Careers in Medicine: Specialty Information

Neurology

Nature of the work

A neurologist specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of all types of disease or impaired function of the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, muscles, and autonomic nervous system, as well as the blood vessels that relate to these structures.

Neurologists can receive training in the following subspecialties:

• Child Neurology - specializes in the diagnosis and management of neurologic conditions in children.
• Clinical Neurophysiology- A neurologist who specializes in the diagnosis and management of central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous system disorders using a combination of clinical evaluation and electrophysiologic testing such as electroencephalography (EEG), electromyography (EMG), and nerve conduction studies (NCS), among others.
• Pain Medicine - provides a high level of care, either as a primary physician or consultant, for patients experiencing problems with acute, chronic or cancer pain in both hospital and ambulatory settings.

Training/residency information

According to the American Academy of Neurology, physicians specializing in neurology will complete one year of internship with a minimum of eight months in internal medicine plus three years of neurology residency. Certification in any of the subspecialties requires an additional one to three years of training.

Workforce and salary information

According to a June 1999 Report of the Workforce Taskforce of the American Academy of Neurology, the "neurologist supply and demand are currently in rough balance and are likely to remain so over the next ten years." The annual salary for neurologists ranges from $191,700 to $254,071.

For more information

• American Academy of Neurology
• American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology
• American Neurological Association
• National Institute of Neurological Disorders & Stroke

Source: The American Board of Medical Specialties, the American Academy of Neurology and the "2006 Physician Compensation Survey," Modern Healthcare. July 17, 2006. (Based on surveys conducted by American Medical Group Association; Cejka Search; Daniel Stern & Associates; Delta Physician Placement; Hay Group; Hospital & Healthcare Compensation Service; Jackson & Coker; Martin, Fletcher & Associates; MD Network; Medical Group Management Association; Medicus Partners; Merritt, Hawkins & Associates; Pcific Cos.; Pinnacle Helaht Group; and Sullivan, Cotter & Associates.)

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