A specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation, this physiatrist is known as "Dr. Fizzy" on the Web. She treats patients with stroke and brain and spinal cord injuries, as well as performing Botox and steroid injections and EMG (electromyogram) testing. Fizzy works at a hospital seeing patients suffering from various injuries and conditions. Her passion for medicine and her hospital adventures are chronicled on the blog A Cartoon Guide to Becoming a Doctor, which showcases the sense of humor all physicians need to get through each day and stay sane. Not lost on the power of pictures, Fizzy also provides hand-drawn artwork illustrating just what aspiring physicians can expect to encounter during their own studies.

Why did you decide to pursue this career field?
I wish I could say that it was some greater calling, but actually my father (also a physician) convinced me that it was the best choice for a woman who was good in science. His logic was that physicians always have jobs and make a good living. There is a lot of bias against women in many fields of science, but about half of medical school classes are made of women these days.

What type of preparation did you do to get into this field?
I was a math major and a chemistry minor in college. I met the prerequisites to go to medical school straight out of college, though I'm not entirely sure I recommend that route. Most summers during high school and college, I did things related to medicine, such as volunteer work at hospitals.

How did your education help you in your career?
If you mean my college education, it didn't really help aside from preparing me for the MCAT [Medical College Admission Test]. That's why it's a waste to major in something like biology.

What was your career path like in this field?
Well, the medical training process is pretty lengthy by definition. You go through four years of medical school, then an internship, then a minimum of two more years of residency. I did a fellowship as well, but that was to try to see if research was right for me (it wasn't). I went through about nine years of medical training, which I think is pretty lengthy and fairly typical.

What do you do on a typical workday?
I do both inpatient and outpatient. On the inpatient unit, I help care for patients undergoing rehabilitation for various neurological conditions, usually focusing on their pain and musculoskeletal issues. On the outpatient unit, I care for patients being seen in follow-up from their inpatient stay. Most of my time is spent seeing patients. Also, a large part of medicine these days unfortunately involves documentation, so I also spend a lot of time writing and dictating notes, and filling out forms to get paid. That is the less fun part.

What type of person do you think is best suited for a job as a physician?
I don't think there's any one type, mostly because different specialists are so different. The kind of person who would be a good pediatrician is very different from the perfect surgeon. My own field, PM&R [physical medicine and rehabilitation], attracts people who enjoy doing procedures, enjoy long-term care of patients and want a more regular schedule than some other specialties provide. It's hard to generalize what skills are useful for being a good physician. Leadership skills and business savvy are definitely helpful, but not required. I think it's important to have good problem solving skills and an outgoing personality, but again, it's not necessary.

Do you have any advice for those who are looking to launch a career in this field?
One of my pet peeves is when people go into medicine thinking that they just need to get through the training and then they'll have a great, high-paying job with flexible hours. More than a lot of other careers, medicine is going to always be a part of your life. It's not something you can leave at work easily when you clock out for the day. You have to realize that an emergency at work will trump your family responsibilities. It's still a good job, but there are other good jobs that you can leave at work more easily.