Healthcare Diagnosing or Treating Practitioners

How to become a Neurologist

Official title: Neurologists

Also called: Adult and Pediatric Neurologist, Adult Neurologist, General Neurologist, Neurologist, Pediatric Neurologist, Physician

Diagnose, manage, and treat disorders and diseases of the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves, with a primarily nonsurgical focus.

Main tasks

Interview patients to obtain information, such as complaints, symptoms, medical histories, and family histories.
Examine patients to obtain information about functional status of areas, such as vision, physical strength, coordination, reflexes, sensations, language skills, cognitive abilities, and mental status.
Perform or interpret the outcomes of procedures or diagnostic tests, such as lumbar punctures, electroencephalography, electromyography, and nerve conduction velocity tests.
Order or interpret results of laboratory analyses of patients' blood or cerebrospinal fluid.
Diagnose neurological conditions based on interpretation of examination findings, histories, or test results.
Prescribe or administer medications, such as anti-epileptic drugs, and monitor patients for behavioral and cognitive side effects.
Identify and treat major neurological system diseases and disorders, such as central nervous system infection, cranio spinal trauma, dementia, and stroke.
Develop treatment plans based on diagnoses and on evaluation of factors, such as age and general health, or procedural risks and costs.

How to become one

Physicians and surgeons typically need a bachelor's degree as well as a medical degree, which takes an additional 4 years to complete. Depending on their specialty, they also need 3 to 9 years in internship and residency programs. Subspecialization includes additional training in a fellowship of 1 to 3 years.

Typical education to start: Doctoral or professional degree

Read the full guide from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Ways in

College: Medicine & Dentistry degrees, Offered by 23 universities in the US
Licence: A licence is required in 49 states.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

Median pay: $248,560 a year The middle half earn $155,990 to $357,990.
About 11,400 people work in this job now, and about 12,100 are projected by 2035. (+6.4%)
People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Questions people ask

How do I become a Neurologist?

How much does a Neurologist earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $248,560 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $155,990 to $357,990.

Is a Neurologist a growing career in the US?

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 6% by 2035, from about 11,400 to about 12,100 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a Neurologist?

Usually. 100% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of a Neurologist?

People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Sources

Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook (2025-35 edition (published 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS); photographs excluded, retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.