Does anybody here feel like I do regarding calling nurses by their first names and doctors are called Dr. so-and-so?
I think this adds to the god-complex that physicians sometimes have which nurses and other hospital employees help perpetuate.
I don't like calling the physician by Dr. so-and-so while he or she calls me Peggy. I've discussed this with other nurses and they don't really seem to have any problem with it. Why is it acceptable for us to use formal address when talking with physicians and they use informal when addressing us? Why aren't we called Nurse so-and-so in order to receive the same level of formal address that physicians get?
I recently started a new job at a hospital that prides itself in not perpetuating the physician-god-complex, however, physicians are very much addressed using the formal while they don't extend the same respect to those with whom they work. When introducing myself to one of the physicians, I asked him how he wanted me to address him and he replied, "Dr. (blank)." I said is this only in front of patients or all the time. He looked at me with a bit of a question and responded with, "Well, really only in front of patients. My name is David and that is what you can call me." I smiled, shook his hand and told him my fist name. Would it have been rude for me to smile, shake his hand and ask him to call me Nurse (blank) had he requested that I always address him as Dr. (blank)?
Specializes in Case Managemnt, Utilization Review.
WHere I work all nurses and MD's are on a first name basis. I always refer to the MD as Doctor_______ in front of the patient. I usually address the attendings as Dr____, unless i worked with them previously as a resident, then the first name sticks.
I work at a large medical center, the attendings, residents,interns and med students call me by my first name and I call them by their first names unless in front of a pt. Great team comeraderie.
Doctor has been an accepted title for a very long time. The title Doctor (last name) is used for MDs, PhDs, and PsyDs. You can introduce someone as Dr _____ in non-medical settings instead of Mr, Ms, Miss, or Mrs. The same does not work for the title Nurse.
So no, it doesn't bother me. I'd also add that nurses tend to have more intimate contact with pts. than doctors do. We spend more time with pts. and perform intimate cares. Yes, MDs perform invasive and intimate exams and procedures, but we spend more time with and perform more intimate cares. Would you want to have to address someone who helps you poop with a formal title?
Does anybody here feel like I do regarding calling nurses by their first names and doctors are called Dr. so-and-so?
I think this adds to the god-complex that physicians sometimes have which nurses and other hospital employees help perpetuate.
I don't like calling the physician by Dr. so-and-so while he or she calls me Peggy. I've discussed this with other nurses and they don't really seem to have any problem with it. Why is it acceptable for us to use formal address when talking with physicians and they use informal when addressing us? Why aren't we called Nurse so-and-so in order to receive the same level of formal address that physicians get?
I recently started a new job at a hospital that prides itself in not perpetuating the physician-god-complex, however, physicians are very much addressed using the formal while they don't extend the same respect to those with whom they work. When introducing myself to one of the physicians, I asked him how he wanted me to address him and he replied, "Dr. (blank)." I said is this only in front of patients or all the time. He looked at me with a bit of a question and responded with, "Well, really only in front of patients. My name is David and that is what you can call me." I smiled, shook his hand and told him my fist name. Would it have been rude for me to smile, shake his hand and ask him to call me Nurse (blank) had he requested that I always address him as Dr. (blank)?
alot of the docs at our hospital are called by their first name by staff. But one day our Unit Manager had a meeting and apparently a physician was very offended by being called by his name rather than "dr so-and-so". So now there is a rule that we can NOT call ANY doc by his/her first name. I think thats just bull.
What would you all prefer to be called? Because quite frankly, I'm very uncomfortable referring to nurses by their first names. Unfortunately, I have yet to meet one who didn't insist on it.
i think it is common courtesy to call a doctor by "Dr. X" unless they prefer otherwise. Not really a God complex to me, just what they deserve to be called after working long and hard for that title!
P.S. I forgot to mention.... saying "Nurse Peggy" or "nurse whatever" sounds really odd/weird to me.
and a PhD is ABSOLUTELY a doctor - just not the kind we are used to!
What would you all prefer to be called? Because quite frankly, I'm very uncomfortable referring to nurses by their first names. Unfortunately, I have yet to meet one who didn't insist on it.
I prefer to be called by my name with respect in the tone of voice. Of course, I also expect to call the doctor by thier first name respectfully, when not in the patient room, because we are a team and we all work together for the patient. I don't work for the doctors in my ER, I work for the hospital; the docs are a contract group working for the hospital.
Until massive formality reenters our society, I think the first name stuff is going to continue to spread.
I call doctors Dr. So&so in front of the patient, because in the room the professional relationship is there, and I think it gives that little extra boost in an anxious situation. They usually call me by my first name in the room, because that is the way I have introduced myself to the patient; or just say "your nurse" will do that.
(BTW, I've always enjoyed your perspective on these boards )
Try having both titles! I am a nurse who has earned a doctorate in nursing so I can teach, but I do casual work at a local hospital. They put all of the degrees on your nametag, which is fine. I earned them. However, I have several nurse friends (as well as family) who think I'm crazy not to insist on being called "Dr. X" when working staff nurse because I earned it. Honestly, I think it is too confusing and I don't have time to explain it to thos who dont' know that a nurse can earn a doctorate and I dont' want peopel thinking I'm masquerading as a physician.
My personal checks have my Dr. title listed on it. Sometimes I get asked what kind of a doctor I am. If I'm not in the mood to explain, I tell them pediatrics and go on. If I feel like explaining, I will say I have a doctorate in nursing and watch them wonder what the heck that is and then I tell them. I'm not on an ego trip. I only got the doctorate so that I could teach. I never would have asked to spend my life in school unless that was my goal.
What would you all prefer to be called? Because quite frankly, I'm very uncomfortable referring to nurses by their first names. Unfortunately, I have yet to meet one who didn't insist on it.
Wish there was a good answer to this! I would prefer being called by my first name only IF I were allowed/expected to call MDs by their first name only as well. However, we're one of those places that insist on Dr. Whatshisname for the doc and Chrissy for the nurse. The respect is a one-way street where titles are concerned, and honestly, for the most part where general respect is concerned. They may joke with us a bit, but step onto that imaginary line and you can BET there's going to be some place-putting momentarily.
I hate that.
I think if I were to insist on Nurse Smith or Nurse Chrissy, I'd be laughed out of the unit, and probably with good reason. Sounds goofy, not professional. In non-healthcare settings, professional respect can be conveyed by the use of Ms. Smith. In the hospital, it doesn't fly--my patients are not going to call me that, nor would I expect them to. So it's not that we insist on the first names all the time because we like it that way, but rather because there's just no good alternative.
I'll call anyone who's earned the title Dr. X, whether it's M.D., D.O., Psy. D., DNP, Ph. D., or anything else. I think it's perfectly appropriate to walk into the room and say, "I'm Dr. 37, your nurse practitioner/PT/nurse for the day/etc." If they're confused, explain. I understand choosing not to do so if you get sick of explaining it every day, but I'd like to have the opportunity to let people know that not all nurses have only an associates. My mom actually asked me the day I graduated with my BSN, "why would anyone get a doctorate in nursing?" with an incredulous look on her face. I took the five minutes to explain. As far as what to call nurses, I'm also not sure what's appropriate. If you'd like to call me "MB" right off the bat, I'd like for you to at least offer to have me call you "Tired" when we aren't around patients. If you prefer to be addressed as "Dr. MD," which is the title you've earned, then call me "Nurse 37" until I tell you it sounds silly and to just call me "MB." Maybe that's the best solution - don't assume we should be called by our first names. I'm going to tell you to use it, but you can show respect to my title by using it the first time we meet.
It's probably 50/50 where I work. Some doc's are called Dr. Blank, while others prefer their first names. If a doc prefers Dr. Blank and calls me Babs, I will correct him and say, Dr. Blank, my name is Nurse Doe. What's good for the goose, is good for the gander!!
When I worked in an office, I called the doc by her first name. The pts either called her Dr. Smith or Dr. Jane, depending on their own personal preference. She always introduced herself as Dr. Jane, which I think is a nice way to make things personal but still leave no doubt that she is the physician.
Now that I work in the hospital, I see a curious trend. I only refer to one doctor by first name, and that is because I know her socially. The younger docs are often referred to ONLY by last name--and that is how they refer to each other, too. When Dr. Brown requests I call Dr. Jones, he will say "Can you call Jones for me?" If he calls Dr. Jones himself, he says "Hey, Jones, Brown here, I've got a pt I'd like you to see." On the phone, I will usually address these people as Dr. Jones and Dr. Brown; but in person at the desk, I'll just call them Jones and Brown. There are several docs who go by and refer to each other only by their last names--all these docs are under 40.
I also noticed that all the ER docs go by either ONLY their first name or ONLY their last name--no doctor--when talking to and being addressed by the staff. Young and old. I think that comes from the close working proximity.
So, it's a mixed bag. Older docs go by Dr. Lastname, and that is how I address them. Younger docs, I take the cues from them. If they introduce themselves by their last name only, I call them by their last name. If they introduce themselves to me by their full name, I call them Dr. Lastname. If they introduce themselves to me by their first name, depending on how often I see them I'll either call them by their first name or Dr. Lastname. I regularly call docs whom I've never set eyes on; all those docs I call Dr. Lastname.
I have no preference to what they call me, be it Jean or Mrs. Lastname. Several of the docs know my husband, and they call me Mrs. Lastname, because they call him Mr. Lastname. I do not want to go by "Nurse Lastname" because to me that harkens back to a time when the relationship between nurses and patients, as well as nurses and doctors was distant and cold. I've noticed that most docs try to avoid using a name to address the nurses--I think they are just as uncomfortable calling us by our first names if we call them Dr. Lastname--but our badges only have our first names on them. They don't want to call us simply "Nurse" either. Very few call me by my first name.
I work on the medical floor with mainly older pts. I notice that my inclination is to call pts my age or younger by their first name (I'm in my late 30s). I call pts older than me by "ma'am" or "sir" (because if their name escapes me, I don't want to search my brain for it or accidentally call them by the wrong name). In turn, I've noticed that my younger pts tend to not address me by any name at all or by my first name, while my older pts tend to just call me "nurse" or "ma'am."
I know nurses with doctoral degrees who are addressed as Dr ________ all the time.
To me, Nurse __________ creates unpleasant mental images of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Great movie, but not a great time in regard to public perception of professional nursing.
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edgwow
168 Posts
I work at a large medical center, the attendings, residents,interns and med students call me by my first name and I call them by their first names unless in front of a pt. Great team comeraderie.