Neurologist

        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?