Someone made a remark about my sister’s career and it made me wonder ...
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Anonymous
Right, while there are circumstances where she might be addressed with the Dr. honorific she is not a doctor |
Anonymous
Another psychologist here with a Ph.D. and rigorous research training. I never refer to myself as "a doctor." Yes in formal work meetings (research setting) people may reference me as "Dr. Smith," but that's different, as when you say "I'm a doctor" people presume physician. (My spouse is an M.D. and we banter about this, but it's separate from the common understanding of the term.) Relatedly, I also don't refer to myself as "a scientist." Yes, many psychologists who work in academia and primarily do research may refer to themselves as "psychological scientists," but not just "scientists," since here again, people presume a "hard" science, like someone who works in a lab. These differences may sound subtle, but they're there. I do think it's great how proud of your sister you are, OP! I think just a few clarifications will prevent misunderstandings. |
Anonymous
| BUMp |
Anonymous
Nope, I have a BA, but probably 90% of my peer group has an advanced degree. |
Anonymous
Correct. This is why people cringe and call Jill Biden a rube when she insists on being calling a Dr.. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-feb-02-na-dr-jill-biden2-story.html |
Anonymous
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Congrats to your sister, OP!
Just FYI, you don't sign your name Dr. Jane Smith, PH.D. A signature doesn't include the Dr. - just Jane Smith, Ph.D (or M.D. or CNP or Esquire, or whatever the degree is). She can introduce herself as Dr. Smith (though a lot of people really look down on that for anyone who isn't an MD or DDS. Personally I skip it because all it does is open you up to mocking and accusations of being pretentious. And, you know, while I have a Doctorate degree, I am not a doctor as that term is colloquially used. In my experience, most Ph.Ds do not use doctor). Anyway, it's not clear if you're just assuming that's how she'll sign her name, but in case your sister actually intends to sign her name Dr. Jane Smith, Ph.D, you should give her a heads up, so she doesn't commit a faux paux. |
Anonymous
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Lol, reminds me of the pretentious loser with a doctorate in education that I interviewed with. Nowhere did it say his title in his email address or on his company profile or anywhere else and this wasn't a job where most people have doctorates in anything. (This was pre-LinkedIn). When I wrote to thank him and addressed him as Mr., he wrote back a nasty email about how he was a "Doctor". and I "should learn now to address him by his proper title."
Luckily the timing was such that I got another job offer and I wrote back letting him know that I had another offer (interestingly, working in healthcare consulting for someone with an MD and someone with a PhD) and his job wasn't a fit. |
Anonymous
| They were wrong for laughing. You were wrong for calling her a scientist |
Anonymous
Totally get why you’re proud of her. Seemingly, she’s the first in your family to complete any sort of higher education. You are making a fool of yourself |
Anonymous
BS doesn’t mean you’re a scientist. A BS is a degree with more credits in the major itself. It could be in many fields. Often, a BA is a degree from something unscientific because those degrees have a more broad focus, but you can have them in scientific or technical fields if offered and they allow the student to have a more broad focus but still retain the necessary competencies to earn an accredited degree in their major. I have a BA in Computer Science. I took 2 semesters of Engineering level Calculus, 2 semesters of Discrete Mathematics, 1 semester of Computational Theory, and I took 1-2 programming courses through the CS department every semester for 4 years. My husband has a BS in business with a focus on Marketing. https://www.bestvalueschools.com/faq/what-is-the-difference-between-a-b-a-and-a-b-s/ |
Anonymous
+1 My spouse has a PhD in sociology. He NEVER refers to himself as "doctor." (His European colleagues do sometimes, but never Americans.) He also does not refer to himself as a "scientist." A research sociologist would be referred to as a "social scientist." And using both "Dr." and "PhD" is incorrect. It's great to be proud, but you'll look silly if you don't know the correct forms, and piling on honorifics and titles that don't really apply will totally undercut any good impression. |
Anonymous
I don't think the PP was using BSy to mean Bachelor of Science, but B*llS**t. |
Anonymous
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Many are conflating the difference between Dr. as a title and Doctor as a profession. A PhD is an advanced degree similar to a MD. However a PhD is a doctorate in a non-medical field.
For titles, an MD is always Dr. Smith. For a PhD, you can call them Dr. Smith or Professor Smith or the generic Mr./Ms./Mrs. You shouldn't include a title in a signature. You wouldn't sign "Yours respectfully, Ms. Larla Jones", unless you are trying to convey the title you wish to be addressed as. Likewise, the only reason to specify "Dr." in your signature is if you wish people to address you with the title Dr. and that is just pretentious. For professions, doctor refers to a medical doctor. You don't call a doctorate in other professions a doctor. Most people identify their profession with their field ("I'm a bio-chemist,", "I'm a thermodynamics engineer" "I'm a clinical psychologist"). But if you need you can identify with your degree "I"m a PhD in Physics". But PhDs in non-medical fields shouldn't identify themselves as a "doctor". |
Anonymous
Why would you bump this thread? Seems to me that this whole thread exists because OP is a bored sh*t-stirrer. The thread can go away. |
Anonymous
| Don’t brag about your sister |