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Indiana University School of Medicine
Indiana University School of Medicine
Medical Student Portal

Neurology Specialty at a Glance

Students interested in a career in neurology should take the neurology senior elective as this was designed specifically for a broad exposure to neurology. Students taking this elective get to work with most members of the admissions committee and common recommendation letter writers. This elective should be completed before September.


Match Statistics

Step 2 CK median score: 246
25th percentile USMLE Step 2 CK: 235.0
75th percentile USMLE Step 2 CK: 255.0
Median programs applied to: 31
Median research experiences: 3
Median abstracts, presentations or publications: 5

A student should consider this specialty if they:

  • Want excellent job satisfaction

  • Are able to work in various settings like inpatient or outpatient or combinations of both

  • Are able to do procedures or not do procedures

  • Want to learn about the explosion of therapeutic options for various neurological conditions

Nothing specific, but students should develop a sound fund of knowledge and become as well-rounded as possible

It is recommended to take the neurology fourth year elective.

Internal medicine or pediatrics are the recommended sub-Is.

Away rotations are recommended if the student has a specific and/or competitive institution or area of the country where they would like to train.

Research is helpful, but not required for this specialty. Nor does the research you do have to be specialty specific.

Residency training for this specialty is three years, plus PGY-1 transitional/preliminary, so four total years.

Ensure you secure at least three letters of recommendation for your neurology residency application. While not all letters need to be from neurologists, it's advisable to have one or two letters from a neurologist.

The American Academy of Neurology website is a great resource.

Interested students are paired with faculty mentors based upon their areas of interest.