I agree that if you go to an orthopedist you expect to see a doctor who is a physician but I think we have interesting possibilities as we enter into behavioral health practice and into general practice settings with many kinds of "doctors' to actually get past the name as a status and into seeing both patients and practitioners in a more specific and individual way.
I know individual nurse practitioners who are better prescribers than psychistrists and social workers who are better psychotherapists than psychologists and I don't think "doctor" makes someone more talented: they have just gained a certain degree over a certain amount of time. Should we even introduce why J.D's don't ever use the title to this discussion?
And for any profession it is (or should be) a violation to mis-represent yourself. I just don't think we "own" doctor in some special way. And I think we need to find common sense ways to explain all this to patients because they can understand it.
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