Career profile Neurologist

Table of Contents

• What does a Neurologist do?
• What is a typical salary for a Neurologist?
• What personality traits are common among Neurologists?
  • Career Interests
  • Values
  • Psychological Demands
• What education and training do Neurologists need?
  • Typical educational degrees
  • Required knowledge and expertise
  • Important abilities
  • Critical skills

What does a Neurologist do?

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

What kind of tasks does a Neurologist perform regularly?

Neurologists are often responsible for overseeing or executing some or all of the following 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.
• Inform patients or families of neurological diagnoses and prognoses, or benefits, risks and costs of various treatment plans.
• Prepare, maintain, or review records that include patients' histories, neurological examination findings, treatment plans, or outcomes.
• Communicate with other health care professionals regarding patients' conditions and care.
• 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.
• Determine brain death using accepted tests and procedures.
• Coordinate neurological services with other health care team activities.
• Refer patients to other health care practitioners as necessary.
• Advise other physicians on the treatment of neurological problems.
• Order supportive care services, such as physical therapy, specialized nursing care, and social services.
• Participate in continuing education activities to maintain and develop expertise.
• Provide training to medical students or staff members.
• Supervise medical technicians in the performance of neurological diagnostic or therapeutic activities.
• Participate in neuroscience research activities.

The above responsibilities are specific to Neurologists. More generally, Neurologists are involved in several broader types of activities:

What is a Neurologist salary?

What personality traits are common among Neurologists?

Interests

Career interests describe a person's preferences for different types of working environments and activities. When a person's interest match the demands of an occupation, people are usually more engaged and satisfied in that role.

Compared to most occupations, those who work as a Neurologist are usually higher in their Investigative, Social, and Realistic interests.

Neurologists typically have very strong Investigative interests. Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Also, Neurologists typically have strong Social interests. Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

Lastly, Neurologists typically have moderate Realistic interests. Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Values

People differ in their values, or what is most important to them for building job satisfaction and fulfillment.

Compared to most people, those working as a Neurologist tend to value Achievement, Recognition, and Working Conditions.

Most importantly, Neurologists very strongly value Achievement. Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

Second, Neurologists very strongly value Recognition. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious.

Lastly, Neurologists very strongly value Working Conditions. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions.

Psychological Demands

Each occupation brings its own set of psychological demands, which describe the characteristics necessary to perform the job well.

In order to perform their job successfully, people who work as Neurologists must consistently demonstrate qualities such as concern for others, integrity, and attention to detail.

Below, you'll find a list of qualities typically required of Neurologists, ranked by importance:

What education and training do Neurologists need?

Many Neurologists have earned a graduate degree. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a doctoral degree, such as a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D..

Neurologists may need some on-the-job training, but most candidates will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Educational degrees among Neurologists

• 100.0% earned a doctorate or professional degree

Knowledge and expertise required by Neurologists

Important Abilities needed by Neurologists

Neurologists must develop a particular set of abilities to perform their job well. Abilities are individual capacities that influence a person's information processing, sensory perception, motor coordination, and physical strength or endurance. Individuals may naturally have certain abilities without explicit training, but most abilities can be sharpened somewhat through practice.

For example, Neurologists need abilities such as inductive reasoning, deductive reasoning, and oral comprehension in order to perform their job at a high level. The list below shows several important abilities for Neurologists, ranked by their relative importance.

Critical Skills needed by Neurologists

Skills are developed capacities that enable people to function effectively in real-world settings. Unlike abilities, skills are typically easier to build through practice and experience. Skills influence effectiveness in areas such as learning, working with others, design, troubleshooting, and more.

Neurologists frequently use skills like active listening, reading comprehension, and speaking to perform their job effectively. The list below shows several critical skills for Neurologists, ranked by their relative importance.

What is the source of this information?

The information provided on this page is adapted from data and descriptions published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under the CC BY 4.0 license. TraitLab has modified some information for ease of use and reading, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

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