Addressing doctors by their first names

trauma_junkie1 · Oct 1, 2004

Well, this has certainly been an interesting debate!

Personally, I don't want someone to call me Mr. So-and-so or Nurse So-and-so. I was orignally planning on going to Medical school and had planned on using my first name with people then too. I can see how the use of Dr. might put people at ease a bit more but it also can have the opposite effect.

Most of the docs I work with introduce themselves to patients (this is in an ED) by saying "Hi, I'm Bob Smith. I'm going to be one of the doctors taking care of you today."

Incidentally, I think that if you address a doc by first name, it doesn't amtter where you are. I REFER to docs as Dr. Smith when speaking to the patient, (ie Dr. Smith wrote you a prescription for Percocet) but don't ADDRESS them as such (ie, doc and I are in pts room and i need to ask the doc something, I say, "Bob, do you want to go ahead and give Mr Patient something for his headache?"). I don't think it's unprofessional. I see other professions do this all the time. I also see docs do this to each other all the time.

Example, if two docs are discussing something with a patient, they might say, "Dr. Jones and I have been talking" but they won't then call the other doc Dr. Jones when speaking to HIM.

So, I guess all that semantical nonsense I just went on about is to say that I think that TO ME it sounds deferential, like the doc is my superior rather than my colleague. Maybe it's just me....

RN4NICU, LPN, LVN · Oct 2, 2004

Well, this has certainly been an interesting debate!
Personally, I don't want someone to call me Mr. So-and-so or Nurse So-and-so. I was orignally planning on going to Medical school and had planned on using my first name with people then too. I can see how the use of Dr. might put people at ease a bit more but it also can have the opposite effect.
Most of the docs I work with introduce themselves to patients (this is in an ED) by saying "Hi, I'm Bob Smith. I'm going to be one of the doctors taking care of you today."
Incidentally, I think that if you address a doc by first name, it doesn't amtter where you are. I REFER to docs as Dr. Smith when speaking to the patient, (ie Dr. Smith wrote you a prescription for Percocet) but don't ADDRESS them as such (ie, doc and I are in pts room and i need to ask the doc something, I say, "Bob, do you want to go ahead and give Mr Patient something for his headache?"). I don't think it's unprofessional. I see other professions do this all the time. I also see docs do this to each other all the time.
Example, if two docs are discussing something with a patient, they might say, "Dr. Jones and I have been talking" but they won't then call the other doc Dr. Jones when speaking to HIM.
So, I guess all that semantical nonsense I just went on about is to say that I think that TO ME it sounds deferential, like the doc is my superior rather than my colleague. Maybe it's just me....

I totally agree with you and that is why I feel that the practice is absurd. They are professional colleagues, not superiors. If they were our "superiors" they would have the authority to hire and fire us (although some of them THINK that they do - they clearly do not.) For NURSING managment to expect/require this of their fellow nurses - I would no longer hold any respect for them as nursing colleagues. Ignorant management fools who might actually think that doctors "supervise" nurses (and are "Minor Dieties") are one thing, but fellow nurses know better and there is nothing worse than a traitor. :angryfire

trauma_junkie1 · Oct 2, 2004

For NURSING managment to expect/require this of their fellow nurses - I would no longer hold any respect for them as nursing colleagues.

I think they said goodbye to the respect of their colleagues (other than administration folks, who seem to universally derided by docs and nurses alike) a long time ago!

cursenurse · Oct 4, 2004

Do you REALLY do that???
IMHO...I think it's petty bickering about something like being adressed as "Nurse _______" that keeps us from being taken seriously. Seriously here guys....there are much MORE important things to argue about than this!
As for calling MDs by their first name. Yes, I do it, but not when speaking to a pt.

yes, i do. i dont think that it's petty to be addressed in the manner that you would like. i am on a first name basis with my coworkers, but not my patients, what's wrong with that? i consider it to be a totally different relationship. i guess it goes back to how i was raised, you addressed adults by mr or ms and it has kind of carried over into adulthood for me. another thing is that for a lot of people, addressing them by first name without their permission in a situation where they are a customer or client is offensive and rude-it is considered overly familiar. it is often better to address a person more formally and then have them say "just call me John." we would probably not call a pt who desired to be called "mr jones" petty, so why would the nurse be considered so? i feel that it's high time that we allow ourselves the same rights and privileges that we extend to our pt's and the dr's we work with. i also believe that the whole issue of how to address people is both a cultural and a generational issue, and should be considered so that we dont offend our pt's or each other.

Victoriakem · Oct 5, 2004

In the ED, Docs & nurses call each other by their first names, but it's Dr. blah blah to the patients. However, a co-worker, a long time nurse always introduces herself as Mrs. lastname, instead of using her first name, to her pts. This makes me wonder how seriously nurses are looked at when introducing themselves with their first names.As an ED nurse, I don't really have a problem with that, since there are so many serious illnesses & scared pts. & it's a way to diffuse things & make pts feel more relaxed. But, still, what does anyone else think about this? What are nurses introduced using their first names, & Doc. as Dr. so & so?

kacrn · Oct 5, 2004

In our ER we used to call our physicians by Dr..... However, a weirdo called one of our doctors at home, when asked how she got his phone number she replied, "I heard the nurses call you Dr..... and I called everyone of them in the phone book til I found you." This is the same reason that we do not place our last name on our badges. Shouldn't the docs deserve the same protection?

I've got a question for you all:
I work in a busy ED and we recently recieved a memo from our management stating that we had a new "Code of Conduct." Among other things (soem of which make good sense and some of which are rediculous) one of the new "standards" is that we (nursing staff) are to always address physicians by "Dr. Smith" instead of "John" (example...).
Now, when talking to patients, I refer to doctors this way, but when talking to the doctors, I use first names. We're all friends, it's a tight knit group. Even the doctors have said, "that's dumb, don't call me that." Our feeling is that this is an example of managment that is out of touch. (Most of our docs don't have any clue who the managers are and these are people who have GREAT relationships with the nurses!)
I can't think of any other profession that would be asked to do that. Doctors don't call each other "Dr" if they're close friends. I'm not talking about docs that we don't know, faculty consultants. I'm talking about our own ER residents! We will actually be written up if management hears us call them by their first name, citing that it's "unprofessional."
Am I nuts here?

SandraCVRN · Oct 5, 2004

I know I am absolutely in the minority here but in the military we always addressed someone by their rank since it was something they earned. I feel physicians are the same way. If at all in a place of employment then they should be addressed as Dr. If outside work then that is a different story.

alisunshine9 · Oct 6, 2004

And I prefer to be called "Your Majesty" but I live in the real world where working with doctors is called collaborative care, not subservience. :angryfire How ridiculous is it that we have rules of properly addressing the doctor. :uhoh3: I think we have more important things to do....like care for our patients!

Victoriakem · Oct 6, 2004

Not displaying surnames is a good safely issue. Some people I work with cover up their's with a sticker. I asked management why surnames were listed & it was supposed to be a professional issue. Don't really understand that one.

kacrn · Oct 6, 2004

I agree, I don't understand that one either. In this day and age I would think safety would come first. We can show professionalism in other ways!

Not displaying surnames is a good safely issue. Some people I work with cover up their's with a sticker. I asked management why surnames were listed & it was supposed to be a professional issue. Don't really understand that one.

melpn · Oct 8, 2004

Yes, if they don't mind, but never in front of patients. I'd actually prefer they'd refer to me as Nurse X in front of patients as well; I earned my title just like the docs did. I'd rather my patients call me by my first name (I think it makes me seem more approchable). But I should be given the same choice of how to be addressed that I give my patients. It's all about respect.

fergus51 · Oct 8, 2004

Not displaying surnames is a good safely issue. Some people I work with cover up their's with a sticker. I asked management why surnames were listed & it was supposed to be a professional issue. Don't really understand that one.

I thought it was because patients have the right to know who is caring for them. Can't report "Sandy" to the BON or sue "Sally" for malpractice. As long as they have to right to see their medical records, they can find the nurse's full name from that. One of the reasons I have an unlisted number.