"Dr. >>>>>, NP

[TWR]

I have an NP friend in NM who is starting an NP doctoral program online in Houston.  I asked her if she was going to teach.  She is in primary care but in NM she can practice and call herself "Dr." so and so.  Is that correct??

[thinkertdm]

I’m going to fall back on my penchant for book quotes, this one from Fight Club:

Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken.

Chuck Palahniuk

:

 

[Reality Check 2]

In a clinical setting, the word doctor or physician implies an MD/DO.

Anyone can get a PhD - in Egyptology or French Medieval Literature - it does not imply one is a physician in a medical setting.

NPs and PAs who have doctorates are not physicians in this sense.

They should not identify themselves as physicians - EVER.

In a teaching setting - if one prefers the title doctor - go for it, whatever.  Not in a clinic.

Patient perception and truth in advertising are paramount.

So, NO, an NP with a doctorate is not a physician and should not use the title Dr.

Call me crusty - just don't call me doctor.

[LT_Oneal_PAC]

It all depends on laws in NM. She may legally be able to call herself doctor, though if she does a good job she is doing her profession a disservice by not saying “Dr. so so, nurse practitioner” and probably dishonest.

I personally won’t call myself doctor with a DMS (once I get it), but I wouldn’t as an MD either. Personally I think no one should introduce themself only by their educational title. 
 

this argument that only physicians can call themselves doctor is flawed, in my opinion. Doctor used to only mean MD until the DO came around. Imagine where they would be if they acquiesced. Next, physicians are not masters of everyone else’s discipline. Pharmacists know more about drugs, RT knows more about vents, PT knows more about rehab, social workers know more about psych, RD knows more about nutrition. I have more training in EM than all the people I work with except the medics director. The list goes on. Are there specialists that are experts in these too? Yes, but that isn’t knowledge they received to be called doctor. I never hear the outcry of FM physicians In the ED  confusing patients they are an EM specialist. Heck, never heard a resident say they are a resident. It’s always “Dr. so and so, part of your X team.” Doesn’t that confuse patients? Should every physician have to list their specialty when introducing themselves? How about if they went to the university of Mexico? What about Caribbean? Shouldn’t we know if they skirted the rigor of the US system? What bout if they when to a community residency program and not Yale? Should surgeons have to tell you how many of X surgeries they have done? Complication rate?

”Hello, I’m Dr. smith, doctor of osteopathic medicine, board eligible general surgery. So you don’t have an confusion that I’m better than Dr. Lee down the hall and diminish his accomplishments, I was accepted to a for profit university XXX that takes 200 students per class with a 3.4 GPa that I got only after multiple grade replacements. I then graduated with a 3.2 GPa and couldn’t match into an allopathic residency because I tanked step 1 of usmle. I took the comlex and scrambled into a osteopathic general surgery program. I have no research publications, the rep taught me how to do robotics 3 months ago for this type of surgery. I have a complication rate of 1%. I hear you have abdominal pain?”

[dfw6er]

Crap like this just makes physicians hate NPs even more.   Unfortunately lots of physicians lump NPs with PAs, so the PAs are collateral damage from the DNP antics. 

[ventana]

9 hours ago, Reality Check 2 said:

In a clinical setting, the word doctor or physician implies an MD/DO.

Anyone can get a PhD - in Egyptology or French Medieval Literature - it does not imply one is a physician in a medical setting.

NPs and PAs who have doctorates are not physicians in this sense.

They should not identify themselves as physicians - EVER.

In a teaching setting - if one prefers the title doctor - go for it, whatever.  Not in a clinic.

Patient perception and truth in advertising are paramount.

So, NO, an NP with a doctorate is not a physician and should not use the title Dr.

Call me crusty - just don't call me doctor.

 

 

5 years ago I would agree

 

but now when the PhD, , DNP, audiologist, PT and a host of other people are calling them selves DOCTOR when they are talking to me, advertising in the papers and radio I am thinking this horse has left the barn already....

 

PHYSICIAN is reserved for MD/DO (oh yeah and in my state Chiro's too - 'eye roll')

 

Doctor is a title earned with an Academic degree - it is not reserved for physician only

 

We are loosing the race to independence and I don't know the specific answer in this case, but if we keep putting ourselves BEHIND all the other professions (All of which can direct bill, whom are calling themselves Doctors, and whom are in many cases direct access) we are not following a pathway to success.

 

Sounds stupid to the the Doctor Nurse, or even worse the Doctor Physician Assistant