"Being a physician isn't really that hard." I think it's very hard. It takes a lot of discipline and hard work to master all the prerequisites, all the knowle

"Being a physician isn't really that hard." I think it's very hard. It takes a lot of discipline and hard work to master all the prerequisites, all the knowledge necessary for the basic science component and then the clinical component, and then put in all the hours per week during med school rotations, post-grad residencies (especially internships). That said, it's mostly about the hours and volume of information and not so much about the intellectual difficulty, which you state... and then say all physicians are "smart". So instead of saying every physician is smart, I'd say most physicians have a good memory and the ability to work really hard. If you can get reasonable grades in Comp Sci, you can certainly handle medicine if you are willing to put in a lot of hours. I remember feeling so depressed watching the sun rise through a window next to an OR, having put in another really long day with not much sleep during a rotation. At least in Comp Sci, you are building something, actively solving problems while doing an all-nighter. In medicine, particularly at the med school level, you are doing something more trivial like holding a clamp for a while or asking people about their history. IMHO the practice of medicine indeed sucks if you want a creative job. Almost by definition, the practice of medicine requires you to not be creative unless you want to be sued for methods outside accepted practices. There are a few truly gifted individuals who combine scientific research with a limited clinical practice, but to be at the forefront of both requires more talent and time management skills than I had.