Neurologist

A neurologist diagnoses, treats, and supports aftercare for patients with a variety of neurological conditions. These vary from stroke patients to those with longer-term, progressive conditions like Alzheimers.

What is a neurologist?

A neurologist is a specialist doctor. They work with patients who require treatment for disorders of the central nervous system, from the brain through to the spine.

Their work will combine treating acute illnesses with more chronic long-term conditions in an outpatient clinic. Their work could include patients of a range of ages, abilities and backgrounds. Neurologists usually work within the NHS, but at consultant level, could work in a private hospital.

Responsibilities

As a neurology specialist your work responsibilities will vary. This is usually depending on your level of seniority. Some common responsibilities include:

• Listening to a detailed medical history of a patient and creating a detailed case file of their neurological symptoms in order to aid diagnosis
• Diagnosing diseases and illnesses.
• Managing outpatient clinics within a neurology department for patients with long-term neurological conditions, overseeing junior doctors and nurses and liaising with a wider team to plan treatments.
• Offering advice and guidance for patients to help manage their conditions.
• Overseeing the work of junior doctors or trainee consultants, providing mentoring and shadowing.
• Working in a large team of other neurologists and consultants.
• Keeping up to date with changes to practice and new treatments for patients within the neurology sphere, and adjusting treatments accordingly where needed.
• Providing consultancies for other departments within a medical setting.
• Carrying out your own research studies, if this is something that interests you and your hospital trust supports.
• Overseeing neurology ward rounds, meeting patients and giving advice on best treatments.

Salary

A neurologist salary follows the NHS Agenda for Change pay scale. Neurologist jobs begin in foundation training straight out of medical school, where you will receive £29,384 and £34,012. This will last for two years. When you begin your specialist training in neurology, you can expect to earn £40,257 and £53,398. Fully qualified neurology consultants could earn from £88,364 to £119,133 a year^[1].

Qualifications

The qualifications you need to become a doctor are very standardised. You’ll need to start your medical career with a five-year medical degree at a medical school, attached to a university. In order to apply for a medical degree, you’ll usually need 3 A Levels at grades A*-A, including chemistry and sometimes also biology. If you’re already a graduate, an alternative route into the medical field is the Graduate Route to Medicine, a condensed four year course which has the same entry requirements as the traditional undergraduate route.

After medical school, you’ll complete two years shadowing various departments across a hospital, after which you can apply as a registered doctor with the General Medical Council (GMC). After this, you’ll be eligible to apply for specialist training in neurology. This training route will take at least five years to complete, and can be taken part time around family commitments.

Training and development

Your training as a neurologist is highly standardised within the NHS framework. You’ll complete your two-year foundation training, learning about various medical departments within a hospital. It’s worth seeing if you can shadow in neurology specifically, as this experience will help inform your application for specialist training. On completion of your foundation training you can apply for and begin your neurology specialist training, which will prepare you to work as a consultant neurologist.

Once qualified as a neurology specialist, you’ll be expected to keep up with regular continuing professional development (CPD) to keep your registration with the GMC. This could include various forms of learning, from shadowing senior neurological consultants to attending conferences and even completing your own academic research for publication.

Skills

The skills required of a neurologist combine academic knowledge, clinical expertise and bedside manner. These include:

• Excellent medical knowledge within neurology, including the process of diagnosis, treatment and aftercare.
• Ability to keep up to date with advancements in the field, such as new treatments or diagnostic procedures.
• Great attention to detail.
• Excellent communication skills for passing on key information to wider members of your team, as well as the ability to share information sensitively and clearly with patients.
• Excellent people management skills - you’ll be overseeing clinics with multiple members of staff.
• Good time management skills - this is especially the case when working on ward rounds and outpatient clinics.
• Excellent team working skills for supporting junior doctors, nurses and other clinical and non-clinical team members.

Work Experience

For many medical schools, some time spent in a clinical or healthcare setting is required for entry. Because of this, it’s a good idea to ensure you have some time shadowing a relevant medical professional prior to application for a medical degree.

The first port of call for many is to reach out to any individuals you know who already work in the medical field. This doesn’t have to be in neurology - as at this point of medical training your specialism is a long way off. If you can, access time shadowing in a hospital or GP surgery. You could also reach out to local NHS trusts, to see if they offer shadowing within their healthcare settings.

If you struggle to access time in a healthcare setting, you could also try shadowing in a non-medical setting that delivers care in some capacity. This could be a pharmacy or even a residential care home. You might also apply for non-clinical roles in hospitals, such as working as a porter, to learn more about the mechanics of hospital life.

Career Prospects

Career prospects for neurology consultants are excellent. You could specialise in a particular area of neurology, such as being a paediatric neurologist or working with stroke patients.

If you particularly enjoy the academic side of your work, you could link into lecturing on medical degree courses around your area of specialism. You could carry this out alongside your clinical work to ensure your teachings are informed by current, relevant practice.

Some consultants choose to take their expertise into the private sector to become a private neurologist or move to work abroad. This could offer more flexibility.