Why is it considered pretentious for non-MDs who have doctorates to use their title?

[Anonymous]

What about in a medical setting? Are you okay with a nurse practitioner with a doctorate in nursing saying- hi I’m doctor blank, how can I help you today? Or a pharmacist / physical therapist? All are doctors?

I think that in a professional hospital environment only MDs should use doctor to avoid confusion. Outside of the hospital, anyone who wants to go by doctor should be able to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about psychologists? Psychologists have PhDs, work in healthcare, diagnose, bill to medical insurance, etc. They use Dr. when being addressed with title + last name. I think this makes sense. Though many use their first name even professionally.

I have a friend who is a psychologist who has people call her this. I just shake my head internally.

Probably trying to distinguish herself from the many counselors who are not serious/well trained (see Life Coaches).

I think psychologists is one of them that makes the most sense if they're clinical and seeing patients. Besides everything the first PP said, psychologists need to set boundaries with people they're seeing, so "just call me Jenny!" Is kind of inappropriate.

I work in a large non-medical office setting where we have a psychologist on staff who does do clinical work. She refers to herself as “Doc <first name>” consistently, even with people she is not treating directly - introduces herself like that to people she doesn’t know, leaves voice messages, talks about herself in the third person, etc. This is in a place where everyone is otherwise informal and goes by just their first name. It rubs me the wrong way and several people were confused and thought she was a primary care doctor or psychiatrist when I asked them out of curiosity. I do agree it’s ok for a psychologist to go by Dr when speaking with patients in a fully clinical setting.

[Anonymous]

In an academic setting, it's fine if someone wants to go by Dr. if they have a PhD. A little cringey but whatever.
In a medical setting, it's appropriate if a doctor goes by Dr. It's a job title there.

In their personal lives? It's all douchey.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because if you introduce yourself as Dr, 99 percent of people will assume you are a medical doctor. And when they learn you are throwing around the dr suffix when all you have is a little extra studying of "education" or "social work" it comes across as pathetic and pretentious.

Doctor has been a title for non-physicians for centuries, longer and more universally than it is used for medical doctors, so that seems like a pretty stupid assumption to make.

Language evolves. PP is right this is why it is seen as obnoxious. You don't have to agree with it but this is the reason other people think it is obnoxious. It feels in some ways like the person is trying to cutely get one over on you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Im an MD, I only allow my patients to call me Dr.--it creates boundaries that are there to protect both of us and to define the relationship. I want to barf when all these school educators go by doctor.

Ok, I’ll preface this by saying I’m on your side and agree with you on the last part of your post - but the other part makes you sound like an arrogant dick. If you told me that, I would never call you anything but your first name. See, the thing is, I have boundaries, too. And not suffering people who are full of themselves is one of them.


You need to work on your bedside manner, Doc.

Boundaries protect my patients mostly. So they can tell me something in confidence and I am bound to keep it confidential--not sure what you are trying to say?

You are weird and this isn’t true. Having your poor patients call you Dr does nothing to protect them! You actually sound unsafe.

Boundaries in relationships with power differentials are basic-level safety practices. PP's statements are accurate. First name interactions are fine for some patients. For other patients it creates an impression of false intimacy. For others it diminishes their perception of your training. For still others they'll finish their conversation with you and ask "so when is the doctor going to come see me?". Using the professional title you've trained for, in a professional setting, evens the communications playing field, and is neither "weird", nor "unsafe".

I get that the healthcare system is a mess, but the doctor bashing on this thread alone is wearying. I'm the PP who put tape over my first name, and received 12 questions in response from a poster, who sailed past the point of my physical boundaries being violated and the deep sexism that still exists when female doctors see male patients, to land on "is that tape dirty".

And people wonder why we're burned out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because if you introduce yourself as Dr, 99 percent of people will assume you are a medical doctor. And when they learn you are throwing around the dr suffix when all you have is a little extra studying of "education" or "social work" it comes across as pathetic and pretentious.

Doctor has been a title for non-physicians for centuries, longer and more universally than it is used for medical doctors, so that seems like a pretty stupid assumption to make.

Language evolves. PP is right this is why it is seen as obnoxious. You don't have to agree with it but this is the reason other people think it is obnoxious. It feels in some ways like the person is trying to cutely get one over on you.

If you were secure in yourself, another person’s earned professional title would have no impact on you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because if you introduce yourself as Dr, 99 percent of people will assume you are a medical doctor. And when they learn you are throwing around the dr suffix when all you have is a little extra studying of "education" or "social work" it comes across as pathetic and pretentious.

Doctor has been a title for non-physicians for centuries, longer and more universally than it is used for medical doctors, so that seems like a pretty stupid assumption to make.

Language evolves. PP is right this is why it is seen as obnoxious. You don't have to agree with it but this is the reason other people think it is obnoxious. It feels in some ways like the person is trying to cutely get one over on you.

If you were secure in yourself, another person’s earned professional title would have no impact on you.

It's not an earned professional title. It's an academic title.

If someone wants to use it in an every day setting, that's fine. Just know that people think it's silly.

[Anonymous]

Different fields have different norms. One that I find particularly jarring is education — where let’s be honest the level of research quality is appalling low. Ed doctorates love to be called Dr.

It’s particularly weird when they’re in a room full of parents who actually have PhDs in fields where you can’t sneeze on a tissue and submit it to a journal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because it’s true.

Unless you have MD, DOM, or DDS after your last name, YOU ARE NOT A DOCTOR.

A doctor is a physician. Period.


My brother-in-law with a PhD in history IS NOT A DOCTOR. And he introduces himself as “Dr____ all the freakin time. It’s embarrassing.

Why isn't he a doctor?

You can be embarrased all you want, and i might be too, but he IS a doctor- he's a doctor of philosophy, not a medical doctor.

[Anonymous]

I find MDs who use the title Dr. to be incredibly pretentious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a lawyer.

That makes me a “doctor” too.

(technically)

oh god i hate it when lawyers make this argument. you have a termnial degree. big whoop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you also think people with MA’s should be addressed as “Master”?

they are in some places (e.g., in some areas of latin america). engineers are also addressed as such.

[Anonymous]

I work in healthcare and MDs/DOs are some of the most deranged, egotistical people in the entire world.

My relative is an MD and addressed their Christmas cards with “Dr.”

Talk about lame.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Im an MD, I only allow my patients to call me Dr.--it creates boundaries that are there to protect both of us and to define the relationship. I want to barf when all these school educators go by doctor.

Ok, I’ll preface this by saying I’m on your side and agree with you on the last part of your post - but the other part makes you sound like an arrogant dick. If you told me that, I would never call you anything but your first name. See, the thing is, I have boundaries, too. And not suffering people who are full of themselves is one of them.


You need to work on your bedside manner, Doc.

Boundaries protect my patients mostly. So they can tell me something in confidence and I am bound to keep it confidential--not sure what you are trying to say?

You are weird and this isn’t true. Having your poor patients call you Dr does nothing to protect them! You actually sound unsafe.

Boundaries in relationships with power differentials are basic-level safety practices. PP's statements are accurate. First name interactions are fine for some patients. For other patients it creates an impression of false intimacy. For others it diminishes their perception of your training. For still others they'll finish their conversation with you and ask "so when is the doctor going to come see me?". Using the professional title you've trained for, in a professional setting, evens the communications playing field, and is neither "weird", nor "unsafe".

I get that the healthcare system is a mess, but the doctor bashing on this thread alone is wearying. I'm the PP who put tape over my first name, and received 12 questions in response from a poster, who sailed past the point of my physical boundaries being violated and the deep sexism that still exists when female doctors see male patients, to land on "is that tape dirty".

And people wonder why we're burned out.

Thank You! I did my residency in a very doctor friendly place, it was almost uncomfortable how nice people were when they found out Im a doctor. I have lived in the DMV 15 plus years now and have never seen so much doctor hatred in my life....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Semi-related but here's a fun story. I'm a female physician and I had to put a piece of tape over the first name on my badge. Our practice environment is a zoo so at the end of every encounter I say "glad you came in, we'll take good care of you. As a reminder I'm Dr. XXX". To a person, patients (mostly men) would *physically reach out to grasp my badge*, which is at boob level, natch, and say, "thanks Larla!".

For years it didn't bother me, until it did. We're in a professional environment, not a cocktail party, Bob. I address patients by their last names. Seems reasonable to expect that same.

And no I never use my professional title outside of work, because that's weird and lame. But in the work environment, yes.

And no this doesn't happen to my male colleagues.

Why did you put a tape over your name?
I tihnk the bolded part matters. I find it annoying when an MD comes in, says "I'm Dr. Smith, nice to meet you Jane." Choose one or the other for both yourself and me,