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Random Thoughts On The Title "Doctor"
If you've earned a PhD, MD, DO, DDS, or other doctorate (e.g. Psy D or Ed D) at an accredited program , you totally get to call yourself "doctor". Take pride in your accomplishment! (1/n)
If you've earned a PhD, MD, DO, DDS, or other doctorate (e.g. Psy D or Ed D) at an accredited program , you totally get to call yourself "doctor". Take pride in your accomplishment! (1/n)
If you've been awarded an honorary doctorate (e.g., you're a famous rock star who didn't go to college but you donated $$$ to a university which then gave you an honorary PhD), you are technically a "doctor". But it would be misleading to use that title in correspondence. (2/n)
If you're working in a medical context and you have a non-MD, non-DO doctorate, you might need to sometimes alert your audience that you aren't a medical doctor. (3/n)
For example, someone with a PhD in biochemistry (but not an MD) discussing a new drug might need to clarify that they aren't necessarily qualified to comment on specific treatment plans of a specific patient. This is, of course, highly dependent on context. (4/n)
Even if you have (any) doctorate, it isn't always necessary to identify yourself as such. For example, I don't typically use my title of "Dr." in non-medical settings -- e.g., making a hotel reservation. But every doctor gets to decide those boundaries for themselves. (5/n)
I think it's bizarre when a man and a woman with equal credentials (e.g. both MDs) working in the same context are addressed differently -- for instance, the man is called "Dr. Jones" by their department head but the woman is addressed by her first name (e.g., "Sally"). (6/n)
Same if two PhDs in, say, the math department at a university are addressed differently by their chairperson because one was male and the other female. I'd be ticked off if my earned accomplishment was regularly dissed in that fashion, even if unconsciously so. (7/n)
(There's a whole separate but related discussion on asymmetric use of "doctor" based on race/ethnicity of otherwise equally qualified professionals, but that will have to wait for another time.) (8/8)
On a tangential note, radiologists do take good-natured ribbing from other physician specialists about not being "real doctors". But as long as my badge gets me access to the coffee machine at the doctor's lounge in the hospital, I don't care!
