The television show ER highlights the nonstop drama not only of life- and-death issues that occur in the emergency room, but also of the intricate social interactions among doctors, nurses and patients. The camera never stops rolling as it follows the staff through their exciting, fast-paced careers. "Most [ER] shifts are not nearly as exciting," Michael Fitch '93 explains. "The night shifts are more eventful than the day shifts, but most television shows don't represent the emergency room accurately."

So which is Fitch's favorite medical TV show? "When I was in medical school I watched ER. ... Medically, I think it's the most accurate," he says. While his wife, Missy, enjoys Grey's Anatomy, Fitch suggests it be watched like a soap opera. "Their depiction of medicine and emergency medicine is pretty terrible," he explains.

Fitch, an emergency room doctor and professor at Wake Forest University's School of Medicine, honestly can't describe his typical day because he doesn't have one. He might be working the day shift or staying up late for the exciting 8 p.m. to midnight or midnight to 8 a.m. shift. "Like a lot of people who specialize in emergency medicine, my schedule is very irregular. The ER is open 24 hours, seven days a week, 365 days a year," says Fitch.

Variety is the best part of his job, not only in the emergency room, but also in teaching and researching. "No day is the same for me, whether I'm working a shift [in the emergency room], or in the office or traveling to give a lecture," he says. Fitch specialized in neuroscience for his Ph.D. and now travels to places like Argentina to give lectures on neuroscience emergencies involving infections of the nervous system, such as meningitis.

Fitch has been going out of his way to find such teaching opportunities since he graduated from William and Mary.

Fitch's path to become an emergency room doctor is more intricate than others in his field. While most doctors only attend medical school before beginning clinical work, Fitch began his current job with both a Ph.D. and an M.D. from Case Western. "I had no idea at the beginning of this journey what I would turn out to be in the end, so that's probably why my path is a little non-traditional," he says.

His decision to become a doctor is much like his declaration as a biology major at William and Mary, where he started college without an obvious direction. After taking an introductory biology course with Professor Larry Wiseman, Fitch declared his major in biology and began searching out research opportunities. It was only after a few summer research experiences at both the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that Fitch became dedicated to a research lab with Professor Lloyd Guth at William and Mary. It was in his lab that Fitch made the decision to attend a dual Ph.D. and M.D. program.

"My initial interest in science came from the faculty in the biology department at [William and Mary]. They really started me thinking of science as a pathway for a career," he says. "Educationally the foundation that I got there was very valuable."

As if his life wasn't busy enough, Fitch also performs in a competitive singing quartet in North Carolina. But years before his current group, Quadzilla, formed, Fitch was one of the co-founders of the a cappella group the Gentlemen of the College. "I had a great time at William and Mary singing with the Gentlemen and being part of the group that sort of got everything started," he says. "And I continued singing ever since I left them."

While Fitch acknowledges the fact that he is busy, especially with a family at home, he loves every bit of it. As he says, "If you're too busy to do something you love, if you're too busy to have fun, then you're too busy."