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Neurologists

Typical education: Doctoral or professional degreeHigh pressure Bright Outlook

What they do

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

Kinds of work

  • Investigative: Science, research, figuring out how things work and solving complex problems.
  • Social: Helping, teaching, caring for and supporting other people.
  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.

High pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $248,560 Median per year · $119.50/hr Most earn $83,370–$450,780

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Determine brain death using accepted tests and procedures.
  • Perform or interpret the outcomes of procedures or diagnostic tests, such as lumbar punctures, electroencephalography, electromyography, and nerve conduction velocity tests.
  • Inform patients or families of neurological diagnoses and prognoses, or benefits, risks and costs of various treatment plans.
  • 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.
  • Refer patients to other health care practitioners as necessary.
  • Prescribe or administer medications, such as anti-epileptic drugs, and monitor patients for behavioral and cognitive side effects.

Job outlook

Bright Outlook Rapid Growth

United States
6% more jobs by 2035, faster than average · about 300 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Offices of physicians58.9%
  • General medical and surgical hospitals25.0%
  • Colleges, universities, and professional schools7.3%
  • Self-employed (their own business)3.7%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 4 to 6 years

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Doctoral or professional degreeExperience before this job: 4 to 6 years

Neurology is not an entry-level job. Most neurologists spend about 12 years after high school in college, medical school, and residency training before they practice on their own.

  1. Bachelor's degree in biology, neuroscience, or another science

    4 years

    You build a strong science foundation and complete the prerequisites that medical schools require, such as chemistry, biology, and physics.

  2. Medical degree (MD or DO)

    4 years

    You study medicine in classrooms and hospitals, then choose a specialty. Neurology requires a doctoral-level medical degree.

  3. Neurology residency

    4 years

    You train in a hospital under licensed neurologists, treating patients with brain, spinal cord, and nerve disorders. This hands-on training is the work experience that the usual career path requires.

  4. Neurologist

    Ongoing

    After residency you pass the required board exams and get your license, then diagnose and treat neurological conditions, mostly without surgery.

Where it can lead

  1. Chief of Neurology

    5-10 years of experience first

    You take on leadership of a hospital or clinic's neurology department, which means managing other doctors, setting standards, and guiding budgets and schedules.

  2. Medical Director

    5-10 years of clinical practice of experience first

    You oversee clinical quality, patient safety, and physician staffing across a practice or health system, usually while still seeing some patients.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take biology, chemistry, and advanced mathThese classes build the foundation you will need for a science degree and for medical school entrance exams later.
  • Join a science club or science fairWorking on experiments teaches you how to ask questions, test ideas, and explain results, which all matter in medicine.
  • Volunteer at a hospital, clinic, or nursing homeVolunteering gives you a real look at patient care and shows medical schools that you are committed to helping people.
  • Get a starter job in a healthcare-related settingAny job that involves caring for others or working in a clinic helps you learn teamwork and communication with patients.

In college

  • Major in biology, neuroscience, or another scienceA science major covers the prerequisites for medical school and gives you deeper knowledge of how the brain and nervous system work.
  • Join a research labWorking in a professor's lab teaches you how medical research is done and can strengthen your application to medical school.
  • Earn a certification such as CNA or EMTBecoming a certified nursing assistant or emergency medical technician gives you direct patient care experience while you are still a student.
  • Shadow neurologists or other physiciansWatching doctors at work helps you confirm your interest in neurology and learn how they talk with patients and make decisions.
  • Prepare for the MCAT and join a pre-med student groupMedical school admission requires the MCAT exam, and a pre-med group connects you with advisors, practice tests, and people on the same path.

Tips for getting started

  • Take the hardest science and math classes you can, and aim for strong grades, since medical schools look closely at your science record.
  • Get hands-on time with patients early, through volunteering, a clinical job, or shadowing a doctor, so you know what the daily work really looks like.
  • Talk to a school counselor or a pre-health advisor about the requirements and timeline, because the path is long and the details matter.

Related jobs that often lead here

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

  • Medicine Professional degree: typical pay 1 year after finishing $65,192 a year · typical debt $207,472

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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