But the persons' life you have in your hands is not split open on an operating table. Some ER doctors have several critical patients thaey have to deal with at one time. Doctors get paid to save lives, not transport them. You're not staring into a patients eyes, watching them spit up blood or with a punctured lung and a rib protruding through their chest, wondering if you're going to be able to keep them alive with the knoledge and skills you spent the last 15 - 20 years cultivating. I'd say doctors are paid accordingly for what they do considering the pain they go through when losing a patient, putting their own health at risk and the financial sacrifices they made in Med School (which can add up to be well into the 6 figure loans!).

But I still think pilots are underpaid, however.

My agreement with the doctor/pilot comparison is in hardships to get to your ultimate destination within the profession. The skills are two different things but again, similar hardships and sacrifices are made to get there.