Curious...using the title "Doctor" for a DNP...

Specialties Doctoral

Published

For a friendly debate topic.....

I remembered reading an old post awhile ago where an NP (who got her DNP) was told by Human Resources that she couldn't use the title "Doctor" at the hospital, because it would mislead the patients.

I am wondering if anyone has seen or heard anything similar where they work (you personally or someone else).

If hospitals are "all about introductions", I see nothing wrong with telling a patient, "Hi, I'm Dr. Smith, I'm a Nurse Practioner"...I see no difference between that and saying, "Hi, I'm Dr. Jones and I'm your Cardiologist".

To me, that would be a HUGE slap in the fact to someone who has worked hard for that degree, because they are entitled to use that title.

What ya'll think?

Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

i would respectfully ask everyone to avoid accusations of trolling.

report posts that violate the terms of service by using the report icon report.gif and ignore those for which you do not have a constructive response.

if someone is trolling, responding similarly is just chumming the waters and only serves to feed the negativity.

thank you.......

Specializes in Mursing.

Hate to sound like a Debbie Downer, but you can see what n_g and silas4296 (or whatever the number is) are going to be like if they pass their undergrad and residency: those arrogant physicians that nobody respects.

Specializes in ED, Cardiac-step down, tele, med surg.
Hate to sound like a Debbie Downer, but you can see what n_g and silas4296 (or whatever the number is) are going to be like if they pass their undergrad and residency: those arrogant physicians that nobody respects.

Maybe as they get farther along in their program and grow intellectually and emotionally their views may change. It's not a good feeling to go around with all that hate (if that's what it is), for any of us.

Specializes in PNP, CDE, Integrative Pain Management.

I appreciate the poster who would introduce herself to patients as "Hello, I'm Dr. so-and-so, I'm a nurse practitioner." Can't really argue that one.

It seems to me that PhDs, PharmDs, JDs, whatever the doctoral education, certainly have the word "doctor" before their names, but they are still referred to as professor, pharmacist, lawyer, etc. Their titles say "doctor" but the role is whatever.

When one is referring to one's "doctor," it is usually pretty clear s/he is not referring to her/his pharmacist or attorney or NP but to physician. Surely the PharmD can be introduced with proper credentials, ie "This is Dr. Smith, pharmacist."

In nursing school, one wouldn't say "class is about to start, here comes the doctor" but certainly would say, "here comes Dr. Smith" (obviously the professor).

Why can't we all use the titles we've earned, and state our roles? Including MDs, as in "I'm Dr. Smith, physician"?

FYI,

if you are working in a hospital it would be advisable that your review your medical staff bylaws to be sure the use of the title is not protected in there either. As I was going through mine I noticed it was prohibited.

I know my dentist didn't go to medical school, but I call him "doctor."

I know my vet didn't go to medical school, but I call her "doctor."

And my personal fave, professors who have Ph.Ds. I know they don't have clinical degrees, but some of them want to be called "doctor."

I think the human resources department that thinks I would be confused by a DNP who refers to himself or herself as "doctor" should give me more credit. Especially when I'm staring at his or her name tag. Most consumers can figure out that an MD is not a DO. I think they can recognize that a DNP is not an MD.

I see both sides of this. The DNP has earned the right to be called "doctor" but I think a lot of people would find this confusing. However, the public can be educated. I think she has every right to call herself by the legal title she has worked so hard to earn. Hopefully, she is paid enough, too.

I appreciate the poster who would introduce herself to patients as "Hello, I'm Dr. so-and-so, I'm a nurse practitioner." Can't really argue that one.

It seems to me that PhDs, PharmDs, JDs, whatever the doctoral education, certainly have the word "doctor" before their names, but they are still referred to as professor, pharmacist, lawyer, etc. Their titles say "doctor" but the role is whatever.

When one is referring to one's "doctor," it is usually pretty clear s/he is not referring to her/his pharmacist or attorney or NP but to physician. Surely the PharmD can be introduced with proper credentials, ie "This is Dr. Smith, pharmacist."

In nursing school, one wouldn't say "class is about to start, here comes the doctor" but certainly would say, "here comes Dr. Smith" (obviously the professor).

Why can't we all use the titles we've earned, and state our roles? Including MDs, as in "I'm Dr. Smith, physician"?

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nice thought but I doubt it will ever happen. I could be wrong, hopefully.

Hate to sound like a Debbie Downer, but you can see what n_g and silas4296 (or whatever the number is) are going to be like if they pass their undergrad and residency: those arrogant physicians that nobody respects.

Wow, that really hurt my feelings, tanthalas. So you have a whole year of nursing behind you?

I'm not arrogant-- I'm the opposite of arrogant; I know that I don't know anything. Being aware of my ignorance is probably one of my best features, and my willingness to learn from techs, nurses, interns, residents, and attendings is what I consider to be a really great strength of mine.

I am frustrated because this whole Mundinger movement is making the training physicians undertake look like a joke. It's upsetting an entire balance that is designed to protect the patient-- the most educated person who is most qualified to make the decision is the one who ultimately makes the decision. He or she cannot do that without the help of crucial staff members such as nurses, midlevels, techs, etc., but at the end the attending physician who is in charge is in that position for a reason. It's not to say that that person doesn't make mistakes or is wrong from time to time, but this doesn't mean that we put the decision making into the hands of lesser-trained people.

I get angry because this movement of a group of mid-levels is trying to blur the lines between the qualifications of attending physicians and DNP's-- I've seen the curriculum of the DNP's and you can't compare the education of med school and DNPs. It makes me mad that DNP's and everyone else wants to call themselves "doctor," and that you can't recognize a physician anymore.

I don't get why you guys sit around wondering why physicians get so up in arms when you start breaching in on our territory-- how would you feel if the techs started practicing nursing? Because that is exactly what you're doing. You're practicing medicine without ever having stepped foot in a medical school classroom, without ever having been a medical resident, without ever having sat for the medical boards. I don't think a lot of you know how much you don't know.

Just to throw in my :twocents:, I think doctor should be used by people with a DNP. I see no problem with someone calling themselves a doctor as long as they say what kind they are. It seems like most of the med students in here are arguing against it saying that it just confuses the public, and I think that's because the public needs to be more educated about nurse practitioners in general. One good side effect of using the term doctor is that it makes people notice nurse practitioners more. If nurse practitioners and other health care doctors use their titles properly and educate their patients about it, then hopefully people will realize that doctor is an academic title rather than a medical one. Nurses and others also need to watch out how they use the title when referring to others. Start referring to physicians by that term, using "doctor" as a prefix for their name.

Specializes in ER/OR.

It seems that most "physicians" who are against NPs using the term "doctor" on this board are just medical students who have yet to touch a patient and have an overinflated sense of self-worth. When they actually start working, many change their tune. However, its much easier to swallow the opinion of a working physician than some kid who just passed intro to anatomy class and think they have all the answers. :twocents:

Specializes in ED, Cardiac-step down, tele, med surg.

In response to the above who mentioned "not knowing what we don't know". It is impossible for anyone to know what they don't know and everyone doesn't know what they don't know. It just doesn't exist. We can try to get a better understanding at different types of training. I have a bio-sci degree and my program was geared toward entry to med school, pharm, dentistry, etc, so I know the training is extremely rigorous and very in depth. I think most people respect the amount of time and dedication that people put in to study medicine. To berate the training of other professionals, like NPs or PAs, who usually get on the job training is arrogant and unbecoming of a respectable professional.

In response to the above who mentioned "not knowing what we don't know". It is impossible for anyone to know what they don't know and everyone doesn't know what they don't know.

I respectfully disagree -- as a staff nurse for many years, and as a midlevel provider (psych CNS) for many years, I've always had a healthy awareness of how my knowledge base and scope of practice differ from the other professionals in the general field of psychiatry/mental health. I've always (as long as I've been in nursing) known what (how much) I don't know ... I don't mean that what I know and what I can do is inferior, or less useful or valuable than what others have to offer; but I know and respect the differences.

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