How To Become A Neurophysiologist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a neurophysiologist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Do you have a medical degree in neuroscience or neuropsychology with a license or certificate of practice in this subject? Then you can become a neuropsychologist. Being a doctor is not at all an easy job. You need to know every detail of the patient to treat them. You must have a thorough understanding of psychology, psychopathology, neuroscience, and research-related subjects.

Other than a medical degree, you need to work as an intern or under a research team and conduct drug trials. You must gain knowledge to use the equipment, techniques, and other clinical settings to carry out your investigation on the patient's brain and nervous system. Neuropsychologist work in neuropsychology units, hospitals, and operating theatres.

Working hours are irregular as sometimes you may be called for emergencies. You need to wear protective clothes, might lift heavy equipment, travel from hospitals, and work with all ages of patients. The annual average salary of a neuropsychologist varies from $30,000 to $50,000 per annum.

ScoreNeurophysiologistUS Average

Salary

5.4

Avg. Salary $68,839

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.9

Growth rate 19%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.13%

Asian 14.21%

Black or African American 4.73%

Hispanic or Latino 11.24%

Unknown 4.89%

White 64.80%

Gender

female 47.69%

male 52.31%

Age - 34

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 34

Stress level

4.9

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.2

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.6

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a neurophysiologist

Explore neurophysiologist education requirements

Most common neurophysiologist degrees

Bachelor's

66.2 %

Master's

14.3 %

Doctorate

14.3 %

Start to develop specific neurophysiologist skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	51.11%
Medical History	11.16%
Data Collection	10.59%
EEG	7.78%
Ionm	6.75%

Complete relevant neurophysiologist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New neurophysiologists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a neurophysiologist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real neurophysiologist resumes.

Research neurophysiologist duties and responsibilities

Manage expanding mouse colony including genotyping.
Perform SSEP, sEMG, TceMEP, tEMG, and TOF monitoring daily
Evaluate patients prior to their entry into operating room, obtain patient's subjective, objective medical history.
Monitor patients during tests or surgeries, using electroencephalographs EEG, evoke potential EP instruments, or video recording equipment.

Apply for neurophysiologist jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a neurophysiologist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do neurophysiologists rate their job?

4/5

Based on 1 ratings

5 stars

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Neurophysiologist reviews

4.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2020

Pros

Working in healthcare, fast paced, very rewarding and challenging field. I make a difference every day I go to work.

Cons

Last minute frequent travel, feeling unimportant to the employer