Neurologist Qualifications

Neurologists are medical professionals who are specialists in the field of diagnosing and treating conditions that affect the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) and the peripheral nervous system (the nerves, nerve roots and muscles). They perform neurological tests on different parts of the nervous system and often examine the muscle movement, reflexes, sensation and other cognitive abilities, in order to properly diagnose and treat related disorders. In order to become specialists of the nervous system, medical practitioners need to undergo extensive specialized training after completing medical school.

Medical School

• A medical student must first concentrate on becoming a medical doctor or a doctor of osteopathy, by completing an undergraduate program plus a medical degree of 4 years and a year of internship (with minimum of 8 months of internal medicine).

Residency

• After internship, the medical doctor must complete a neurology residency requirement of 3 years. Residency programs must be certified by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). These programs help in providing exposure to hospital and ambulatory care settings, educational conferences and research trainings. After completion of the residency training, neurologists may join a subspecialty fellowship program specializing in movement disorders, stroke and dementia. Further, physicians interested in child neurology have three options for completion of their initial residency: 1 year in internal medicine followed by 1 year in pediatrics, 2 years in pediatrics residency or 1 year in research and 1 year in pediatrics.

Board Certification

• Medical doctors must be licensed by their state and then can seek board certification from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) or the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). Only physicians who have a high degree of skill in the field of neurology are certified. Before getting board certification, a doctor must complete 3 years of residency in neurology, must possess a medical license and clear both written and oral exams of the ABPN. Certification from the ABPN has to be renewed from time to time.