Neurologists
Diagnose, manage, and treat disorders and diseases of the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves, with a primarily nonsurgical focus.
- Median pay
- $248,560
- Doing it now
- 11,400
- By 2035
- Up 6.4%
- Usually needs
- Doctoral or professional degree
a year
across the country
300 openings a year
to get in
What the work involves
- Participate in neuroscience research activities.
- Provide training to medical students or staff members.
- Participate in continuing education activities to maintain and expand competence.
- Supervise medical technicians in the performance of neurological diagnostic or therapeutic activities.
- Counsel patients or others on the background of neurological disorders including risk factors, or genetic or environmental concerns.
- Interpret the results of neuroimaging studies, such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT), and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans.
- Refer patients to other health care practitioners as necessary.
What to study
The fields of study the Department of Education links to this occupation, most widely taught first.
- MedicineSee 3 colleges that teach it
Who it suits
O*NET scores every occupation on six interest dimensions. This one leans hardest on these three.
Analytical and curious
Helping and teaching
Hands-on and practical
Careers like this one
Where this comes from: the description and the task list are O*NET, which the Department of Labor maintains. Pay, workforce size, outlook and the education normally needed are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections programme, 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections. Half of them earn more than $248,560 a year, which means half earn less, and what you would earn depends on where you work and how long you have been doing it. The fields of study come from the National Center for Education Statistics crosswalk.