[Windswept]

I think it would be wise to seek out as much information as you can about the satisfaction that doctors have wrt their careers.

I bet such info is hard to find, because no one likes to publicize the fact that people who have worked so long and hard, and spent such vast sums of money, to have a career, turn out not to be very happy in their occupation.

I don't know if you ever saw the movie 'Gross Anatomy'. It's about various people in their first year of medical school. On their first day, in a welcoming lecture, the doctor on stage has words written on a blackboard: "divorce, depression, alcoholism, addiction, suicide". She says to the assembled students, the profession you are about to enter has the highest rates of these life problems.

I imagine that might be true, but if it is, the rest of us hardly ever, or even 'never', hear about it, do we? But, if there *is* information available about doctors' unhappiness in their profession, I think it would be wise for you to seek it out at this juncture in your thoughts of a career change. At least you will be able to give consideration to any negative information you might find, and will be able to make your decision fully informed.

I seriously thought about applying to med school, and then asked myself if I wanted to spend the rest of my life looking at other people's hemorrhoids.

One thing I notice at my doctors' offices is that they seem under a lot of stress, and I get the feeling that they spend a lot of time worrying about lawsuits, or rather, making patient treatment decisions partly based on avoiding any possibility of lawsuits.

I don't have a doctor friend that I could ask about such things, but think that all these issues would be worth looking into.