PhD a "doctor" in health care setting??

In a conversation I had tonight the topic came up about calling a PhD by the title "doctor." The question is in the setting of a hospital, nursing home, or other health care facility. Specifically, wouldn't it be confusing to be called by the title of doctor in this case where the term doctor usually means medical doctor? Thoughts?

(in the specific discussion, the registered dietitian held a Ph.D and license specialization in pediatrics- so would be working directly in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit...should she be called "Dr. Smith?")

 

Many years ago (80s), when I was a nurse, we had a PhD physiologist who did a lot of consults in our newborn nursery. They were most often for heart issues. We were very clearly instructed to address him as "Doctor" without fail. His name tag read "John Smith, PhD" though.

None of us ever really thought of him as less than a doctor - not an MD, but still a doctor. Oftentimes, we considered him to hold a higher level in the hierarchy.

Just one observation - I suspect there are rules in place out there for this sort of thing.

 

I would vote for that as the best scenario.

 

Depends on whether the patients have enough brains to know what a "real doctor" is.

 

Many health care institutions have a policy that specifies which employees may be addressed as "doctor."

As I call, the list typically includes Physicians, Dentists, Psychologists, Podiatrists and Optometrists, for the stated reason of avoiding confusion.
There is obviously a hint of historical practice here.

With the proliferation of clinical doctorates (PharmD, DPT,DNP, D.Aud, etc.) it's getting to the point where almost anyone with a recently awarded health-related degree has a doctorate.

 

The half-baked notion that health care practitioners (and MDs in particular) are the only "real doctors" is a uniquely twentieth century notion. Anyone who has an earned doctoral degree of any sort is a "real doctor," but common people's notions of what constitutes a "real doctor" depends on what sort of doctor they are most likely to see. In the nineteenth century, the doctor you were most likely to see was your Doctor of Divinity (then an earned degree).

 

Perhaps the focus should be on educating people as to what constitutes a "real doctor" rather than getting into pissing matches about who should be qualified to call themselves "doctor." And then explain about your particular doctoral title.

 

Perhaps it requires actually having one....

The term "doctor" is applied two ways: academically and professionally. In health care, the term is professional, not academic, although it is invariably accompanied by a doctoral degree. Here's an example:

My wife worked with a guy with an earned MD, but who couldn't pass the exam for gradautes of foreign medical schools. He did, however, earn his RN and was practicing as a nurse. Even though he was an MD, he was not a physician and, therefore, not entitled to use the title "doctor" in that setting.

Another: I worked for a health care system. We had a nurse come to give a training course who held a Ph.D. We referred to her as "doctor" because she was within her academic scope as a trainer. But if she was dealing with patients, she would not be called "doctor."

A third: Attorneys, typically, earn the Juris Doctor (or Doctor of Jurisprudence), but are not called "doctor" when practicing law, because the pinnacle of the law profession isn't titled that way. But when they work in academic settings, they're often referred to as "doctor" because they have a doctoral degree.

It's not a matter of what is and is not a "real doctor." It is a matter of context. I'm a "real doctor," but not when I see my wife at work (she's an FNP.)

 

I sometimes help out at a multifaceted pain treatment clinic. My credentials are in the behavioral realm. All of us who have doctorates are called "doctor" regardless of our expertise.

 

Did I suggest that those who don't have a doctorate start calling themselves "doctor" just because they feel like it?

 

Not that I can tell.

 

I was wondering because when you wrote "perhaps it requires actually having one," you were quoting my post.

 

Just out of curiosity, what is an FNP?

 

Family Nurse Practitioner.

 

When I worked at one hospital there was a nurse that was going to school for her NP. She called it an "almost-a-doctor" license.

 

From what I've observed around here, NP's tend to be more in medical practices and health clinics while emergency departments tend to use physician assistants as their "almost-a-doctors".

 

Just in case some of you might be interested in an overseas perspective on this issue.

Here in Australia most medical practitioners, dentists and vets don't actually have a doctoral degree but are called "doctor" as a courtesy title. Medical practitioners here usually have a MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery) while dentists have a Bachelor of Dental Science and vets have a Bachelor of Veterinary Science. Some dentists and vets have an honours degree. You will find some members of each of these professions with a Ph.D. Medical practioners have been traditionally called doctor but it is only in more recent years that vets and dentists have started using the title. Sometimes practitioners of alternative medicine use the title too. What can complicate things a bit more is that in some states here surgeons are called Mr.

I think it is a fair point to say that most people, particularly those who haven't gone on to higher education themselves, think of medical practitoners as real doctors. Unless they are told otherwise, they would probably assume that a dr is a medical practitioner. There has been some snobbery and tension between the medical profession and others on this point. Some years ago when there was a dispute between a government body and the Australian Medical Association, the head of the AMA always referred to the head of the government organisation as Mr even though the man was a full professor with a Ph.D. I have known of somepeople with Ph.Ds to be resentful of people with bachelors degrees being called dr whereas they have had to do at least an honours degree before commencing their doctorate.

Probably the confusion will decrease over time as there are now so many more Ph.Ds than there used to be plus there are more professional doctorates becoming available too. More people will meet more doctorate holders in different settings than in the past such as at schools.

 

I don't think that there is any license or certification within the medical field in English-speaking countries that identifies a physician as a "doctor", except his/her Doctor of Medicine Degree. The "doctor" appears in "Doctor of Medicine". Everything else refers to the practitioner as a "Physician". The title of the professional is PHYSICIAN, not doctor.

 

Um, yeah. That's why I refer to the commonly-held notion that medical practitioners are the only "real doctors" as half-baked. Obviously, quibbles about who may refer to themselves as "doctor" when they are in a medical setting are designed to protect people from themselves (i.e., those who dont know that the medical doctor's professional title is "physician" and that "doctor" is the proper title of anyone who has earned a doctoral degree).

 

Not quite. The physician is also a "doctor," but by virtue of his/her role as a physician, not the possession of the MD. In fact, an MD who does not have a license to practice as a physician would be misleading people by using the term "doctor," unless othwerwise appropriately applied. (A non-practicing physician teaching at a university, for example, would be "doctor" based upon his/her academic degree.)

This is why we see, as Scott pointed out, holders of the Bachelor of Medicine degree being called "doctor." That term is not based in their academic degree, but in their position in the profession.

In short, the term "doctor" can be applied professionally or academically. The context determines whether or not the usage of the title is appropriate. I'm a doctor all of the time; at work, it is an appropriate title to use, but not at my dentist's office.