Neurologist

How to Become One

To become a neurologist, you must first earn a bachelor’s degree in a field that will prepare you for medical school. The most common degree programs for students who hope to attend medical school include:

• Biology: With a biology degree, you will focus heavily on the anatomy, physiology and makeup of organisms and their systems. Biologists study both plant and animal life, as well as bacteria, viruses, funguses and other organisms, learning about evolution and other related concepts as well.
• Chemistry: This branch of scientific thought is concerned with atoms, molecules and the other basic building blocks that comprise the substances that in turn comprise both animate and inanimate objects. Chemists study how different substances and molecules interact, change one another and form new substances.
• Physics: Physicists study the laws of matter. These include properties related to light, sound, magnetism, electricity, the structure of atoms. Physics covers every aspect of matter, from the smallest fundamental building blocks of the universe – which are still hotly contested – to the universe on a galactic and even infinite scale.
• Pre-Med: Pre-med students take a variety of courses geared specifically toward preparing them for entrance to medical school. The pre-med track helps ensure that you cover every requirement for entrance to medical school without having to keep track of those you need above and beyond your major’s requirements. Common courses include microbiology, biochemistry and human anatomy.

Education

Once you earn a bachelor’s degree and assuming you have earned all the prerequisites necessary to apply to medical school, you must take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). With an MCAT score, you may submit your application to medical schools of your choice. If you want to improve your resume before application, consider volunteering, participating in extracurricular activities and/or learning a foreign language.

In medical school, you will spend approximately 2 years in a classroom setting and the following 2 years in clinical rotations at a teaching hospital. During the latter period, you are expected to apply the knowledge learned in the classroom to real-life medical situations. During a clinical rotation, students will shadow a physician and interact directly with patients, gaining valuable hands-on experience.