Neurologist - Education and Training

Education and Training

Persons who are interested in becoming a neurologist must first attend medical school. Good grades in high school and university are generally required, as well as taking the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) if one is to pursue a Doctor of Medicine degree or a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree. Undergraduate and Medical school students are required to take classes such as anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, psychology, microbiology, pathology, medical ethics, and laws governing medicine. Matriculants generally hold at minimum a bachelor's degree. Medical school provides a general medical education and grants students a Doctor of Medicine (MD), Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO), or Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, MBChB) upon successful completion. Graduating medical students then elect a post-graduate or residency program in neurology or pediatrics or one year of internal medicine. Residents in either pediatrics or internal medicine must then enroll into neurology fellowships such as pediatric neurology, or general neurology. Neurologists may choose from a variety of subspecialties.

Neurology residency consists of practical, on-the-job training, in hospitals or other medical settings. The training program provides residents with specific training as a neurologist, and usually takes about four years to complete. In the United States, the first of these four years consists of either a transitional or internal medicine internship, which includes broad exposure to general adult medicine. The second through fourth postgraduate years are spent in a devoted neurology residency, after which time the successful graduate can apply for licensure. After residency, graduates may choose to pursue board certification through the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Some neurologists will complete voluntary, additional training in a fellowship program in order to gain experience in a subspecialty area.

Persons wishing to become a non-medical neuroscientist must first complete a bachelor's degree in neuroscience or a related discipline. The next step is to obtain a master's degree in neuroscience (two years to complete) and then a Ph.D. (at least four years). While there may be research positions available to those with a master's degree, a Ph.D. is generally required to become a university professor or a senior research scientist.