Neurologists

AI & job outlook

What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.

Exposure to current AI

Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.

OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.0), with simple added tooling (β 0.5), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.9). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.

Job outlook

Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.

“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.

Tasks

All 24 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.

• Interview patients to obtain information, such as complaints, symptoms, medical histories, and family histories. Core · importance 4.9
• Examine patients to obtain information about functional status of areas, such as vision, physical strength, coordination, reflexes, sensations, language skills, cognitive abilities, and mental status. Core · importance 4.8
• Perform or interpret the outcomes of procedures or diagnostic tests, such as lumbar punctures, electroencephalography, electromyography, and nerve conduction velocity tests. Core · importance 4.8
• Order or interpret results of laboratory analyses of patients' blood or cerebrospinal fluid. Core · importance 4.8
• Diagnose neurological conditions based on interpretation of examination findings, histories, or test results. Core · importance 4.7
• Prescribe or administer medications, such as anti-epileptic drugs, and monitor patients for behavioral and cognitive side effects. Core · importance 4.7
• Identify and treat major neurological system diseases and disorders, such as central nervous system infection, cranio spinal trauma, dementia, and stroke. Core · importance 4.7
• Develop treatment plans based on diagnoses and on evaluation of factors, such as age and general health, or procedural risks and costs. Core · importance 4.6
• Inform patients or families of neurological diagnoses and prognoses, or benefits, risks and costs of various treatment plans. Core · importance 4.6
• Prepare, maintain, or review records that include patients' histories, neurological examination findings, treatment plans, or outcomes. Core · importance 4.6
• Communicate with other health care professionals regarding patients' conditions and care. Core · importance 4.6
• Counsel patients or others on the background of neurological disorders including risk factors, or genetic or environmental concerns. Core · importance 4.4
• Interpret the results of neuroimaging studies, such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT), and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans. Core · importance 4.4
• Determine brain death using accepted tests and procedures. Core · importance 4.3
• Coordinate neurological services with other health care team activities. Core · importance 4.3
• Refer patients to other health care practitioners as necessary. Core · importance 4.3
• Advise other physicians on the treatment of neurological problems. Core · importance 4.3
• Perform specialized treatments in areas such as sleep disorders, neuroimmunology, neuro-oncology, behavioral neurology, and neurogenetics. Supplemental · importance 4.2
• Participate in continuing education activities to maintain and expand competence. Core · importance 4.1
• Order supportive care services, such as physical therapy, specialized nursing care, and social services. Core · importance 4.1
• Provide training to medical students or staff members. Core · importance 4.0
• Prescribe or administer treatments, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation, vagus nerve stimulation, and deep brain stimulation. Supplemental · importance 3.7
• Supervise medical technicians in the performance of neurological diagnostic or therapeutic activities. Core · importance 3.7
• Participate in neuroscience research activities. Core · importance 3.5

Work activities

• Conduct research to increase knowledge about medical issues.
• Train medical providers.
• Maintain medical or professional knowledge.
• Supervise patient care personnel.
• Advise patients on effects of health conditions or treatments.
• Analyze test data or images to inform diagnosis or treatment.
• Refer patients to other healthcare practitioners or health resources.
• Advise medical personnel regarding healthcare issues.
• Monitor patient conditions during treatments, procedures, or activities.
• Administer non-intravenous medications.
• Prescribe medications.
• Prescribe treatments or therapies.
• Record patient medical histories.
• Treat chronic diseases or disorders.
• Order medical diagnostic or clinical tests.
• Collect medical information from patients, family members, or other medical professionals.
• Communicate detailed medical information to patients or family members.
• Diagnose medical conditions.
• Develop medical treatment plans.
• Test patient nervous system functioning.
• Inform medical professionals regarding patient conditions and care.
• Collaborate with healthcare professionals to plan or provide treatment.
• Examine patients to assess general physical condition.

Knowledge, skills & abilities

O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).

Knowledge

Abilities

Essential skills

Transferable skills

Skills in demand

Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.

• Inductive Reasoning Common Skill
• Deductive Reasoning Common Skill
• Active Listening Common Skill
• English Language Common Skill
• Psychology Specialized Skill
• Social Perceptiveness Common Skill
• Reading Comprehension Common Skill
• Critical Thinking Common Skill
• Complex Problem Solving Common Skill
• Biology Specialized Skill
• Writing Common Skill
• Speech Recognition Specialized Skill
• Information Ordering Specialized Skill
• Active Learning Common Skill
• Chemistry Specialized Skill
• Mathematics Common Skill
• Instructing Specialized Skill
• Visualization Specialized Skill
• Systems Analysis Specialized Skill
• Learning Strategies Specialized Skill
• Time Management Common Skill
• Microsoft Word Common Skill
• Microsoft PowerPoint Common Skill
• Microsoft Excel Common Skill
• Negotiation Common Skill
• Finger Dexterity Common Skill
• Foreign Language Common Skill
• Depth Perception Common Skill
• Telecommunications Specialized Skill
• Email Software Specialized Skill
• Physics Specialized Skill
• Equipment Selection Specialized Skill
• Geography Specialized Skill
• Presentation Software Specialized Skill
• Medical Software Specialized Skill
• Installation Specialized Skill
• Equipment Maintenance Specialized Skill

Tools & technology

Work context

How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.

How to get in

Job zone

Zone 5 — Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed

Education

Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Typical entry-level education

Doctoral or professional degree · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement

Related experience

Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.

Preparation level

SVP (8.0 and above) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.

What to study: Health Professions and Related Programs , Medical Residency/Fellowship Programs . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.

Education of current workers

Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.

Interests & work styles

The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.

Work styles

Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)

Interest areas

Wages & employment

U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)

Industries that employ this occupation

Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.

Where this work is most concentrated

Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).

Related occupations

Part of the Healthcare & Human Services career cluster.

• Pediatric Surgeons · 29-1243.00 Compare →
• Cardiologists · 29-1212.00 Compare →
• Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric · 29-1242.00 Compare →
• General Internal Medicine Physicians · 29-1216.00 Compare →
• Pediatricians, General · 29-1221.00 Compare →
• Psychiatrists · 29-1223.00 Compare →
• Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physicians · 29-1229.04 Compare →
• Emergency Medicine Physicians · 29-1214.00 Compare →
• Clinical Neuropsychologists · 19-3039.03 Compare →
• Neuropsychologists · 19-3039.02 Compare →
• Obstetricians and Gynecologists · 29-1218.00 Compare →
• Family Medicine Physicians · 29-1215.00 Compare →

Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.

What you can do with this

Options the data surfaces for Neurologists — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

• O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
• BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

@misc{singulariki-role-29-1217-00,
  title  = {Neurologists},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-29-1217-00}
}