Healthcare practitioners
Neurologist
Diagnose, manage, and treat disorders and diseases of the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves, with a primarily nonsurgical focus.
Median pay
$248,560
Growth to 2035
+6%
faster than average
Openings a year
300
Time to qualify*
7 years
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Neurologist
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- Doctoral or professional degree
- On-the-job training
- Internship/residency
- Prior experience
- None
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Exposure to disease
Neurologist: 92% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core 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.
Also called: Adult and Pediatric Neurologist · Adult Neurologist · General Neurologist · Neurologist · Pediatric Neurologist · Physician
Outlook and AI
Neurologists held 11,400 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 12,100 by 2035 (+6%, faster than average; all jobs: +3.5%).
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