Neurologist
Duties and Responsibilities:
Neurologists
are physicians trained in the treatment and diagnosis of brain and central
nervous system disorders and diseases. Doctors trained in neurology complete
medical school, a one-year internship in internal medicine and a three-year
residency in neurology. Neurologists may also work in a subspecialty of the
field, such as geriatric or pediatric neurology. Neurologists
examine patients suffering from neurological disorders, such as seizure
disorders, Parkinson’s disease or Alzheimer’s disease. The physician may work
with primary care physicians on a consulting basis when a patient has symptoms
that suggest a neurological issue. Examinations for neurological patients may
include a series of questions to determine the cognitive abilities of the
patient.
Salary: $228,161 annually
Education:
Neurologists
must begin their careers by going to college and then attending medical school.
As an undergraduate, aspiring doctors who major in a science, such as biology,
chemistry or physics, will be better prepared for a medical school curriculum.
Although most colleges do not have a pre-med major because medical schools do
not require any specific major, some schools do offer a pre-med concentration
that may include the biology, chemistry, physics and math courses required by
medical schools. After college, aspiring neurologists must attend a medical
school accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education and then pass
the United States Medical Licensing Examination . At that point, a doctor
enters a residency in neurology that usually lasts three or four years. This
residency may include rotations in related specialties like
behavioral neurology, multiple sclerosis and child neurology. After the
residency is complete, clinical fellowship programs in neurology are also
available for doctors who wish to specialize further in such areas as epilepsy,
movement disorders and neuroscience
Reflection: Do you
think you would like to be one? Why? Why not?