Addressing physicians

[NeuroNP]

How do you address physicians in the UK? Are they called Dr. So-and-so? As I understand it, a physician in the UK is not an MD but an MBBS is that right? What about surgeons?

[ZippyGBR, BSN, RN]

away from patients by their first names usually!

formally

- any junior and any grade of higher specialst trainee or fully trained physician are known as 'Doctor'

-any Consultant or fully trained carreer grade (e.g Staff specialists)surgeon and some Higher surgical trainees ( i.e. with their part 2) is 'Mr' or 'Miss'

because UK medical schools are undergraduate entry the degree is a double - bachelors ( triple in the case of some Republic of Ireland unis) bachelor of medicine (MB or BM ) Bachelor of Surgery (BS, BCh ,ChB ) and the third (irish) is bachelor of obstetrics (BAO)

MD is a post basic, usually research, degree when awarded by a UK Medical School

[cheshirecat]

Consultant surgeons in Scotland are still addressed as Doctor and not Mister. Took me ages to get used to this when I did midwifery in Scotland after working in England.

[Tanvi Tusti]

Tom, Dick, Harry or Jane, whatever their first name is, is what they get called by staff.

In front of patients we generally refer to them as doctor and they refer to us as nurse, staff or sister!

[hanna-beacon]

Of course you always get the odd one who is up his/her own jacksy and will on no grounds be spoken to on first name terms!

Sometimes theres too many to remember and its easier just to call them Doctor :)

[english_nurse]

oi you usually doesnt go down too well i find

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

Of course you always get the odd one who is up his/her own jacksy and will on no grounds be spoken to on first name terms!

and where I used to work they didn't last long, they soon learn't :) Wonder of pulling together

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

oi you usually doesnt go down too well i find

and other words to the effect of :lol_hitti :monkeydance:

[madwife2002, BSN, RN]

oi you usually doesnt go down too well i find

:lol2: :lol2: I just love that word

[paris2]

I work in acute specialist hospital and with our doctors once they passes their Fellowship of Royal College of Surgeon, they become "Mr" and some of them can't wait to become "Mr" as for them being "Mr" meant has more authority/responsiblity over their juniors.

[karenG]

yes...they spend years at medical school to get the title Dr.. and then spent years studying so they can go back to being Mr...!

K

[ZippyGBR, BSN, RN]

yes...they spend years at medical school to get the title Dr.. and then spent years studying so they can go back to being Mr...!

K

and then some of them become 'doctor' again by getting a (commonwealth post basic) MD or a PhD