Do you work with any that ask you to do this? Does it weird you out at all?
I'm a pretty laid back person...like sometimes "check-a-pulse" laidback. :wink2: I'm also pretty self confident and I'm not scared of doctors. But I guess I had it ingrained into my head at some impressionable stage in my life that they're addressed as "Dr So and So". I didn't realize how deeply this penetrated my fragile psyche until a few years ago when my Sis started dating a vet. I called him Dr H, even when we were all out in a social setting and taught my Kiddo to do the same. (I quit when I found out he was a Red Wings fan...came up with a different name that I won't post here! LOL! But I made the Kiddo continue to call him Doc for the longest time. It eventually evolved into Uncle Dr H. )
Anyway, so now I'm working in an ER, and even though I'm a probie RN, I've worked there for over a year. We have a bunch of great docs...talented, respectful, the whole shibang. I'm very lucky and I know it. Some of our doctors have started asking us to call them by their first names, and I kinda feel uncomfortable doing it. I mean, they went to school for a loooong time to earn that title. At first, I just thought that it was because they were younger docs and less formal...but then I realized they weren't that young, I was just older. I don't think it's a big formailty thing, and it's not like I'm adressing them as my superior. It's just a title for an impressive feat that they accomplished, and I think they earned it, and my respect.
I do it, or at least try to remember. I refuse to do it in front of patients though. Gets my lots of eye rolls, but hey...I have my standards. Not many, but the ones I do have, I stick to. But it just feels weird. So I was wondering if this was common in other areas, or if my docs are even more laid back than I am? :chuckle
My 2cents worth!! I work in the OR and with that comes the mighty Surgeon. I like you am very laid back and very confident in my own abilities. A number of the doctors I work with tell me to call them by their first name. Of course I have a hard time with this because I started off calling them Dr. Blah!!! Sometimes I will call them by their first name but more often than not I will throw Dr. in front of their first name. In return they will call me Scrub Tech blah and just laugh as they walk off! A lot of the younger doctors are not so hung up on their titles. I guess to they realize that we know who they are and what their role is and we all share a mutual respect.
Residents and fellows, always, always the first name, even in front of patients. Most attendings Dr So-and-So, except for one who has a difficult Indian name. I got to know our chief of surgery at a conference, so I called him by his first name there. Haven't seen him at work since then, but I imagine if it's a casual situation I'll still call him by his first name. Our Director of Neonatology really wants everyone to call him by his first name, but I just can't do it. He's a) a million years old, b) the, uh, Director, and c) has the same name as my dad. It's weird for me to call *anybody* that name, regardless of who they are.
Specializes in Gyn Onc, OB, L&D, HH/Hospice/Palliative.
I address all the residents/fellows by their first name, it's mutual, I refer to them as Dr so and so in front of patients, the attendings I always call dr so and so except if they did their residency with us and in that case they keep the first name approach
In some of the hospitals I've worked it was normal to call doctors by first name. In fact, they knew if I addressed them as "Doctor So and So" something was serious - get in here right now! In other hospitals it is much more formal, so I go with the prevailing habit.
A rather amusing situation arose when I was at one of the more formal (southern) hospitals on a contract and a doc I had worked with in the other setting moved to the hospital where I was. Our more casual, joking interchanges scandalized some of the staff!
It's so funny; I don't seem to be able to internalize the idea that just calling someone "Doctor" means, to most of them, that you're mad at them. I do it as a reflex to avoid calling them "ma'am" or "sir", which has a tendency to really irritate people. I use ma'am and sir WAY too often - it's a verbal tic. So when they come around and I just say "hello doctor" or answer a question with "yes, doctor" they get all nervous.
Funny when I worked in exclusively peds, almost all the docs were 'DR first name', it was easier and friendlier for the kids mostly. But also seemed more casual for staff, while still keeping the title.
When in big teaching hosp-was same as most have said, mostly residents/students first names, and attendings were 'Dr ___' Some that you'd worked a lot with or a long time, were first name less formal times (ie night, no family around, or committees, etc) but always 'Dr' in front of patients families.
We use 1st names for all but about 4 of our doctors and those 4 are definitely old school doctors who should really retire soon but that's a different story.
The rest get 1st names and that's at their request, either due to other doctors with the same surname, unpronounceable surnames or in the case of one doctor she's just started working at a practice and is only in her late 20s.
tweety, that reminds me of the old story of the lady running up and down the beach screaming for a lifeguard 'MY SON, THE DOCTOR, IS DROWNING
i think that people should be comfortable with what they are called, if they want to called by their first name fine, if thay want to be called with a title frst or last name
we have a md in town he is pushing 50 but he likes to dress and act like a younger man, he has two sons they are call DR FIRST NAME
and the father is just called by first name
when you introduce a patient to his consult, i would say Dr. last name
no sense in them getting the idea that the maintaince guy is going to take them apart
I'm old fashioned and always use "Dr So and So". There is one doctor with whom I'm extremely friendly, and he's progressive about this, but I still use "Dr O", I just can't break the habit, since I'm so old I guess.
) 
Valanda
112 Posts
After my mother graduated from Veterinary school, I had to call her Dr. Mom for years after.
Needless to say, I find it very hard to call Doc's by their first names. Even if they ask me to call them by their first name, then it's "Dr. Lisa".
I guess my Dr.Mom trained me too well.