Who is neurologist?

Neurologist is a trained doctor who diagnoses and treats the nervous system for adults to see if any disorders and diseases like spinal cord injuries, Alzheimer’s diseases (which is a progressive form of presenile dementia that is similar to senile dementia except that it usually starts in the 40s or 50s, first symptoms are impaired memory which is followed by impaired thought and speech and finally complete helplessness) and head injuries. These doctors determine and diagnose treatment by analyzing brain and neck nerves, muscle strength of the patient, movement, balance and the speech. The neurologists usually perform diagnostic tests like CAT scan, MRI and spinal tap.

What is the job of Neurologist?

Neurologists are a specialized medical doctors who mainly deals with neurological disorders. Neurologists are trained professionals who treat, diagnose and maintain patients who are suffering from central nervous system disorders. They usually treat the central, peripheral and autonomous nervous system, and the effector tissues like blood vessels and muscles. There are neurologists who are specialized in surgeries usually known as neurosurgeons and few specialize in child neurological disorders termed pediatric neurologists. They may also serve as primary care providers to general care practitioners as well as other specialists like otolaryngologists and orthopedic surgeons. Neurologists are a primary care provider for the patient who is in chronic neurological condition and needs continuous monitoring. They are always available to treat and diagnose along with advising the primary care physician on further treatment for the patients. It is generally considered that diagnosing a patient is the most critical part of neurologist’s job. As they are mainly responsible for performing different neurological tests like CAT scans, MRI scans, Tran’s Cranial Doppler (TCD) and neuro sonography for treating patients.  The very common  conditions that neurologists treat are migraines, headaches,  Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and

The common medical conditions which neurologists is expected to diagnose are:

-      Cognitive and behavioral syndrome.

-      Epilepsy which is a  disorder of the central nervous system qualified by loss of consciousness and convulsions

-      Psychologically painful injuries on head

-      Sleeping disorders, cerebral palsy and encephalitis which is caused by virus.

-      Tumor in brain and spinal cord

-      Infections in peripheral nervous systems

-      Movement disorders

-      Encephalopathy which is also a brain disorder

-      An altered mental state.

Salary / remuneration for neurologists:

Neurology is actually the study and the treatment of the human brain and nervous system. Generally this field requires clear and deep understanding of the situation, studious work, and a capacity to work under pressure. This is the course if somebody wants to devote their time and energy to the career, then this is the best job which can pull into large income along with helping others who are in need.

According to Bureau of Labor Statistics Neurologists salary will depend on the experience level, the industry they are working and the location which will play a major role in defining their salaries.

• The median average salary of neurologists is $178,564 and the hourly wage of $85.85

• Neurologist’s salary according to experience is as follows:

• Neurologists who are with one to four years of experience earned an average income of $95,996 to $187,938

• Neurologists with five to nine years of experience earned an average income of $115,473 and $204,827.

• The income of neurologists who are with ten to nineteen years of experience in the field is between $139,029 and $226,024.

• Neurologists who have experience more than twenty years will get an average income of $150,078 and $228,980.

Salaries depending on the industry they work:

The industry where neurologist work can be considered as one of the major factor when considering their salaries. According to one of the major website it is concluded that neurologists who work for research and companies earn more salaries in between $141,000 and $292,000 per annum. Nonprofit organization comes in the second place with the salary range of $144,000 to $225,000 per annum. And private practices pay neurologists somewhere between $136,000 and $210,000 per annum.

The common benefits which they are offered are:

• Mal practice insurance
• Paid holidays
• Paid sick time
• 401(k)plans
• Insurance and education assistance.

What are the Educational requirements to become neurologists?

Usually students who are interested to pursue neurologist’s course need to undergo lots of training along with required qualifications they need to undergo medical school, internships and residency along with practice to become a successful neurologists specialists.

After becoming Neurologists their main responsibilities would be to diagnose and treat neurological disorders and they will be the primary physicians for patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease (which is a degenerative/ chronic disorder of the central nervous system characterized by tremor and impaired muscular coordination), multiple sclerosis (which is a chronic progressive nervous disorder involving loss of myelin sheath around certain nerve fibers). They will also be treating headaches, sleep disorders, epilepsy, strokes, brain tumors along with brain and spine injuries.

Some neurologists may suggest surgery for patient but they by themselves do not perform the surgery but they refer patients to neurosurgeon who will be specialized in performing surgeries on the brain or nervous system.

Qualifications required:

• Education: Students interested to become neurologists must earn a bachelor’s of science degree in chemistry, biology or related study. After receiving bachelor’s degree they need to get into certified medical school which will take four years to complete after becoming medical doctor they need to go for an internship for about one or two years and then specialized residency for three years. In residency a medical doctor is offered an opportunity to teach research and improve their perfect understanding of nervous system. Here they are given option to choose their specializations like cerebrovascular disease, epilepsy/seizure disorder (which is a disorder of the central nervous system characterized by loss of consciousness and convulsions), clinical neurophysiology (which is a physiology about nervous system) or neuroimmunology.
• Residency: While neurologists in residency they will be trained about using the main equipment required by neurologists  they will be trained how to use MRI’s (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) , CAT (Computerized Axial Tomography ) scans, EEG(electroencephalogram)  which will be useful to analyses the images which will determine the severity of the disorders. These scans provide a detailed pictures of the brain, blood vessels along with spinal structures. EEG scan will be useful to evaluate the severity of seizure disorder.
• When students are in neurologist’s residency they will be trained to work with patients and understand how to diagnose and treat patients effectively. Even after residency they should keep on continuing their training by attending seminars and keep themselves updated with the latest advancement in this field. As technology advances continued training is always required. When a patient approaches neurologists they will first analyses patient’s blood and cerebra-spinal fluid to determine the extent of the disorder. These doctors are trained to study the microscopic, chemical, bacteriological and biological components in the patient’s blood to identify the presence of parasites or pathological blood conditions.

Certifications and licensure required to become neurologists:

• After completing residency neurologists are expected to obtain certification and licensure for further development in their career. Students are expected to pass the United States Medical Licensing exam which is required for physicians in all states.

• These certifications are often offered by The American Board of Psychiatry and neurology which is a part of the American Board of Medical Specialties. For the candidates to be eligible for certification they must have an unrestricted state license to practice medicine, completed the required number of years of residency and have passed the certification exam which includes both written and oral .

• As other medical professionals neurologists are expected to update their knowledge and be familiar with the latest development in their filed by conducting research works and attending to seminars etc…. there are professional neurology associations like American Academy of Neurology offers CME which is continuous medical education  courses for neurologists to keep themselves updated .

• The American Board of Medical Specialties initiates The Maintenance of Certification which is an evaluation program administered by ABPN. This program mainly contains self-assessment and an evaluation of practitioner’s cognitive expertise and their performance in the practice.   This maintenance of certification program is very important for neurologist’s certification requirement. Neurologists are expected to meet every ten years for their ABPN re-certification which is compelled by law. It is very important because it is designed to reduce medical errors and liability issues in the medical profession.

• Neuro physicians who do not re-certify their certifications before expiration date of their certificate will lose their board certification. Along with these, there are many American Academy of neurologists who provide various continuous medical opportunities for them.

What are the important duties and responsibilities of neurologists:

The main duties and responsibilities of neurologists are as follows:

Some of the important responsibilities of neurologists are:

• Neurologists are responsible for taking required information from the patient by talking to them and getting medical history, current condition and family medical history.
• They are responsible to judge the patient and determine what is happening with the patient.
• They should conduct tests like patient’s reflexes, hearing and mental recall, along with testing patients’ nerve’s reaction with the use of fine needles or electromagnetic currents.
• They analyses the information taken from the patients and if necessary neurologists should refer patients to other doctors who may confirm the diagnoses.
• They should prescribe medication based on the blood tests, brain, CAT, MRI scan, X-ray analysis etc….

Duties of neurologists:

There are actually three different types of neurologist’s duties which include – clinical, surgical and research aspects.

As a clinical neurologist their duties include:

• Their main duty is to diagnose patient’s disease and take the patient for initial treatment, follows up, and occasionally does post-surgery follow up.
• They should deal with anything from chronic back pain and nerve impingement from scarring which is a repetitive motion injury.
• They should also deal with degenerative nerve disorders like multiple sclerosis.

As surgical neurologists their main duties are:

• Surgical neurologists deal with surgeries which involve brain and spine.

• They deal with surgeries that may be viewed as neurologically sensitive.

• A surgical neurologist who has done practice in clinical aspect can prepare patient for pre- surgery and also does post- surgery follow-ups.

As a research neurologists their main duties include:

• They should understand different neurological issues and disorders and help develop new treatments and guide clinical trials for the treatment related to nervous systems.

Skill set and abilities needed for the job:

The important skills required to become neurologists are as follows:

• Communications: Neurologists must be able to communicate with the patients effectively. As communication plays a main role for all misinterpretations patients may feel bad without knowing the exact reason of their illness if the physician does not communicate properly. And friendly communication is a must as most of the patients may not feel comfortable. So, they should get required information from the patients regarding headaches, sleep disorders, old spinal or brain injuries or nerve disorders to find the root cause of the problem.

• Administrative skills: Neurologists are expected to have administrative skills like basic reading and writing skills. They should have excellent writing skills because they must write down patient’s condition to neurosurgeon who will be conducting surgery on the patient. A detailed patient file must be maintained always as patient may change to the new doctor and this file must in an understandable format.

• Research skills: Neurologists are expected to continue their research in the field to find new advancements that could be useful for treating some issues in neurology. If one kind of treatment does not work on patient the neurologist may suggest new treatment based on the research they do. Research is always needed if the patient is complaining of specific pains but not common symptoms of a nerve disorders.
• Good managing skills: They should be able to manage working with different kind of patients and the working hours sometimes stretching according to the importance of the patient.

• Diagnostic: Neurologists are expected to perform diagnoses for further treatment in the clinic using equipment like MRIs, MRAs, CAT scans , spinal tap testing and tests that focus on the nerve conduction in the human body. They must be able to learn and utilize new equipment which is most essential for them.

• Endure long working hours: Sometime they may have to stretch their working timings depending on the condition of the patient as they are primary physicians for some kind of disorders. Along with these they are expected to have empathy and good knowledge of medical ethics for their bright future.