optional but preferred,(morale is important)

I pick a doctor. Engineers are too hard to deal with. Besides, if we needed a MacGyver, I could probably handle that myself. Maybe not as good MacGyver was, but I would get the job done.

reply to post by pellian


Would have to go with Doctor as well. I have enough knowledge to get most things working again, Cement carpentry plumbing roofing electricity welding. If I do happen to miss a nail or get electrocuted would rather have the doc around.

I would also pick the Doc.

A Doc should be able to clean/dress wounds AND killed critters for food. S/He will have anatomy knowledge and experiance with "blood and guts" so will not balk at anything needed along these lines.

My situation is a little different as my hubby is an engineer and MacGiver type already - we both have been shooting/hunting most of our lives. I am a "survivor nut" in that I love reading about building shelters, pure water, creating nets/baskets etc etc.

reply to post by Therian


I'll take 5 aboriginal people that remember their traditional ways and immediately give leadership of the group to one of them. =)

reply to post by pellian


I want Qadaffi's sexy ninja bodyguard chicks!

I can do the Doctoring and Engineering, as long as they keep the bad guys away and keep me warm at night!

reply to post by pellian


The Doctor...


Does the Engineer have access to Schedule 1 drugs..? No...

I'd take an old fashioned farm girl..


for out and out survival..
the grand folks
a pair of decent old folks
takes your doctor AND a pair of engineers

I would choose the engineer over the doctor. What's the point of having a doctor if he doesn’t have diagnostic tools, modern machinery, medicine and equipment for surgery? Brining a nurse would be a much better option.

The engineer would help you survive, by helping you build appropriate housing, plumbing, water filtration etc. A modern day doctor wouldn’t be of much help if you were roughing it in the wilderness.

reply to post by Skewed


Amen. I dont know why that is the case, and obviously I dont know ALL engineers, but I have also observed they are incredibly unpleasant personalities in general. I am sure there are exceptions, and I am sure all ATS engineers are absolute saints, but just saying.

I would have to go with the doctor also. Engineers really wouldnt be half as useful as people who had actually worked in the trades.

They're both useless.

Doctors, for years now, have been trained by Big Pharma to prescribe whatever drug they're pushing. Absolutely useless in a SHTF scenario. The generalists won't have any of the tools they need and the specialists will be begging to learn something useful. A nurse, or preferably an EMT or combat medic knows plenty about it and always bring extra skill sets. The extra skill set of "real" doctors are likely to be golf or sailing...

Besides a well earned reputation for personality issues, engineers are too dependent on things like electricity, machines, computers, etc. All the stuff that's out the window. Given a SHTF scenario I'd put my money on the person that wasn't formally trained because they never learned what box to think from and necessity is the mother of invention, not school.

reply to post by TreadUpon


Very true, I guess it would also depend on who the other 5 team memebers were... if they all had healing skill sets, you wouldn't want another ems worker

I would probably want to have a combat medic or EMT. Mostly because of the need for practical first aid and healing ability in an unideal situation. Though this is far from a situation that I would be likely to end up in. In all probability I wouldn't have much of a choice about who I would have with me. At the moment I would probably not be the leader of any small five person group I was in. Maybe the combat leader/strategest but there are people that I am most likely be with that would make better leaders. I know lots of useful stuff, but I'm not really a leader of men.

reply to post by pellian


LOADED QUESTION...how old are they? what else can they each do? there health? physical strength?
they have any special needs...like glasses to see, meds they have to take...how good are they at what they do?
what area are you in...mountains, jungle? there attitude and ability to get along with others? shall I go on?

I don't allow just anyone to be a member, you need other skills but you all have to have the basic's and be able to get along on your own...plus you better be bringing something more than yourself to the table, cuz if you have no food water or weapons, then your not getting mine and if your that educated...than you should have a supply or something, if not bye to both...thats just how it is.

I'd go with the doctor. A lady doctor at that. It makes the prostate exams so much nicer. My old doc had hands the size of catcher's mitts.