Question about using the title Doctor

I would like to get the opinion of the members of the board particular those who have attain a doctorate or the members in general. As a doctoral student I often wonder, what is the proper way to correct someone when they incorrectly refer to you without your terminal title? Should it even matter if someone incorrectly calls you Mr or MS rather than Doctor?
For example if John Doe has a PHD and during the course of the day someone refers to him as Mr. Doe how do you correct them without coming off as a snob?
Would anyone use any of the responses listed below?
A: Would you state that I have doctorate therefore address me as Dr Doe. (A bit overbearing)
B: I prefer to be called Dr Doe, but you can call me John
C: Blow it off since the individual obviously doesn’t you have attain PHD and now harm not foul.
D: Politely give them your business card which displays title.(who wants to be handing out business cards whenever some makes a mistake in address you)
For the members who have attained a PHD I would to know if you encounter this scenario and how did you handle it.

 

I don't have a doctorate but recommend option C.

I see no reason to refer to somebody with a PhD as "Doctor" outside of situational areas such as in an academic setting.

 

When I finish the program, I would not select any of the above. My response will be, "Listen bone-head, since I worked my butt off for six years and make my dear old mother call me doctor, I expect the same respect from you...stupid!!" Or maybe just go with C

 

Well, just for me personally, I would change the department or the company if someone I got to work with makes a chickendance about his title. If someone is very nitpicking about things like that, it might mirrow on the rest of the personality and just mean way to much tention. Also, I find it kinda weird to call someone by his second name if I have already established some kind of work relation ship with him/her. But probably I'm just to young to care about things like that

 

I've been called:
- Mister
- Doctor
- Professor
- Instructor

I only address myself as a doctor in an academic setting and on academic correspondence. A student may address me however they please, as long as:
1. They're polite about it and
2. They're learning.

As doctors, our main goal is to help them on their journey.

 

Actually, I have been called Dr by several students and I correct them with a, "not yet but thanks for the encouragement". Most of my students call me Randell. I like it to be informal.

 

Humility is knowing who you are and being confident in your own healthy self-esteem. You can be arrogant when putting yourself down by acting like a worm and disallowing the honor of being called by the hard earned title of "doctor" (false humility). You can also be arrogant in pontificating your title like a peacock. I say it depends. My students and my patients love calling me Dr. Sam because they respect me for being kind, considerate, and helpful to their lives. They want the security that an "expert" with advanced standing can give them. The title can do that. I let and welcome them to call me "Doctor" since I have legitimately worked for it and paid for it with blood and lots of $$$$$. I find it almost therapeutic for them to do so like a "father" label.

You can be an "a?sH?l?" with or without the title. You can be an amazing person that folks love being called doctor or otherwise.

On a practical note, I throw the title around when I want quick action from authorities and cut through layers of politics and bureaucracy. It also gets me into the "doctors club" arena where I can get referrals and eventually great PR.

Respect is earned. I don't need to feed my ego with the jollies of being called "Doctor" but it helps me obtain inroads to others, opportunities, and invitations to greater things.

Just my two cents.

 

HATS OFF to the two of you and you both have the right idea.

Respect is always earned.

 

Hi,

This question is directed to Randel. I am researching different doctorate programs and one of the schools I'm looking at is NCU for the PhD in Business Admin. You say that you are in the "research phase", so I'm assuming you've completed all your course work. Compared to Capella, Walden and a few others I've looked at, NCU seems to be the most affordable school. So naturally that is something that attracts me the most to the program. However, NCU is also the newest kid on the block.

What can you tell me about your experience at NCU? How do you like the coursework and support from the faculty? Also, at what pace did you move through the coursework? Supposedly each term is 12 weeks, but I've heard you can finish faster??? Anything you can share would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!!!

 

I have never seen any problem with others by not callin's somebody DOCTOR. I think it is a common sense, unless that person is uneducated. The only person I never called "DOCTOR," was my high school Japanese Teacher. She has a Ph.D in History, I just called her as "SENSEI." I think I called Randell once as Doctor in this forum.

 

I have completed the course work. I also looked at those other schools as well as TUI but found NCU had specializations and was the most affordable. NCU is new but Northcentral University is accredited by the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs – ACBSP, the premier accrediting association for business schools and programs with a focus on teaching excellence.

I love NCU. The instructors are great with only one exception (there's one in every crowd). I only took one course at a time because I want to move slowly and had a cap of $4k per year for tuition assistance from my employer and did not want to spend much out of pocket. I could have moved at double the speed or more. Beside taking these classes and working at a demanding corporate job, I teach online so my time to dedicate to NCU is limited.

if you have very specific questions, PM me or post them here. Hope that helps.

 

If you did, I thank you for the thought

 

I would not ask anyone to call me a Doctor, and I don't care, it does not add or subtract to who I am. That would be their choice.

Now, the other day I was looking at a website and someone even signed after her name PhD. If I find it, I will provide the link.

 

I know someone who INSISTS that I call them "doctor so-and-so", and has corrected me on more than one occasion. I can't even begin to tell you how annoying it is. It comes off as being very elitist. I'm on a first-name basis with others I know who have doctorates. They insist on it and they don't really care if they are referred to as "doctor".

I can appreciate the hard work that goes into doctoral studies, but to insist that everyone you meet refer to you as "doctor" is a whole other level of douchebaggery. Unless you're wearing a name tag, a white lab coat or surgical scrubs (oh that's right...not THAT kind of "doctor") how the heck would one know you have a doctorate (you care, but do they?). It kind of reminds me of the movie "Spies Like Us" when eight doctors are standing in a tent greeting each other as "doctor" about 50 times in a row.

 

Implying/demanding others should address you as "doctor" says more about your personality to anyone you meet, than the title "doctor" ever could.

 

I like the Accountant, using math for everything.

 

Sure thing!

 

Hi Tim,

Although you directed this to Randell, I thought I'd chime in since I now have experience with both Capella and NCU at the doctoral level.

I switched to NCU because of cost and no required residencies . . . I live overseas and a couple of years ago my work and personal life just weren't in sync enough for me to keep flying back to the U.S.

However, I found that the NCU format is one in which I personally don't operate well. It's a one-on-one relationship that you have with your instructor, and there is no peer interaction in terms of your coursework. Now, I'm sure that this is great for many, but I found that I was far less motivated in that system than I was at Capella, where weekly peer interaction in each class was required. Although it's true you can move faster through your courses than 12 weeks, I found I was actually procrastinating completing my work simply because I wasn't motivated or excited about what I was doing. Indeed, I got to the point that I thought I would drop my Ph.D. dreams altogether.

In addition, to be frank, although I tried classes out of two different schools in NCU in two different tracks, I feel the rigor of Capella's classes is much higher. Of course, I hadn't gotten to the research courses sequence, etc at NCU, which from all accounts is very rigorous, and just gets harder from there as you go through the dissertation sequence. But between what I have experienced, I felt like I got much more out of my Capella work than NCU (please note, all NCU learners out there, that I am only speaking of my personal experience -- please do not take this in any way to be an extrapolation on my part to all of NCU in terms of rigor).

Hence, I have now switched back to Capella, beginning Oct 6. It's more expensive, and I now have two more int'l trips to make, but for me it's worth it to be back in a learning methodology and structure that makes sense for my style and intrinsic motivation . . . now, hopefully I can actually finish in 2010 what I started so long ago in 2004. The good news is, I'm actually excited again about my doctoral journey for the first time in a long time . . . and as I've been told, without that excitement and drive, it's almost impossible to finish.

Just my food for thought.

Cheers,
Adrienne

 

I'm a "doctor." But I'm also a "mister." Being called the latter is entirely accurate and needs no correction.

I'm addressed by my first name while in the workplace. I do, however, refer to my doctor colleagues by their titles when speaking of them in first person to people who don't know them. But I do not expect anyone to address me as such.

 

Adrienne,

I respect your opinion. You are out on your own with NCU. For me, that works well. As far as the rigor, as any school I have found some to be easier then others. I may just take a class at Capella and compare myself...maybe another degree...