Not a doctor but is asking to be called "Dr" while on the unit.

[rn4ever?]

The patient (who used to be a doctor) asks in a nice manner that she be called Dr. so and so while in the unit. But apparently, she lost her license recently, and with the way she acts, she thinks that the staff on the floor doesn’t know about her license being revoked recently. How would you handle the situation? What will you tell her?

[DeniseDaNurse]

And this bothers you why?....Your patient deserves your care and caring, not judgment and moralizing.

[mbarcher]

I'd call her "doctor"... I mean she probably knows MORE than all the nurses on the unit combined as far as what's going on in the real world right? Might learn a thing or two from her, who knows. What if any of us screwed up one way or the other and we lost our nursing license... Dose that mean everything in our heads is wiped clean? Probably not, you still have to respect the fact that at one time we all had our heads in the right place.

Maybe it's because I'm getting older... Maybe it's the Alzheimers... I just think we should respect other's for their accomplishments and realize we can all make a mistake.

It's not like your transcribing orders from her... WINK!

Michael

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

If a patient asks to be called "doctor" I call them "doctor".

unless it interferes with her or another patient's medical care, and I can't imagine how it would

Yep. Why not?

[qwadecaz]

Emergency RN has teh best answer. The title of "Doctor" is a educational title such as the DNP or the Ph.D.. If the patient wishes to be recognized as "Dr" then we should respect the patients wishes.

Practicing medicine, however is another thing and has to do with her actual license to practice medicine not her title as "Dr.".

[leslie :-D]

Emergency RN has teh best answer. The title of "Doctor" is a educational title such as the DNP or the Ph.D.. If the patient wishes to be recognized as "Dr" then we should respect the patients wishes.

i agree...

unless this pt/dr is unwillingly in tx, and may be using the title of doctor, to manipulate staff et al.

whenever you deal with an addict who is not ready to be clean, you need to be alerted to all sorts of manipulative behaviors.

i wouldn't call her doctor, without examining any possible motives.

leslie

[erwigg]

I would tell her that to call her Dr. may cause the other patients to think that she is delusional.... LOL! (kidding)

Why not? maybe saying that will have her not want to be called doc as to 'save face' from being 'crazy'

[kindaquazie]

Hi,

I would like to ammend my previous post by saying that the fact that this is ocuring within a psychiatric unit does change things a bit. I would simply explain to the good Doctor that addressing her by her title may cause some confusion among the staff and or patient/visitors and that it may be best to use a less formal greeting such as Ms, Miss, or Mrs. if she is interested in being addressed with a title.

[CeilingCat, ASN, RN]

Where I come from anyone who has gotten their doctorate degree can be "Doctors".

I don't understand why you're upset.

Besides, she is a patient. She is not posing as a medical doctor. She just wants to be treated with a comfortable & respectful title.

If she has not confided in you the status of her medical license, then it's none of your business if she has a current licence to practice in that state or not..... because she is not practicing, she is a patient. Are you this concerned about the licensing status of contractors, lawyers, or beauticians you treat?

[wyogypsy, RN]

It is about the patient, not about you. The patient is a doctor, whether practicing or not, and regardless of the reason. Maybe the patient feels bad enough over everything else that they can not handle losing that title along with everything else they have lost.

[CuriousMe]

I agree that Psych units are a different kettle of fish. I think talking to the the Pt's Doc and bringing it up at staff meeting so everyone is on the same page is the way to go.

No one is looking to disrespect the PT....but there are different realities on a Psych floor. If the Pt is trying to use their title to manipulate the situation and generally cause mayhem on the floor.....then it's important for the staff to get in front of that.

[CountyRat]

The title of this post ("Not a doctor but is asking to be called "Dr" while on the unit" is in error. She is a doctor, she is just not legally authorized to engage in medical practice, which is an entirely seperate issue. As others have written, "doctor" is an accademic term confired by a college or university. Licensure is a legal process in which a state or provincial government authorizes an individual to practice a regulated pofession. Loss of licensure does not affect the individual's legitimate possesssion of the accademic title "doctor." Those who have refered to acknowlleging her title as fraud are simply incorrect. She is a doctor; she is just not authorized to practice. PS: the same is true of new medical school grads. Once they earn that deploma, they are medical doctors, and have the right to identify themselves as such. However, they can NOT offer medical services of any kind outside of an accredited intern program (in which they are practicing under the authority of a licensed physician). After their iternship, they can take their board exames, and if they pass and receive a license from the government, they can practice medicine.

As for whether it is therapeutic to comply with the patient's wish, we do not know enough about her disorder or treatment to be able to answer that question. This calls for a team meeting, with the treating psychiatrist, psychologist (if there is one on the team) and nurses to decide what is most therapeutic for the patient.

[Orca, ADN, ASN, RN]

In the case I was referring to, the doctor we had on my mental health unit wanted to use her title to separate herself from "them" (the other patients), when in fact she was about the sickest one we had.