Neurologists are medical
professionals who are specialists in the field of diagnosing and treating
conditions that affect the central nervous system (which includes the brain and
spinal cord) and the peripheral nervous system (which includes 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 training after completing their medical school (which
includes internships, residency requirements and acquiring requisite licenses
and certifications).
Qualifications to become a Neurologist
To become a neurologist, the
applicant must complete four years of medical school followed by extensive neurological
residency program, must have an unrestricted state license to practice medicine
and also successfully pass both the written tests of the American Board of
Psychiatry and Neurology( ABPN) or by the American Board of Medical
Specialties( ABPS).
Medical School
A medical student must first
concentrate on becoming a medical doctor or a doctor of osteopathy, by completing
an undergraduate programme plus a medical degree of four years. Potential
neurologists should also complete a three-year neurology residency and another year
of internship (with minimum of eight months of internal medicine).
Residency
After internship, the medical doctor must
complete a residency requirement of three years. Residency programmes must be
certified by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).
These programmes 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 sub-specialty fellowship
program specializing in movement disorders, stroke and dementia.
Further, physicians interested in child neurology
have three options for completion of their initial residency – one year in
internal medicine followed by one year in pediatrics; two years in pediatrics
residency; or one year in research and one year in pediatrics.
Board Certification
After completion of residency
program, medical doctors seek for state medical licensure as well as board certification
from ABPN (member of 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 three years of residency in neurology or pediatrics, must possess
a medical license and clear both written and oral exams of the ABPN.
Certification from the American
board has to be renewed from time to time. Also, the doctor should have
demonstrated good ethical standards have been an active member of the American
or Canadian Osteopathic Associations for at least two years.
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