Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed a bill into law May 2 preventing nonphysicians from using specialty titles such as "doctor," in an effort to promote transparency for patients.
Senate Bill 197 was written by state Sen. Chuck Hufstetler, a certified anesthesiologist assistant. It's summary outlines an aim "to prohibit deceptive or misleading terms or false representations by healthcare practitioners in advertisements and representations" and to do the same regarding the "misappropriation of medical or medical specialty titles."
This reminds me of when hospitals decided that all disciplines should wear color coded scrubs "for the patients" To understand roles. LOL. Let's not pretend that status symbol nonsense is about improving care.
That was one thing that I liked when our hospital did it. When I brought a patient up from the ER, I was able to easily identify an RN. It's useful for more than the patients. Like someone said they are rather clueless often. They can easily mix up a CNA with an RN. They don't understand color coding. They just want someone to help them out.
This is where this debate always lands, but it doesn't change the fact that "doctor" in a clinical setting carries a specific connotation - a physician who graduated from medical school.
If there was someone walking around in a clinical setting asking to be called "Dr Smith" but their doctorate is in ancient philosophy, no one would hesitate to say "ehhh that's not really a good idea".
It blurs the lines, and those who are militant about it are doing it intentionally. Why can't people just stay in their lanes, acknowledge what each role brings to the table, and be proud of their place in the system?
The problem is when it's not in the clinical setting. A Doctor of whatever degree in an academic setting should be entitled to use the title they earned. That's not staying in their lane, they aren't even on the same track.
This is where this debate always lands, but it doesn't change the fact that "doctor" in a clinical setting carries a specific connotation - a physician who graduated from medical school.
If there was someone walking around in a clinical setting asking to be called "Dr Smith" but their doctorate is in ancient philosophy, no one would hesitate to say "ehhh that's not really a good idea".
It blurs the lines, and those who are militant about it are doing it intentionally. Why can't people just stay in their lanes, acknowledge what each role brings to the table, and be proud of their place in the system?
I'm sorry, but I disagree with you. These people worked very hard for their Doctorate. If that is what they earned, then they are Dr's. I agree that the lines shouldn't be blurred and the role should be explained to the individual. I have a friend who is a DNP, and she introduces herself as Dr. Smith, I'm your nurse practitioner. If the patients have questions, she takes it as a teaching opportunity, that not all Dr's are MD's they can other roles throughout society.
The problem is when it's not in the clinical setting. A Doctor of whatever degree in an academic setting should be entitled to use the title they earned. That's not staying in their lane, they aren't even on the same track.
The problem is when it's not in the clinical setting. A Doctor of whatever degree in an academic setting should be entitled to use the title they earned. That's not staying in their lane, they aren't even on the same track.
I'm sorry, but I disagree with you. These people worked very hard for their Doctorate. If that is what they earned, then they are Dr's. I agree that the lines shouldn't be blurred and the role should be explained to the individual. I have a friend who is a DNP, and she introduces herself as Dr. Smith, I'm your nurse practitioner. If the patients have questions, she takes it as a teaching opportunity, that not all Dr's are MD's they can other roles throughout society.
A doctorate in nursing can be completed online. A doctor of medicine can't. Those two Dr. titles don't even compare. And because you are bright and reasonable and not the patient, I think you are overestimating what patients hear.
Specializes in Psychiatry, Community, Nurse Manager, hospice.
FiremedicMike said:
Personal Health Literacy - the degree to which individuals have the ability to find, understand, and use information and services to inform health-related decision and actions for themselves and others (CDC, 2023).
1. I seriously doubt DNPs regularly introduce themselves as "Dr. FiremanMike, your Nurse Practitioner", but I will concede that I don't work with any DNPs currently. With that said, I base this opinion on my 4 decades of observation and study of human behavior.
2. Once people hear "Dr. FiremanMike" and a bunch of other words, their brain will shortcut that statement into terms they can understand which stops at doctor, which elicits an understanding of doctor as physician.
3. Putting together the CDC definition and my above statement, people understand and will be making their healthcare decisions based on advice given to them by someone that they believe to be a physician.
4. For full disclosure, I have had a strong desire to earn my NP and I am not Anti-NP or PA. I am currently working towards my NP, but I have zero delusion that I will be equal to a physician and in fact I am terrified of the idea of complete independence. I fear the loss of physician collaboration will leave me underprepared in complex cases. Even if someday I am eventually roped into earning a DNP, I will not ever address myself as "Dr. FiremanMike" in anything other than an academic setting because I implicitly understand that it is disingenuous.
Okay, so at the risk of going off topic let's talk about your fear. Are you a nurse now? A firefighter? Are you a student?
Whatever role you serve in now, what do you do if something comes up that you don't know how to handle, and it isn't feasible to learn it in time? Do you collaborate? Ask for help? Refer the problem to someone who specializes in the problem? I hope you do. That never stops. It doesn't stop for nurse practitioners who have independent practice and it doesn't stop for physicians either.
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Emergent, RN
4,298 Posts
That was one thing that I liked when our hospital did it. When I brought a patient up from the ER, I was able to easily identify an RN. It's useful for more than the patients. Like someone said they are rather clueless often. They can easily mix up a CNA with an RN. They don't understand color coding. They just want someone to help them out.