Free Sample
The Complete Guide to Becoming A Neurologist
The real numbers on pay, training time, daily work, and job outlook — everything you need to decide if neurology is worth the decade of study.
by Alumigogo Books
Chapter 1: What Does a Neurologist Actually Do?
You're Not Just 'the Brain Doctor'
When you tell people you're considering neurology, you'll get one of two reactions. Either they'll say "Oh, the brain doctor — that's so cool," and immediately ask you if you can read their thoughts, or they'll look concerned and mention a relative with Alzheimer's or Parkinson's and ask if you can help. Neither reaction captures what the job actually is.
Neurologists are physicians who diagnose and treat disorders of the nervous system — the brain, the spinal cord, the peripheral nerves, and the muscles those nerves control. That sounds broad, because it is. On any given day, you might see a 65-year-old man who had a stroke two days ago, a 22-year-old college student with her first migraine, a 50-year-old woman newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and an 80-year-old whose family is worried about his memory. The unifying thread is that all of them have something wrong with their wiring, and your job is to figure out what it is and what — if anything — can be done.
If you're picturing yourself in a lab coat, holding a reflex hammer, and looking at MRI scans on a glowing monitor, you're partially right. But the hammer and the scans are maybe 20 percent of the reality. The other 80 percent is talking, thinking, writing, and coordinating with other people. Let's break that down.
The Two Sides of the Job: Clinic and Hospital
Neurologists almost always work