Neurologists
Health ScienceO*NET 29-1217.00United States
Diagnose, manage, and treat disorders and diseases of the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves, with a primarily nonsurgical focus.
- Median annual earnings
- $249,360
- Projected change
- +7.5%
- Typical education
- Doctoral degree or more
- Employment
- 12.55K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
92.8% of the workforce
Growing to 13.5K by 2035
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These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What neurologists do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Interview patients to obtain information, such as complaints, symptoms, medical histories, and family histories.
- Perform or interpret the outcomes of procedures or diagnostic tests, such as lumbar punctures, electroencephalography, electromyography, and nerve conduction velocity tests.
- 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.
- 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.
- Inform patients or families of neurological diagnoses and prognoses, or benefits, risks and costs of various treatment plans.
- Develop treatment plans based on diagnoses and on evaluation of factors, such as age and general health, or procedural risks and costs.
- 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.
- Participate in continuing education activities to maintain and expand competence.
- Order supportive care services, such as physical therapy, specialized nursing care, and social services.
- 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.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $82,265
- 25th percentile
- $154,962
- 50th percentile
- $249,360
- 75th percentile
- $360,056
- 90th percentile
- $457,948
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $249,360 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+7.5%faster than average
202512,554 jobs
2035 projected13,499 jobs
945 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Doctoral degree or more
- 92.8%
- Master's or Professional degree
- 4.8%
- High school diploma or less
- 2.4%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Science
- Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Neurology Physicians8,410 postings
- 02Neurology Physicians/Neurologists4,287 postings
- 03Neurologists3,735 postings
- 04Locum Tenens Neurology Physicians/Neurologists2,691 postings
- 05Locum Tenens Neurologists2,073 postings
- 06Pediatric Neurology Physicians961 postings
- 07Neurosurgery Physicians700 postings
- 08Locum Tenens Neurology Physicians644 postings
- 09General Neurologists565 postings
- 10Neurology Physician Assistants548 postings
- 11Pediatric Neurologists418 postings
- 12DO Physicians374 postings
- 13Cardiology Physicians333 postings
- 14Vascular Neurologists278 postings
- 15Hematologists/Oncologists253 postings
- 16Neurohospitalists244 postings
- 17Neurology Nurse Practitioners213 postings
- 18Locums Tenens212 postings
- 19Neurological Surgeons188 postings
- 20Nurse Practitioners/Physician Assistants184 postings
Top employers
- 01CompHealth3,065 postings
- 02Weatherby Healthcare2,476 postings
- 03Hayman Daugherty Associates1,995 postings
- 04Enterprise Medical Recruiting1,225 postings
- 05Britt Medical Search885 postings
- 06The Curare Group784 postings
- 07All Star HealthCare756 postings
- 08AMN Healthcare607 postings
- 09Physician Empire599 postings
- 10Jackson Physician Search496 postings
- 11Surgical Information Systems444 postings
- 12Medicorp425 postings
- 13International Medical Placement, Ltd.322 postings
- 14Integrity Healthcare319 postings
- 15Pacific Companies313 postings
- 16Archway Physician Recruitment271 postings
- 17Alpha Medical Partners246 postings
- 18HCA Healthcare243 postings
- 19CHRISTUS Health234 postings
- 20United States Department of Veterans Affairs231 postings
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