Should the term “Doctor” be reserved for physicians?

[ditchoc]

Originally Posted by Biker53

No they don't need anyone's permission, but my guess is that the next time you are in the hospital and a nurse introduces herself as Dr. so-and-so so as to lead you to believe she is a physician you may not be too happy. Even if her doctorate is in nursing she is not a physician which is what the term doctor infers in medical settings. Of course her doctorate could be in philosophy and some here sound like they'd still be OK with her introducing herself as Dr. so-and-so to patients.



Outside of medical settings I don't care what anyone calls themselves but in medical settings I want to know that anyone telling me they are Dr so-and-so is in fact a physician.

Well, just because you get a 'physician', someone who can practice medicine, does not mean you are talking to someone that understands your specific issue. Keep in mind there are all kinds of doctors. A well trained, experienced nurse with a PhD could most likely give you better advise on something like family medicine than say a radiologist who seldom if ever talks to a patient and only sits in a room looking at x-rays all day.

1. Allergist
2. Anaesthesiologist
3. Andrologist
4. Cardiologist
5. Cardiac Electrophysiologist
6. Dermatologist
7. Emergency Room (ER) Doctors
8. Endocrinologist
9. Epidemiologist
10. Family Medicine Physician
11. Gastroenterologist
12. Geriatrician
13. Hyperbaric Physician
14. Hematologist
15. Hepatologist
16. Immunologist
17. Infectious Disease Specialist
18. Intensivist
19. Internal Medicine Specialist
20. Maxillofacial Surgeon / Oral Surgeon
21. Medical Examiner
22. Medical Geneticist
23. Neonatologist
24. Nephrologist
25. Neurologist
26. Neurosurgeon
27. Nuclear Medicine Specialist
28. Obstetrician/Gynecologist (OB/GYN)
29. Occupational Medicine Specialist
30. Oncologist
31. Ophthalmologist
32. Orthopedic Surgeon / Orthopedist
33. Otolaryngologist (also ENT Specialist)
34. Parasitologist
35. Pathologist
36. Perinatologist
37. Periodontist
38. Pediatrician
39. Physiatrist
40. Plastic Surgeon
41. Psychiatrist
42. Pulmonologist
43. Radiologist
44. Rheumatologist
45. Sleep Doctor / Sleep Disorders Specialist
46. Spinal Cord Injury Specialist
47. Sports Medicine Specialist
48. Surgeon
49. Thoracic Surgeon
50. Urologist
51. Vascular Surgeon
52. Veterinarian
53. Acupuncturist
54. Audiologist
55. Ayurvedic Practioner
56. Chiropractor
57. Diagnostician
58. Homeopathic Doctor
59. Microbiologist
60. Naturopathic Doctor
61. Palliative care specialist
62. Pharmacist
63. Physiotherapist
64. Podiatrist / Chiropodist
65. Registered Massage Therapist

[bus man]

Originally Posted by ditchoc

Well, just because you get a 'physician', someone who can practice medicine, does not mean you are talking to someone that understands your specific issue. Keep in mind there are all kinds of doctors. A well trained, experienced nurse with a PhD could most likely give you better advise on something like family medicine than say a radiologist who seldom if ever talks to a patient and only sits in a room looking at x-rays all day.

A good nurse is worth her (or his!) weight in gold. But this doesn't mean that they should be called "Doctor" in a medical setting.

[ARaider08]

Originally Posted by latimeria

Anyone who has earned a doctorate degree can certainly call themselves Dr. if they wish.

/thread


Seriously.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_(title)


There's 37+ simpletons in this forum.

[Kracer]

Originally Posted by The Dark Enlightenment

...anyone who earns a PhD, which is difficult to do, in many fields more difficult than becoming a medical doctor. These are people who, at least in theory, have advanced human understanding of something significant. Why wouldn't you want to respect and encourage that?

The term 'doctor', referencing a medical doctor, has claimed precedence.


Calling a doctor of philosophy a doctor is intentionally misleading.


A PhD I know always pretends to be a 'doctor' for special treatment when travelling.


To reference a PhD the entire title should be used to eliminate confusion.


Many PhDs are esoteric and narrow in scope. A result of universities generating business for profit.


A PhD is pretty much like a juggler in a circus. Excellent at doing one thing, deficient in everything else.

[golgi1]

It would be easier to change the title for physicians than for everyone else, to the point that it isn't even a question what would be done.

Physicians have what is known as a "clinical doctorate", as opposed to a research doctorate. Examples of other professions that require a clinical doctorate degree are physical therapists and audiologists. Each gets a doctorate in their specific field of future clinical practice: medicine, PT, and audiology respectively.

The clinical doctorate is the more uncommon type of doctorate.

The most common doctorate degree was originally intended for people who are trained to develop fields through thought and research, as well as to teach. Today, it is most commonly thought of as a research degree and, if you are differentiating, referred to as a research doctorate.

In casual conversation all doctorate degrees are generally referred to only as doctorate degrees.

The reality is that they aren't going to change anything, and both people with research degrees and clinical degrees will both continue to warrant the "doctor" title.

Though, I agree that, when they began to award them, more thought could have been put into creating an alternate title for the more academically intensive (versus a masters level clinical degree) clinical doctorate to avoid the confusion over the same name for two different types of training.