Georgia law prohibits DNPs from using the term "doctor"

[klone]

Quote

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."

Georgia blocks nonphysicians from using specialty titles

[Emergent, RN]

klone said:

If you want to get technical, DOs are not medical doctors (that's what MD stands for); they're osteopathic doctors. 

Actually I really meant Physicians, you are entirely correct.

[twntrbo15]

Does this mean they will get rid of DNP programs at Universities??? So ridiculous....

[Susie2310]

sirI said:

This has been an issue in question for many years.

Here is the 2014 PEARSON REPORT. All US States address using the title Doctor by a Nurse Practitioner, specifically.

Examples (bear in mind this information was published 9 years ago):

Georgia

California

Florida

 

I find the above quite reasonable.  Patients should be able to know up front, at the point of contact/utilization of a nurse practitioner's services what type of license/certification the Nurse Practitioner holds.  Patients should know that the person providing their care is not an MD or a DO.  This doesn't in any way minimize the nurse practitioner's accomplishment in obtaining a doctorate and it means they can use the title Dr., but they must distinguish their credentials from that of a Doctor of Medicine or a Doctor of Osteopathy to the general public and to their patients.

[DrDoofus]

futur0_nurs said:

@klone - I believe Florida is trying to do the same

I am not sure why DNPs are so enchanted with "Doctor" title. Clinically, Nurse Practitioners are providing better services to their patients all across United States than "Doctors" so as we speak. I feel a compliment when my patients address me as NP and not a Doctor. Most of the hospitals in East Coast are replacing MD "Doctor" with NP because of better outcome. 

Perhaps title "Doctor" will be obsolete soon.

Thank you, Senator Kemp.  

[klone, MSN, RN]

Here is the copy of the bill, and it would seem that Chare is correct - if an APRN identifies themself as "Dr. Smith" they must clarify that they are an APRN. (if you click on what looks like a photo, it will take you to the bill - I tried to post it as a link)
 

Quote

 

99 (d.1)(1) An advanced practice registered nurse shall verbally identify himself or herself

100 as an advanced practice registered nurse during each patient interaction in a clinical

101 setting. An advanced practice registered nurse who holds a doctorate degree and

102 identifies himself or herself with the title 'doctor' while in a clinical setting shall clearly

103 state that he or she is not a medical doctor or physician.

 

Senate Bill 197 By: Senators Hufstetler of the 52nd, Watson of the 1st, Butler of the 55th, Kirkpatrick of the 32nd, Kennedy of the 18th and others

[toomuchbaloney]

DrDoofus said:

I am not sure why DNPs are so enchanted with "Doctor" title. Clinically, Nurse Practitioners are providing better services to their patients all across United States than "Doctors" so as we speak. I feel a compliment when my patients address me as NP and not a Doctor. Most of the hospitals in East Coast are replacing MD "Doctor" with NP because of better outcome. 

Perhaps title "Doctor" will be obsolete soon.

Thank you, Senator Kemp.  

"Enchanted"? They earned that title and have the receipts to prove it.  Perhaps some are wanting to the title to be more exclusive than it needs to be for wrong reasons.  

The term "doctor" will never be obsolete as long as universities continue to offer that level of advanced study.  Maybe, instead, the term physician should be more widely used in healthcare rather than trying to restrict acknowledgment of advanced degrees in healthcare. 

[MaxAttack, BSN, RN]

JBMmom said:

I think it's a bit ridiculous that a scientific paper was published based on the anecdotal experiences of one physician related to TWO patients he has seen. How many hundreds of other patients were cared for by DNPs and didn't have a bad outcome?! 

I can't tell you how many times I've read an article or seen a post criticizing all advanced practice providers based on a single incident someone saw or heard about from a friend.

They have to do that because the evidence doesn't support them. The best they can do is try to scare people with these anecdotes.

I hope one day we will be able to view each other as working as part of a patient-centered team. If you got your doctorate you should be able to call yourself doctor. I also think you should identify yourself as an APP because the average patient in the healthcare setting hears doctor and thinks MD or DO and it's truly not the same.

[vintagegal, BSN, DNP, RN, NP]

What is the issue? Let me guess, it's the special interest groups- ahem American medical Association cough cough, that would like to keep "nurses" in their places. This is absolutely ridiculous! In fact, if you do your research the people who are caught pretending to be doctors are laymen- not nurses, and certainly not nurse practitioners. I think if you introduce yourself- "hello my name is Dr. Sally Smith, nurse practitioner" what is deceitful about that? It opens a dialogue. Patients are informed through the office also who they are seeing, so I don't get this. Anyone with a terminal degree should be represented for their hard work. Anyone picking up pitchforks to remove Dr. Titles from dentists?? This is hogwash.

[CommunityRNBSN, BSN, RN]

So are they coming for the psychologists?  Every clinical psychologist goes by Dr X, and heck yes it confuses patients (who don't know the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist). So... is Georgia going to make them stop too? 

[RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN]

twntrbo15 said:

Does this mean they will get rid of DNP programs at Universities??? So ridiculous....

Probably renamed to something to the affect terminal nurse practice degree.  Sad

[Mustang0909]

It is likely that this group has a role in this proposed legislation: 

Medical Association of Georgia (aka MAGA): https://www.mag.org/

[TriciaJ, RN]

It sounds like one can identify as "doctor" as long as they're not misleading patients in a clinical setting.

The term "Dr" is practically synonymous with "physician"; it will take a long time to change public perception.

Until then, people need to be careful not to mislead.  This is no different from UAP calling themselves "nurse".  The public has a right to know exactly who is providing their care.