A neurologist is a board-certified medical doctor (MD) or osteopathic medical doctor (DO) who is trained in the diagnosis and treatment of nervous system disorders, including diseases of the brain, spine, nerves, and muscles.

Neurologists perform neurological examinations of the nerves in the head and neck, muscle strength and movement, balance, ambulation, reflexes, sensation, memory, speech, language, and other cognitive abilities.

They also perform diagnostic tests, including the following:

  • CAT (computed axial tomography) scan
  • MRI/MRA (magnetic resonance imaging/magnetic resonance angiography)
  • Lumbar Puncture (spinal tap)
  • EEG (electroencephalography)
  • EMG/NCV (electromyography/nerve conduction velocity)
  • Sleep Studies (polysomnogram, home sleep testing, Multiple Sleep Latency Test, Maintenance of Certification Test

To become a Board-Certified Neurologist, the following requirements must be met:

Education
  • Four years of premedical education in a college or university
  • Four years of medical school resulting in an MD or DO degree (doctor of medicine or doctor of osteopathy degree)
  • One year internship in either internal medicine or medicine/surgery
  • At least 3 years of specialty training in an accredited neurology residency program
  • 1-3 years of subspecialty fellowship training in areas such as epilepsy, movement disorders, etc, may then be undertaken 

Residency

Residency programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) provide supervised experience in hospital and ambulatory care settings, as well as educational conferences and research trainings.

Board Certification
To be eligible for board certification applicants must:
  • have an unrestricted state license to practice medicine
  • complete the required years of residency
  • successfully pass both a written (Part I) and oral (Part II) exam administered by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology

After completing the educational requirements, medical doctors may seek certification from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN), a Member Board of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS).
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