Professional communication

[rpackelly]

In most university settings it is totally ingrained and completely expected to use the doctor title for professors with any doctoral degree.    I have been amazed that even in relatively informal meetings, all classrooms,  and in all public settings faculty  refer to each other as "Doctor X" or if they do not have the degree, "Professor X".  I thought that it was weird that we even call each other by title.    I wonder why medicine is a little bit more relaxed.  I did notice  a big shift i medical settings when I left the west coast in 1992 (first names were the rule except in direct exchanges with patients) for the east coast and the midwest ("doctor" prevailed until pretty recently).   In PA programs faculty with doctoral degrees are inevitably called doctor in the classroom or even for years afterwards.   There is a lot more informality in medical settings with many nurses and unit managers first naming everyone without exceptions. 

[Kwame E]

I'm doing some volunteering at a small hospital and the other day the doctor walked in and everybody at the nurse station said "hi Doctor _____" and she politely said "hello everyone."

 

The funny thing was she looked all of 22. I thought to myself "she's a doctor?"

 

There seems to be a lot of young docs at this particular hospital. I've seen 4 docs and 2 PAs. 3 of the docs look under 30, the 2 PAs look to be in their 40s. Maybe they're residents?

[delco714]

I'm doing some volunteering at a small hospital and the other day the doctor walked in and everybody at the nurse station said "hi Doctor _____" and she politely said "hello everyone."

 

The funny thing was she looked all of 22. I thought to myself "she's a doctor?"

 

There seems to be a lot of young docs at this particular hospital. I've seen 4 docs and 2 PAs. 3 of the docs look under 30, the 2 PAs look to be in their 40s. Maybe they're residents?

cue the doogie howser theme song