What do you prefer to be called?

[Alexxoxox]

For those of you who have a DNP, do you prefer to be referred to as Doctor? Do patients or MDs call you Dr. when speaking to you or about you? I feel that once an individual has a doctorate degree, they can be called a doctor.

[zedillo85]

Well, if you have earned it, why not use it...

[WKShadowNP, DNP, APRN]

I think it's appropriate for them to refer themselves as doctors as long as they specify that they are nurse practitioners i.e. 'I am Dr X, your nurse practitioner.'

It's up to the staff to call DNP doctor. Almost all of them won't. Don't expect physicians (MD/DO) to call DNP doctors. I have not seen them and other staff do it...

I do not plan to introduce myself to my patients as Dr. Shadow, Nurse practitioner. I already have to correct them when I say nurse practitoner and they call me Doctor.

It's confusing to them. For those who ask, I'll share a brief answer, but I want my time to be more value to them and knowing they'll only hear some of what I say, I don't want to waste their time or energy on that minutia.

[prelift]

The whole doctor title is lame anyway and more less provides discourse between patients and their provider. If they call me by my first name thats fine, I could care less. If a nurse does it out of spite I would not like it though, but if we are chill go for it. (start neuro residency this month so)

[eCCU]

Nurses and their titles kill me! í ½í¸‚í ½í¸‚í ½í¸‚. How about we focus on making our NPs ready when they graduate? I once knew a really smart friend who had 4 PhDs never once heard him introduce himself as a doctor. I introduce myself as a "Nurse Practitioner." No need to confuse the little old ladies in the ICUí ½í¸‹í ½í¸‹í ½í¸‹ use that time on important patient clinical issues.

[Amberd]

It's interesting that there is pushback about non-clinicians calling themselves "Dr." in a clinical setting. There is a PhD at my hospital (neuropsych) who goes by Dr. Blank and no one says anything. I'm also fairly certain there is a DNP that is called "Dr. Blank", and so long as you can write the order I need- no one cares. The patients don't know a tech from a nurse from bob most of the time anyway.

[pro-student]

A doctorate is a degree not a profession. If you've earned one, you e also earned the right to be called Dr. X. It's BS to say patients can't understand the difference. In mental health, PhDs and PsyDs have been rightfully called Drs in clinical settings despite the fact that they are not psychiatrists. It's really not that complicated to explain your role to most patients. We can't base policies (such as only physicians can have their education recognized in clinical settings) on the lowest common denominator or nothing will ever change. That logic falls apart pretty quickly. So can speech therapy not call itself that because it might require a 20 second explanation to a patient/family member that they also work with swallowing issues? If you don't want to be called Dr, that's fine. But the reason shouldn't be that patients can't understand that doctorates are not exclusive to physicians.

[wtbcrna, MSN, DNP, CRNA]

If you believe only physicians should use the title Doctor in a clinical setting then what do you call a dentist (and there are dentists that work in the hospital and ORs), OMFS, podiatrists, optometrists, psychologists, audiologists...

I am not sure why nurses feel the need to be subservient to physicians and portray these myths about not using the term doctor if you have a doctorate, because of this portrayed confusion of the patient. It is our job to educate patients not act something doesn't exist just to save someone's ego.

My personal philosophy on using the title doctor is if you have earned a doctorate and choose to be called doctor then do so, if you don't want to use the title then don't.

[DizzyJ DHSc PA-C]

I get your point and think it is a valid opinion. The most important thing is that everyone identifies their credentials that grant them the ability to practice. My professional title and the only thing that allows me to practice medicine is being a certified and licensed PA. Likewise an NP is licensed to practice because of their NP credential. Everyone, including physicians, dentists, chiropractors, etc should identify exactly what they are.

[wtbcrna, MSN, DNP, CRNA]

I get your point and think it is a valid opinion. The most important thing is that everyone identifies their credentials that grant them the ability to practice. My professional title and the only thing that allows me to practice medicine is being a certified and licensed PA. Likewise an NP is licensed to practice because of their NP credential. Everyone, including physicians, dentists, chiropractors, etc should identify exactly what they are.

In 20 years of practice the worst people about deceiving patients with their credentials that I have seen is interns and residents. It seems with every group of new interns and residents there always has to be a couple that think it's okay to not introduce themselves as interns or residents and let patients believe they are the attending.

[wtbcrna, MSN, DNP, CRNA]

I get your point and think it is a valid opinion. The most important thing is that everyone identifies their credentials that grant them the ability to practice. My professional title and the only thing that allows me to practice medicine is being a certified and licensed PA. Likewise an NP is licensed to practice because of their NP credential. Everyone, including physicians, dentists, chiropractors, etc should identify exactly what they are.

By the way it isn't the doctorate that gives physicians the ability to practice either. They are licensed as physicians not as

"Doctors".

[DizzyJ DHSc PA-C]

Well though....every US medical school graduate has a doctorate. So, without that doctorate they wouldn't be physicians or doctors. They go hand in hand for physicians. The same is not true for NPs and PAs. Again, I'm not saying or agreeing in anyway that physicians own the title. Just saying that if you're an NP with a doctorate go ahead and call yourself what you want, but be very clear you're an NP.

[wtbcrna, MSN, DNP, CRNA]

Well though....every US medical school graduate has a doctorate. So, without that doctorate they wouldn't be physicians or doctors. They go hand in hand for physicians. The same is not true for NPs and PAs. Again, I'm not saying or agreeing in anyway that physicians own the title. Just saying that if you're an NP with a doctorate go ahead and call yourself what you want, but be very clear you're an NP.

All CRNAs are soon to be required to have doctorates for all new CRNA graduates, and not all US physicians have doctorates so your point is mute.

There seems to be this myth out there that APRNS are running calling themselves doctor X and passing themselves off as physicians. No one can ever provide proof of it, but it seems to be a prevalent myth in Medical professional organizations to seemingly undermine APRNs.