Psychiatrist vs neurologist

The differences between psychiatrists and neurologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a psychiatrist and a neurologist. Additionally, a neurologist has an average salary of $255,616, which is higher than the $229,034 average annual salary of a psychiatrist.

The top three skills for a psychiatrist include patients, diagnosis and patient care. The most important skills for a neurologist are neurology, patients, and EEG.

Psychiatrist vs neurologist overview

	Psychiatrist	Neurologist
Yearly salary	$229,034	$255,616
Hourly rate	$110.11	$122.89
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	29,979	23,991
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 32%	Bachelor's Degree, 27%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	6	6

What does a psychiatrist do?

A Psychiatrist is a medical practitioner specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness. They treat patients utilizing psychotherapeutic methods and medications.

What does a neurologist do?

A neurologist is responsible for treating patients with muscles and nerve abnormalities. Neurologists conduct a series of examinations to determine the patients' condition, administer treatment plans, and refer immediate medical procedures as needed. They also document the patients' progress on every treatment and adjust medications according to the results. A neurologist must have excellent communication and critical-thinking skills to identify the effective specialized treatments through results interpretation and coordinating with other medical professionals for advice and other necessary care services.

Psychiatrist vs neurologist salary

Psychiatrists and neurologists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Psychiatrist	Neurologist
Average salary	$229,034	$255,616
Salary range	Between $133,000 And $393,000	Between $140,000 And $465,000
Highest paying City	Fargo, ND	Fargo, ND
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	Yuma Regional Medical Center	Billings Clinic
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between psychiatrist and neurologist education

There are a few differences between a psychiatrist and a neurologist in terms of educational background:

	Psychiatrist	Neurologist
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 32%	Bachelor's Degree, 27%
Most common major	Medicine	Medicine
Most common college	Duke University	University of Virginia

Psychiatrist vs neurologist demographics

Here are the differences between psychiatrists' and neurologists' demographics:

	Psychiatrist	Neurologist
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 44.6% Female, 55.4%	Male, 35.3% Female, 64.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 18.0% White, 64.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	Black or African American, 5.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 18.5% White, 61.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	10%	13%

Differences between psychiatrist and neurologist duties and responsibilities

Psychiatrist example responsibilities.

Provide psychiatric evaluations, diagnosis and treatment, including prescribing and administering psychotropic medications, conduct individual and group psychotherapy.
Case load includes children, adolescents and adults.
Provide accurate, timely and complete documentation in the EMR.
Conduct full neurological evaluation, including lab, MRI & /or EEG.
Work closely with Medicaid in areas of compliance needs and information of the clients.
Create multidisciplinary team (psychiatrist, psychologist, nurse, marriage family therapist) to spear head new veterans parenting class.

Neurologist example responsibilities.

Prepare EEG and EMG/NCS machines.
Plan and perform NCV patient testing.
Train for troubleshooting EEG equipment and patient artifact.
Perform nerves blocks, facet blocks, epidurals, and intra articular injections.
General practice, spine and cranial, some PEDS and trauma JULY 1984 staff neurosurgeon
Inventory on all clinical supplies, maintain strict adherence to HIPAA security and compliance, train in meaningful use of EMR.

Psychiatrist vs neurologist skills

Common psychiatrist skills

Patients, 32%
Diagnosis, 11%
Patient Care, 5%
Mental Illness, 5%
Psychiatric Services, 5%
EMR, 4%

Common neurologist skills

Neurology, 29%
Patients, 27%
EEG, 8%
EMR, 7%
Patient Care, 7%
Epic, 4%

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Psychiatrist vs Neurologist

Updated January 8, 2025

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