Out of my own curiosity: why's medicine painful and unrewarding? I would have thought most non-medics believe it's one of the most rewarding professions to be in, along with nursing and teaching.
4 years of pain in the ass medicial school
3-5 years of SUPER pain in the ass residency where you work 15-20hr days for $40,000.
Then depending on your concentration you can make between 150-300K.
Both my dad and my brother(who is in med school) chose medicine because of the medicial needs in the family than the monetary compensation.
Offtopic: my surgeon dad always says medicine is over 50% determination. And in fact if you are too smart, you will probably quit and opt for a supposedly more rewarding, less painful profession.