My ex used to use Dr. as a prefix though he’s not a medical doctor but a PhD. What’s the convention?

Is he white or ethnic minority?

The word doctor comes from the Latin to teach, it was associated with the academy and professors before physicians co-opted the term.

But no one should use it outside of a relevant professional setting.

What's the problem?

That ^

I use my Dr in a social science to be bumped to better seats in airplanes but when a call comes over the intercom asking for medical assistance in an emergency in flight I just sit there.

I snigger when I see some people demand to be called "Dr." when they hold a PhD.

The academics I know who insist on "Dr." have all been insufferable

"Professor" will do if you insist on a title, thanks

Doctor Professor Mister Sir, please.

Then you obviously don't work at a college or university, r6.

This is entirely appropriate.

I've known so many "doctors" that I couldn't spit out the window without hitting one. And believe me I've tried.

PHD is a doctor.

It's the norm in Southern Europe for everyone with a PhD. to be called Dr.

Pretty confusing until you realise that most of them are Lawyers or IT technicians.

You don't need a degree from a university. Sometimes it's just personal preference.

It's legit, OP. As long as he doesn't use M.D., he's okay.

What r7?!

Let's say you have someone giving a speech in some academic setting, you would never introduce them as Professor blahblah, they are introduced as Doctor blahblah because that is the correct title. Did someone of you even go to college?

Use of Doctor should be reserved for a physician and MD or DO (in the US and Canada) in every day life.

It should be used when in a proper setting though, for instance in a vet's office or dentist office you should refer to them as "doctor."

In a university setting "doctor" is fine as well. It should also be applied to those non-medical professions like chiropractor, podiatrist and so on within their office settings.

It should never be used for an honorary degree.

If you think that's obnoxious, go to Argentina where anyone with a law degree is given the professional courtesy of being called Doctor. To make it even dumber, a law degree isn't even a graduate degree but an undergraduate one.

Your point?

OP, do you know what Ph.D. is?

I don’t have a problem with it.

It's a fair question. I think medical doctors always use Dr as a prefix (mailing address, salutations from friends, filling out forms) and academic doctors use it situationally. For years I've always felt it ostentatious to check "Dr" on forms... though I have a doctorate. And if someone calls me "Dr Jones"... I'm happy to say, "oh, call me Jim, please..." etc.

Low class and third-rate PhDs do that as do doctorates of Education. In the South I'm Dr. and surprisingly MDs in hospitals refer to me as "doctor" when they know my educational background. Hospitals are very hierarchical organizations so I guess that makes sense. But anyone calling himself a "doctor" is an idiot.

[quote] Let's say you have someone giving a speech in some academic setting, you would never introduce them as Professor blahblah, they are introduced as Doctor blahblah because that is the correct title. Did someone of you even go to college?

r7 is correct. It's not whether you went to college but whether you were socialized properly in graduate school.

[quote] It's not whether you went to college but whether you were socialized properly in graduate school.

What about Miss McGuyver’s Finishing School?

How about chiropractors and dentists?

r22

But you got your doctorate in taking it up the ass.

R23 There's a missed not here. If you are a fancy Ivy League PhD, do you not work in an academic environment? In colleges and universities "Dr Such and Such" as a salutation, from colleagues and from students, is standard. Most especially in those Ivy League colleges your repugnant elitism marks.

Attorneys receive a J.D. (Juris Doctorate) degree and they never use "Dr."

If you are not a medical doctor or psychologist I think it's misleading, tacky and doesn't facilitate effective communication. If you work full time in academia and want to go around calling each other doctor amongst yourselves that's fine. You are professors of X. That actually tells people what you do. We have someone elected to our city council and she has a doctorate in physical therapy. She insists she be referred to and addressed as doctor at all public meetings.

R22 Incoherent.

r28 I think a lot of professors who insist on "Dr." have an inferiority complex.

Most academics in the Ivy league don't need that external validation.

I think folks are conflating when someone "insists" on using it, and when and where it's customary.

Yes OP, that's the convention.

I have a PhD and students call me Dr., but I’m embarrassed when it happens in any other setting.

True Story:

A good friend’s father was a university English professor. My friend told me that back in his teen years while he was sitting in the living room one afternoon, the phone in the front hallway rang (this was the 1940s) and that their family’s housekeeper picked it up and (as instructed) said “Dr. Xxxxxx’s residence.”

The housekeeper then went on to listen to the caller with an occasional “Mmhmm, mmhmm” and then when the caller finished speaking, she said “Oh yes, he’s a doctor; but he’s not the kind of doctor that can do you any good.”

I work in media. (Local news, nothing special) We only refer to doctors if they’re medical doctors, per Associated Press Style. Otherwise, it’s their name... followed by PhD.

He's your ex for good reason.

In a professional capacity, it’s fine to use the “Dr.” title. Anywhere else, feh.

Then there are those ignorant people who write things like "Dr. John Smith, M.D." It's either "Dr. John Smith," or "John Smith, M.D."

Although law school graduates in the U.S. typically have a doctoral degree - the J.D. or Juris Doctorate - it is against the bar associate professional code of ethics in many states for such people to refer to themselves as doctors.

[quote] it is against the bar associate professional code of ethics

But shit like this isn't?

That's Dr James, R42. Dr. Sweet James, J.D.

The absolute worst are teachers who obtained an easy-to-get doctorate in education. They insist on being called doctor at school. Give me a break.

BTW, I have a doctorate, too. So call me doctor.

Dr. Phil would disagree

Well, how about Dr. Donald J. Trump?

I was shocked to find out that in Italy I could be addressed as doctor (dottore). I have a Master's degree but that is really stretching it. It's just how they do things there--actually, it's something like DM. A friend told me that I should always use it for good tables in restaurants.

A lot of people who haven’t done the work to get a PhD judging people who have. He’s going nothing wrong.

Outside of a hospital or doctor's office, I don't think even M.D.s should demand to be called "Doctor So-and-So." If I'm at a party, I'm calling you "Bob," not "Doctor."

If you got a bachelor's degree, but not a master's or PhD, you probably just call your teacher "Professor." You don't really know any better.

One of my siblings has a PhD. I would definitely guffaw if he started demanding to be called "Doctor."

By "got a bachelor's degree," I mean obtained a bachelor's degree.

When I was regularly seeing a psychologist, a PhD obviously, I always referred to him as Dr. He was treating me in a clinical setting and while he wouldn't have cared what I called him, using Dr. established the dynamic of our meetings, as in I'm the patient, you're the professional. The residency and licensing requirements for clinical, PhD, level psychologists are at least as rigorous as an MD.

I have two PhDs (different fields). I never "insist" on being addressed in a particular (other than as "hey dude" or "fuckfae," both of.which I ask students not to use). Mr., Dr., Professor, or my first name all work. The older I get the less it matters to me.

Mind your own goddamn business, OP.

It’s next level annoying when non-medical doctors correct you with a “It’s Dr...”

Queen, you just spent an extra couple of semesters getting into debt. You’re not saving lives with sociology or linguistics or engineering.

Boy, bye.

Teacher here with M.A., no doctorate. I’ve worked in a number of countries doing teacher training. I would be introduced at conferences and such as Dr So-and-So. The first couple of times I tried to correct them; I had no desire to misrepresent myself. I was told on several occasions that it was not accidental. I was intentionally “upgraded” because the title was that important. Especially in Russia and South America.

I am an academic. People who aren’t medical docs who call themselves Dr are utter douchebags. Although I will tolerate it for people with a PhD in biochemistry or astronomy, but not for people in the arts and social sciences. And if you do it, know that people are laughing at you, Dr. English Major.

[quote] Teacher here with M.A., no doctorate. I’ve worked in a number of countries doing teacher training. I would be introduced at conferences and such as Dr So-and-So. The first couple of times I tried to correct them; I had no desire to misrepresent myself. I was told on several occasions that it was not accidental. I was intentionally “upgraded” because the title was that important.

R55, I can understand that a title is important, if you actually have the credential (Ph.D. or whatever kind of doctorate degree). Who are "they"--i.e., the people who insist on calling someone with an M.A. "doctor"?

The other lame thing us when people have an entire string of acronyms and initials after their name on their business card.

[quote] Let's say you have someone giving a speech in some academic setting, you would never introduce them as Professor blahblah, they are introduced as Doctor blahblah because that is the correct title. Did someone of you even go to college?

I did, and I also went to graduate school where I got a Ph.D. I'm a tenured college professor.

College professors with doctorates are addressed as (and introduced as) "Doctor" on campus only in the South and some parts of the Midwest. In the rest of the country, college professors with doctorates are usually addressed as (and introduced as) "Professor" on campus.

There are actually very few college professors I have known in my entire life (and I have known many of them) who ever use "Dr." as a social title. They and I do like it to be used professionally when we are on campus acting in our professional capacities; but I would never dream of asking to have it be used socially.

For some reasons people in the US seem to think people with medical doctorates should be addressed as "Dr." socially, but medical doctors really have no more or less right to use it socially than Ph.D.s do.

The people I’ve known with PhDs who’ve insisted on being called “Dr.” have been batshit crazy.

From the movie "Mumford":

MRS. CRISP (Dana Ivey): "What kind of doctor are you?"

DR. MUMFORD (Loren Dean): "Ph.D. in psychology."

MRS. CRISP: (sniffingly) "Oh. Not a real doctor."

DR. MUMFORD: "That's right... the fake kind."

My sister-in-law's father uses Dr. because he has a doctorate in Music. He's a pretentious cunt.

A bit pretentious for everyday, or if you feel the need to correct people who call you plain old Mr., but professionally Dr. Is absolutely appropriate. It's a lot of school and a big accomplishment to get a high degree in any field. What induces a big eyeroll is seeing 12 degree and certification initials in an email signatures.

My cousin by marriage has a PhD (in something science) and an MD. I call him Doctor Doctor. I also call him Asshole, because he's living proof that one can be educated to the eyebrows and still be one.

In professional settings, Dr. is appropriate in the US.

Anyone who insists on it outside of such settings is a cunt.

[quote] What induces a big eyeroll is seeing 12 degree and certification initials in an email signatures.

Actually, I don't mind those. I like them, actually. It lets you know who you're dealing with (e.g., Dr. Phil, who is not an M.D.). A lot of times, I'm looking for someone with a CSAC or C.S.A.C. credential (Certified Substance Abuse Counselor).

[quote] He's your ex for good reason.

r38 That I’m afraid is sad but true.

I am DOCTOR Amy Bishop!!

It depends on the culture. Cultures that generally appreciate education will put more emphasis on academic achievements and degrees. It's not surprising that Americans are disdainful and dismissive towards better educated people. Overall, American culture is highly obsessed with money and financial success, but remains largely skeptical of knowledge, science, and facts. A lot of Americans, especially the undereducated, are self-oblivious knowitalls who think they know better than the experts. Just look how the coronavirus pandemic plays out...

A certain humbleness in having a PhD is part of (academic) etiquette, so someone who is insisting on their academic title all the time, is a bit gauche. They earned it, however, so it should be respected.

This all got brought up because some troubled teen BernieBro on Twitter said Jill Biden had no right to use the title Dr, that only medical doctors were allowed.

That's not true at all, and I know we've had this discussion on Datalounge before, but between the cranks who bitch about everything all the time, the significant portion of anti-intellectual complainers that populate the board, and now the BernieBros, it doesn't surprise me that the consensus is that you shouldn't be allowed to call yourself a doctor even if you are a doctor.

[quote] The people I’ve known with PhDs who’ve insisted on being called “Dr.” have been batshit crazy.

Utterly untrue. My mother had me tested.

r51 has a good point. I saw a psychologist and always referred to him as "Dr. So-and-So."

In that setting, using "Dr." sans MD felt appropriate.

A doctoral degree in virology and immunology is not the same thing as a doctorate in education or religious studies.

About a medical degree: a PCP, general doctor is not the same thing as a high level specialist in their field. And do not get me started on plastic surgeons

Also, a master degree in social work is not the same thing as a master degree in public health/epidemiology.

Inside the field seems to manage this better, than outside on the news or in the public.

We a longtime clerk in our firm's stockroom who went to school for years and years at night at an HCBU, eventually earning her PhD in some social science discipline.

From that point on, she demanded to be addressed as "Dr. So-and-So." A clerk!

It was ludicrous; everyone else in the firm was addressed using first names, and she had too before her PhD.

[quote] it is against the bar associate professional code of ethics

R41 I'm laughing. Code of ethics. That's dead. Back in the day, attorneys were barred from advertising because of their 'code of ethics'. All that 'code' has been wiped away over the last twenty years.

I can't believe that after all these years everyone has been fine with the "Dr." for PhDs, but a few butt hurt Bernie Bros have now made it an issue so we get a thread about it. Oy!

In Australia, surgeons are known not as Dr. X, but as MR. X. You call a surgeon "Doctor" and you will be swiftly and sternly corrected.

R73, you are right, although possibly not the way you intended...

Doctorates in the nomothetic fields are often less time-intensive and less difficult to achieve than those in the idiographic fields (e.g., the humanities), since people can just conduct a few experiments, document and publish their results, embed it in some fairly specific theoretical framework, and call it a day. In contrast, people with degrees in the humanities often have to study their field much more expansively, thereby gaining a much better general education; they also generally have a much better grasp of those things that would have been relevant to doctorates in the past (i.e., theology, philosophy, law). I've met many a scientist who follows the scientific method religiously without ever having studied or understood epistemology or the philosophical premises of the scientific method.

So, in essence, it's not so clear-cut, and I--as someone with a Ph.D. in a scientific field--have highest regard for someone with a Ph.D. in the humanities.

By the way, in my country, the doctorates of physicians and lawyers are considered to be "lesser" degrees that are easily achieved. This has something to do that getting the regular degree in these fields is considered to be hard, so the doctorate is considered to be an easy bonus on top of it. In fact, some M.D. do another scientific Ph.D. in order to be taken seriously in research.

[quote] In Australia, surgeons are known not as Dr. X, but as MR. X. You call a surgeon "Doctor" and you will be swiftly and sternly corrected.

Because surgeons were not trained as physicians but were butchers brought in by the doctors when needed. Like orthopedic surgeons were originally carpenters with the necessary tools.

[quote] In Australia, surgeons are known not as Dr. X, but as MR. X. You call a surgeon "Doctor" and you will be swiftly and sternly corrected.

Because surgeons were not trained as physicians but were butchers brought in by the doctors when needed. Like orthopedic surgeons were originally carpenters with the necessary tools.

Medical Doctors in the UK increasingly just use their first names, my GP (Primary Care) Doc is Joanne and my Specialist is Ben. None of their staff even refer tto them as Dr. any longer.

Dr. Luke RAPED me!

R59 I wonder where you got this information that the east coast and the west have a different academic environment... at least in CA I've been in academic environments a lot - UCLA, Berkeley, Stanford - where "Dr" as a title is widely used. As said upthread, usually by students, but also by colleagues - introductions at conferences etc. Off campus, not so much.

R69 This is the takeaway from this thread. That essential American Babbitism which values simple greed over "higher culture"... the banal "who do you think you are??" that seems the standard. No respect for education of expertise (perhaps mitigated only by respect by military expertise). I'd argue that this rooted distrust of expertise, often expressed as anger against an "elite", is why we have Trump.

America's love the populist leveling: Fuck the Deep State, Fuck Fauci, I trust what's in Trump's just-like-us head.

I find posters like r56 insufferable.

Please earn a doctorate in medieval English literature and report back to us regarding its rigor.

[quote] Please earn a doctorate in medieval English literature

Why? What possible relevance could that have, other than to teach it?

Such an inane question does not seem worth my time to answer r85

r77 I believe that's the case in the UK as well. I don't know about other Commonwealth countries like Canada.

R86 =

I have a Masters degree and will now demand that people call me Master.

(my sub twinks already do, but that's different)

[quote] Medical Doctors in the UK increasingly just use their first names, my GP (Primary Care) Doc is Joanne and my Specialist is Ben. None of their staff even refer tto them as Dr. any longer.

Welcome to Socialism!!

[quote] I have a Masters degree and will now demand that people call me Master.

A student of mine told me that a teacher actually demanded students call her master.

Never use "Dr." and "MD" together. The title is Dr. Joe Smith or Joe Smith, MD. Same rule applies to academia.

I have a good friend who insists on being called by his first name, even in in professional settings, even though he’s an MD and also has a PhD in Microbiology

People with PhDs who insist on being called doctor are pompous asses.

People with PhDs who insist on being called doctor are pompous asses.

There is someone at work with a PhD and he demands everyone call him, "Doctor."

Ironically, there are two physicians who work in the same company and neither demands "doctor."

[quote]Medical Doctors in the UK increasingly just use their first names, my GP (Primary Care) Doc is Joanne and my Specialist is Ben. None of their staff even refer tto them as Dr. any longer.

My family practice MD wants his patients to call him by his first name. I just can't do it. He's somewhere in his 30s and I'm probably 20 years older than he. I feel that calling him by his first name takes the shine off all his years of education and practice. To me, it's a "respect" thing.

[quote] Katherine Gibbs

Don’t you dare try to imitate me, BITCH!

[quote]I have a Masters degree and will now demand that people call me Master.

I hope your surname is BATES.

r92, see r40. And do try to keep up, dear.

Funny/sad story: friend in my building quit advertising in his early 40s to get a Ph.D. in English ending up getting a job at a CC teaching remedial reading. He insisted that EVERYONE address him as "Dr.". Fast forward, and he and his lover are having dinner up on the roof of the building and an older lady timidly approaches him saying: "I know you're a doctor cause the I heard the staff addressing you as such and was wondering if you're an oncologist. My husband is dying of cancer and I thought you might be able to offer a glimmer of hope."

I do not see anything wrong with it.

I’m have an MD and lately many patients and their families have been calling me by my first name. I never ask them to address my as Dr. X, but it makes me a little bit uncomfortable. If patients are calling doctors by their first name in the hospital, good luck getting them to use a title when addressing a PhD in a social setting. Our culture has very little respect for education.

In Germany if you have any titles or letters after your name you always use them. For centuries most curates and vicars were addressed as "doctor" as they had a doctorate in theology. Time and place matter a lot. In 21st century US business, titles are unnecessary outside of formal introductions. In academia, almost everyone prefers to go by "professor" or by their first name. Insisting on the title is a sign of insecurity.

I think it's pretty pretentious to ask to be called "Doctor" even if you're the best brain surgeon on the planet. How about just "Bill"?

Pretentious, R105?

[quote] pre·ten·tious /prəˈten(t)SHəs/ adjective attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc., than is actually possessed.

Using the correct title affects the exact talent that is possessed

[quote] My ex used to use Dr. as a prefix though he’s not a medical doctor but a PhD.

Why did he stop?

U.S. person here. You guys got me thinking. You're right, there is an anti-intellectual / anti-education bias in the U.S. Not everybody is like that. But that may have something to do with the antagonism towards Ph.D. earners.

That being said, I still don't want to call someone "Doctor" at a party.

Also, I always thought it was weird for people to wear military uniforms during their own wedding ceremonies. What does getting married have to do with your military career?

[quote]That being said, I still don't want to call someone "Doctor" at a party.

Unless you're having a heart attack, of course.

For a PhD ,Fine in a professional setting, or where formal address is appropriate. Referring to oneself as a doctor in among friends or demanding they do is just wearing one's insecurities on one's sleeve.

D.Pharm, Optometrists, and other 4yr+1's, the only place they should use Doctor is on their CVS or LensCrafters name tag.

This topic has been done so many times on this site, so please pay attention:

"Doctor" is an honorific. It can be used only by those who have completed a terminal degree. The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) is a terminal degree that's available in a wide variety of studies. On can, for example, have a Ph.D. in English, or Mathematics, or just about any other course of study. The Juris Doctor, or JD as it's commonly called, is NOT a terminal degree. It's a professional degree that allows one to take the Bar Exam and, upon passing, practice law. In order for a lawyer to be addressed as "Doctor," he or she would have to have completed a Doctor of Juridical Science which is a Ph.D. in law. In other words, if you have a Ph.D. in anything, there's no where else to go, no other higher degree; hence the honorific "Doctor."

"Professor" is essentially a job title along the lines of Manager and Assistant Manager at a university or college. A person could have their Ph.D. and still only be a Lecturer. There are Professors, Assistant Professors and Lecturers at colleges and university.

R111, good answer. Thank you. Had never heard of a Doctor of Juridical Science degree.

What about MFAs and LLMs? Those seem to be terminal degrees. But you don't call the degree-holder doctors. (Not quite sure about the LLM, whether that's a terminal degree, but I think the MFA is.)

Spot on, R111.

To carry the 'professor" analogy further, it's a term of rank. Generally one is promoted, over time, by doing teaching, research, publishing, and community service. Different colleges will have a different emphasis on each (for instance a research university may value research, where a state college might value teaching. Calling any instructor "professor" is inaccurate, even if they have a doctorate.

I worked at one graduate school where faculty were hired as "Assistant Professor" generally under a 3 year contract. If they did well, they may get a promotion to Associate Professor, again with a 3 year contract. They may get another 3 years as AP, or a promotion to full professor (which may or may not confer tenure, again depending on the school). A further honor might be 'distinguished professor" or to a named professorship, such as the "Hollis Professor of Divinity" (the oldest named professorship at Harvard).

At the school I worked at a Ph.D was required to start at Assistant Professor. One hire hadn't finished her thesis yet and was hired as "instructor" for the first year, until she finished. No, i am not a faculty member. I know this situation because I was in charge of ordering business cards.

An MFA R112 is a Master of Fine Arts, so no it's not a terminal degree. One could obtain a Ph.D. in fine arts at a number of schools. And the LLM is also a master's degree. One would need a Ph.D. in law. Understand that I'm referencing the United States.

I'm a nurse practitioner and I hold a Ph.D. in Nursing, but I never introduce myself to patients as "Dr. Douche," nor demand, or even request, they call me "doctor." I just introduce myself using my first and last name; if they are a new patient, I usually just say, "Hi, I'm Douchey McDoucherson, one of the nurse practitioners here. What can I do for you today?" Considering my profession, it would be especially confusing if I introduced myself as "doctor," because I am not a physician, but I perform many of the same functions as a physician in family medicine. Of course, many patients, especially those of a certain age, already insist on calling Advanced Practice Registered Nurses & Physician Assistants (collectively, APCs/APPs: Advanced Practice Clinicians/Providers) "doctor/doc," regardless of the amount of times corrected with, for example, "Please, call me Daniel. I'm a nurse practitioner/physician assistant, not a physician." Usually, to them, it's irrelevant if the clinician has an M.S.N., Ph.D., or D.N.P./D.N.A.P., et al. for APRNs; or an M.S.P.A.S., M.H.S., M.M.S., et al. or, particularly for older PA-Cs, a B.S., an A.S. or certificate of completion, because many of them have no idea what any of those credentials mean, anyway. And they don't care as long as you have a decent bedside manner and they feel like you can, and are, actually helping them.

Also, I have an obnoxiously large amount of credentials I could list behind my name, but I really only use "CRNP" in every day practice, which is my state's legal designation for NPs. However, since 98% of prescriptions are now electronic, the times per day I still have to hand-sign my name/credential(s) is greatly reduced. If I'm feeling a bit pretentious and writing a letter to a patient's employer or the like, I might list, "Ph.D., C.R.N.P., F.N.P.-B.C." That said, per the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Board of Nursing Rules & Regulations, there is nothing to prohibit an NP who holds a doctorate from calling himself/herself "Dr." In fact, the regulations state: [quote]The listing of a CRNP in an advertisement or publicly displayed sign shall identify CRNPs who use the designation ‘‘Dr.’’ as CRNPs by using the title CRNP following the individual’s name.

To me, "Dr. Jim Johnson, CRNP," is too similar to, as mentioned by previous posters, the incorrect style, "Dr. John Smith, D.O." instead of the correct style, "Dr. Joe Schmoe" or "Joe Schmoe, M.D." Technically, "Dr." and "CRNP" are different titles, whereas "Dr." and "M.D."/"D.O." are the same thing, but it still looks "off" to me. All that to say: I am, technically, "Dr.," but I almost never use the title. It would be too confusing.

R108 If you were at the party, talking to someone, would say "oh, how are you Mr. Smith?" I don't think anyone really uses Mr or Mrs or Mrs in terms of a salutation or simple conversation. I'd say the use of Dr is parallel... even if you were introducing someone to someone else... you would say "oh, Sally, I'd like you meet Mr Smith"... even in the most formal setting you'd likely say "oh Sally, I'd like you to meet John Smith"

Don't ever list yourself as "Dr. John Doe, M.D." or even "Dr. John Doe, Ph.D." We learned that you are either John Doe, M.D., or Dr. John Doe. To use the honorific and degree is redundant and, well, douchey.

We do know that a PhD is a doctor of philosophy right?

R116, after all this discussion, I changed my mind. I will call someone "Dr. So-and-So" at a party. What the hell. I actually sometimes work at court and when I see a judge outside of court, I do say, "Hi, Judge." I also make sure to call my health care professionals "Doctor" when I am being treated.

I did go, for a short time, to a historically black college / university (HBCU) (I'm not black). When at the HBCU, I noticed that the students and teachers were very formal when addressing each other. Way more formal than I was used to, but when in Rome. My take: it's a show of respect to each other & for the degrees earned.

Also, I appreciate the distance and non-familiarity of calling someone "Doctor" or whatever. It works in my favor, too. Hopefully, someone will not overstep with me.

[quote] That said, per the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Board of Nursing Rules & Regulations, there is nothing to prohibit an NP who holds a doctorate from calling himself/herself "Dr."

Of course the nurse writes a treatise on why you can call him a doctor. There is a direct correlation between social status insecurity and the use of titles.

Yes, R118, we do.

R117, that was brilliant. We haven’t heard that on this thread. Not once. Uh-uh.

Glad you came along.

[quote]How about chiropractors and dentists?

Dentists are doctors who specialize in oral health, r26.

A former friend is an M.D. Professionally, he purposely used his middle name (hard to pronounce, non-Anglo name) as his first name. He admitted to me that he didn't want his patients calling him by his first name. (His real first name is easy to pronounce). He wanted patients to call him "Dr. Douchebag."

[quote] Attorneys receive a J.D. (Juris Doctorate) degree and they never use "Dr."

Some put J.D. after their name, and you still some who using Esq.

I was once told by a senior academic at the institution where I work that to use your academic title (Prof or Dr) outside of an academic setting was 'vulgar'.

This thread is bizarre to me. If you hold a PhD the correct title for you is Dr. I don't understand why this is even a question?

When I was a young lady some people still used "Master" to refer to boys, e.g. "Master John." Where the hell did that come from. (Yes, I grew up in the early 19th century.)

young lad ^ (autocorrect doesn't like 19th century usages)

I'm with autocorrect. I liked 'young lady' better.