Skip to main content

Neurologist

Healthcare

Diagnose, manage, and treat disorders and diseases of the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves, with a primarily nonsurgical focus.

ScienceAllied Health

In Malaysia

In Malaysia, neurology is a subspecialty of internal medicine. Most neurologists work in MOH hospitals, university hospitals or private specialist centres. Private specialists are usually paid by fee-for-service rather than a salary, so income varies widely.

How people get into it here
SPM → Foundation/Matriculation/A-Level → MBBS/MD (5 years) → 2-year housemanship → Medical Officer → specialist training in internal medicine (local Master's or MRCP parallel pathway) → neurology subspecialty training → registration on the MMC Specialist Register.
Government post
Pegawai Perubatan Gred Pakar UD56 (SSM) / UD15 (SSPA) · starts at RM7,030 a month
Demand
Neurologist is one of the specialist titles named under 'Specialist Medical Practitioners' in the MyMahir Critical Occupations List (MyCOL) 2024/2025. TalentCorp MyCOL 2024/2025

Sources:moh.gov.mymmc.gov.mybernama.comtalentcorp.com.my

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Interview patients to obtain information, such as complaints, symptoms, medical histories, and family histories.
  2. 2Examine patients to obtain information about functional status of areas, such as vision, physical strength, coordination, reflexes, sensations, language skills, cognitive abilities, and mental status.
  3. 3Perform or interpret the outcomes of procedures or diagnostic tests, such as lumbar punctures, electroencephalography, electromyography, and nerve conduction velocity tests.
  4. 4Order or interpret results of laboratory analyses of patients' blood or cerebrospinal fluid.
  5. 5Diagnose neurological conditions based on interpretation of examination findings, histories, or test results.
  6. 6Prescribe or administer medications, such as anti-epileptic drugs, and monitor patients for behavioral and cognitive side effects.
  7. 7Identify and treat major neurological system diseases and disorders, such as central nervous system infection, cranio spinal trauma, dementia, and stroke.
  8. 8Inform patients or families of neurological diagnoses and prognoses, or benefits, risks and costs of various treatment plans.
  9. 9Develop treatment plans based on diagnoses and on evaluation of factors, such as age and general health, or procedural risks and costs.
  10. 10Prepare, maintain, or review records that include patients' histories, neurological examination findings, treatment plans, or outcomes.
  11. 11Communicate with other health care professionals regarding patients' conditions and care.
  12. 12Counsel patients or others on the background of neurological disorders including risk factors, or genetic or environmental concerns.
  13. 13Interpret the results of neuroimaging studies, such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT), and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans.
  14. 14Determine brain death using accepted tests and procedures.
  15. 15Coordinate neurological services with other health care team activities.
  16. 16Refer patients to other health care practitioners as necessary.
  17. 17Advise other physicians on the treatment of neurological problems.
  18. 18Perform specialized treatments in areas such as sleep disorders, neuroimmunology, neuro-oncology, behavioral neurology, and neurogenetics.
  19. 19Participate in continuing education activities to maintain and expand competence.
  20. 20Order supportive care services, such as physical therapy, specialized nursing care, and social services.
  21. 21Provide training to medical students or staff members.
  22. 22Prescribe or administer treatments, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation, vagus nerve stimulation, and deep brain stimulation.
  23. 23Supervise medical technicians in the performance of neurological diagnostic or therapeutic activities.
  24. 24Participate in neuroscience research activities.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • MD
  • Physician
  • Neurologist
  • DO Physician
  • Neurologists
  • Epileptologist
  • Neurohospitalist
  • Adult Neurologist
  • Child Neurologist
  • Neurophysiologist

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. 2

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. 4

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. Typical entry

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationPost-doctoral training

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

BiologyDraws directly on Medicine and Dentistry — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
ChemistryDraws directly on Medicine and Dentistry — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
EnglishDraws directly on English Language — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Additional ScienceDraws directly on Biology — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Sports ScienceDraws directly on Therapy and Counseling — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Medicine and Dentistry97%

    BiologyChemistry

  • English Language84%

    English

  • Psychology83%
  • Biology82%

    BiologyAdditional Science

  • Therapy and Counseling79%

    BiologySports Science

  • Education and Training75%

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleConstant contact
  • Dealing with customers or the publicVery high
  • Leading or coordinating othersVery high
  • Handling conflict situationsOften
  • Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
  • Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
  • Noisy environmentAlmost never

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

13%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

Growing role in the US

US Bureau of Labor Statistics data, not Malaysian. Shown because it's the only forward-looking demand estimate we have for this job.

On Malaysia's official shortage list

TalentCorp and ILMIA's Critical Occupations List — evidence of a real hiring shortage in Malaysia right now.

Specialist Medical Practitioners · Shortage indicators met: INSUFFICIENT DATA

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Matriculation

One or two years, heavily subsidised with allowance. Competitive, quota-based entry.

12–24 months

Asasi / Foundation

One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.

12 months

Related careers

If this interests you, these are worth a look too.

About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Neurologists

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org