There are so many health-care occupations, more than you think. When I went to school, it seemed like there were only doctors and nurses. That is not the case.

I work in Anesthesia research and we do research related to blood transfusion, blood clotting and heart bypass. Some days I sit at my desk doing paperwork all day, other days I am in the operating room (OR) helping out with cases. Another day, I might be working out the best way to do a test in the lab. Each morning I look at a list of patients having surgery and determine if there are any studies we can do in support of the OR. One test we perform is a TEG test, which helps define if the blood is clotting properly. The results help us determine the best medications to use on patients.

You have to be detail-oriented to perform this work. Bad data is worse than no data at all. You have to be accurate. You also have to be flexible. You work with many different personalities -- nurses, anesthesiologists and other physicians, all of whom have their own niche. You have to learn how to be diplomatic and work with all of them to reach the common goal of helping the patient.

It is easy to forget when you are involved in the day-to-day work, but it is amazing to me that not only do we perform our job well, but we are also continuously improving it.