<p>Intelligence is usually defined as the ability to learn or adapt. Intelligence should not be confused with having knowledge.</p>
<p>In pre-med and medical training, you'll do fine as long as you have an adequate ability to learn and remember things. To some degree, relative inefficiency in learning ability can be offset by longer study hours; "Intelligent" medical school students don't necessarily do better in medical school, they just spend less time studying. The standout students in medicine work hard, learn quickly and care about what they are doing.</p>
<p>In the practice of medicine, being careful, thorough and conscientious is much more important than being intelligent. Most bad outcomes and torts in medicine arise from failure to complete a tasks, ignoring a problem, or failure in communication rather than from lack of superior intellect.</p>
<p>Recognizing one's limitations in knowledge is as important as having an extensive knowlege base or being intelligent.</p>
<p>See the article at the American Academhy of Family Physicians entitled "Seven reasons why family doctors get sued" at <a href="http://www.aafp.org/fpm/20030300/29seve.html%5B/url%5D">www.aafp.org/fpm/20030300/29seve.html</a></p>