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

[Anonymous]

I think it’s because most types of PhDs aren’t relevant to anyone outside the profession, but medical doctor is basically relevant to everyone. So people use it in daily life as a signal that they serve the community in that way.

If you’re in a setting where your doctorate is relevant to the general audience, like appearing on a panel or something, it makes sense to use Dr.

Exactly. I have a PhD but do not call myself doctor. However when I am introduced in certain settings (about to give a talk, usually) I have no issue if I’m called “Dr. Nearly Useless Humanities PhD.” My kids like to remind me that I’m not a “real” doctor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Outside of professional or academic settings it’s over the top to expect to be called “Dr” no matter the degree you have. If everyone around you is going by their first name, you shouldn’t expect to be addressed with Dr.

In academic and professional settings MDs and PhDs are both doctors.

There’s not a lot of ambivalence here. I have a PhD in title science.

This. Zero reason for any “Dr” to use the title in a social setting.

Well, maybe one. I'm a physician, and I almost never go by "Dr" outside the office. I certainly don't introduce myself as "Dr Larla" unless it is in the clinic or hospital.

But I am a pediatrician, and when I run into a 5 year old at the store, I'm "Dr Larla" to them. It is adorable.

Are you talking about your patients, I hope? You don't insist on random children calling you Dr.?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Outside of professional or academic settings it’s over the top to expect to be called “Dr” no matter the degree you have. If everyone around you is going by their first name, you shouldn’t expect to be addressed with Dr.

In academic and professional settings MDs and PhDs are both doctors.

There’s not a lot of ambivalence here. I have a PhD in title science.

This. Zero reason for any “Dr” to use the title in a social setting.

Well, maybe one. I'm a physician, and I almost never go by "Dr" outside the office. I certainly don't introduce myself as "Dr Larla" unless it is in the clinic or hospital.

But I am a pediatrician, and when I run into a 5 year old at the store, I'm "Dr Larla" to them. It is adorable.

Are you talking about your patients, I hope? You don't insist on random children calling you Dr.?

My disgusting misogynistic physician step father insisted that his son’s girlfriends call him “doc.” Next level insecurity is what gave rise to that nonsense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anybody who introduces themselves as "Dr. Smith" in a social or retail setting is a dweeb. Doesn't matter what kind of doctor. You're my neighbor Larla, I'm not calling you Dr. Smith at the block party. The flight attendant doesn't need to call you Dr. Smith when she checks your ticket.

In a professional setting, if you have a doctorate in your field, you can be addressed as "Dr. Smith." This goes for professors, medical doctors, researchers, etc. However, it's increasingly common for everybody other than medical doctors to go by first names, so Dr. Smith is often addressed as Larla even at work, except in medical workplaces which remain very stratified.

Exactly. The issue is not people with doctorates calling themselves Dr, it’s medical doctors who use “Dr” outside of work settings. It’s outdated and frankly a bit strange.

[Anonymous]

If everyone else is being addressed as Mr./Ms., then both MDs & PhDs are “Dr.”. So in professional settings or when addressing wedding invitations, for example. Otherwise, just use first names.

To the pp who said we call college professors “professor”… I have three degrees from 3 different colleges, and students always called them “Dr.,” not “professor.” But grad students just called them by first name, of course.

[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.

You sound jealous of your BIL. He earned a doctorate and a title!

I have a couples titles. too - “ASE Certified Master Technician”, which took five years apprenticeship and a further 2 years as a journeyman to attain, and “Small Business Owner”, which required years of working for other people before I could open my own shop.


And it’s a good thing for my BIL that his super hot sister married a guy who fixes cars for a living, because Mr. Doctor PhD is too inept to change his own tire. Plus, he always has me around to pick up the check when we’re all out together as a group. He sure can’t with his proofreading job. So it’s nice being the successful son-in-law.

[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.

What’s embarrassing? Is your ignorance.

Awwwwwwww, you sound triggered, kitten

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anybody who introduces themselves as "Dr. Smith" in a social or retail setting is a dweeb. Doesn't matter what kind of doctor. You're my neighbor Larla, I'm not calling you Dr. Smith at the block party. The flight attendant doesn't need to call you Dr. Smith when she checks your ticket.

In a professional setting, if you have a doctorate in your field, you can be addressed as "Dr. Smith." This goes for professors, medical doctors, researchers, etc. However, it's increasingly common for everybody other than medical doctors to go by first names, so Dr. Smith is often addressed as Larla even at work, except in medical workplaces which remain very stratified.

Exactly. The issue is not people with doctorates calling themselves Dr, it’s medical doctors who use “Dr” outside of work settings. It’s outdated and frankly a bit strange.

Especially when they insist on calling YOU by your first name. Ick.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hear this a lot. You can't call yourself Dr. unless you have an MD, otherwise it's just pretentious. Only the MDs are "real doctors." And for some reason it's even OK for the MD to use Dr. in a social, non-professional setting but not the PhD or EdD. Why?

It's especially common on the right. The mockery of our First Lady's earned degree is commonplace.

Not pretentious but obnoxious. I judge people who do this.

I have a PhD and my name is fill in first name.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most PhDs never use doctor unless in a university or a company.

MDs who call themselves Dr. __ outside the clinic are kinda douchey too though.

Entirely douchey and classless and insecure.

[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.

it’s not a ‘little extra studying’!!! You are ignorant of the process to obtain a PhD. The average number of extra years to obtain a PhD is 6 and that’s after your bachelor’s. These people are experts in their chosen fields. They studied and studied and studied. They completed major comprehensive exams in their disciplines and passed. Then they embarked on some major new research project in their area of study and completed a dissertation. They had to present at major conferences and get their work approved in front of other leading academics in their field. They earned the title Doctor in their chosen field. Everyone should know that ‘Dr’ doesn’t just mean medical. If YOU don’t know this, then YOU need more education.

Practically speaking, you aren’t wrong.

But lawyers similarly spend 3 or 4 years in school post-Uni and sit for an intense exam (that many people don’t pass). And they don’t get a special salutation.

In America, we address medical doctors as Dr. Whatever. And we address college professors with PhDs as Professor. Why? Because it just makes sense.

3 years of law school and the bar exam is an accomplishment, but not like earning a PhD. I've got a JD, I would never compare what that took to the work that it takes to earn a doctorate.

Agree to disagree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

What’s embarrassing? Is your ignorance.

Awwwwwwww, you sound triggered, kitten :mrgreen:

Nope. And you going around calling people “kitten” in an aggressive attempt to trigger them is gross. You should print this out and take it to a therapist; your desperation and condescension is maladaptive.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

Stop the insanity! I sat in on far too many All Hands! Mandatory Staff Meetings! during Covid
and working for the county health department.

There were Teams meetings with health *and* public school professionals - all introduced with and actively using their titles of doctor! One memorable call had a retired school administrator (Dr. Smith), a local pediatrician, (Dr. Jones), government epidemiologist (Dr. First Name), staffer with PhD in Emergency Management (Dr. Last Name), a nurse manager with a doctorate in nursing practice (DNP) among others! Highlights included the facilitator gleefully and laboriously using their titles repeatedly! Who’s on first?

It was unnecessary, confusing and irrelevant in the above cases to have the non-medical professionals all use their doctor titles.

Only doctor missing in above scenario was a college professor. Ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

I’m happy to call people what they want to be called. I did have a weird interaction at a pta thing when someone ( who didn’t know I was an md) sort of pointedly introduced me to another (PhD) person by saying “Jenny, this is DOCTOR Larla Smith” but really I don’t care.