daveshnave,
Your questions have been dealt with extensively on this board. I think you will find a simple search will produce an exquisite amount of info on both ER and Neurology.
One word of caution, be careful with generalizations about any field. While many of those going into ER will point to the 'great lifestyle' this point is still up for debate.
Many ER attendings in fact, cite poor lifestyle as a reason for early burnout. Can you believe it? While there is a wide range of ER practices, many of these so called 4 day/week shifts are actually 4 monstrous 14 hr shifts that rotate through the different shifts. What this means is you are never doing just days. For me, and many others, having to rotate through a saturday night shift in the ER isn't my idea of a 'great lifestyle'. Answering a page from home is much more my speed. I simply could not live a life of permanent jetlag. This too may be perceived as a 'generalization', but this side of ER certainly exists.
I think a signficant barrier for many is the 'what am I gonna do when I turn 40' question. A significant number of ER attendings move onto other endeavors while in their 40's and it's much more common to see young whipper snappers in the field than 50+.
Again, look through the archives on this site, as my opinion is just that, mine. I think you will find a wide range of ideas on this field.
I highly recommend you become actively involved in the ER ASAP to get some idea of what happens there. At one point I gave serious consideration to this field, based on the perceived benefits cited by medical students. A more comprehensive examination including surveying as many attendings/residents as possible, along with several ER rotations during 4th year provided more than enough fodder to dispell the perceived perks. Early exposure will help you experience firsthand what this field is all about.
Good luck
