DPT's calling themselves doctors and physicians...WHY?

[thorn22]

...huh? If you're a patient in a hospital and someone in a white coat introduces themself as "Dr. Soandso", you unequivocally think he is a PHYSICIAN. A DOCTOR. A person with a MEDICAL LICENSE.

Hell, I'm a medical student, I'm pretty damn savvy, and I'm not "intelligent enough" to know who the hell is who with all the white coats and "Dr's" and acronyms and inflated degrees and letters after everyone's name, I certainly don't expect 90 y/o Mrs. Collins to be able to differentiate who the hell's got an actual medical license and who doesn't. Sure, it shouldn't matter all that much as long as everyone's doing their job and providing good care, but don't you think she deserves to know? Don't you think she deserves to understand what everyone's role is in her care? And don't you think it's a little selfish for you to expect her to do a double-lux backflip learning everyone's name and read everyone's nametag and remember everyone's level of training just so you can be called "Dr" and wear a white coat, two things that have always identified a person as a physician? Argue and muddy the waters all you want about all the little exceptions and caveats to that universally accepted convention, but don't kid yourself - you're being extremely selfish and you're entitled to nothing that you are trying to claim.

But I know that I'll convince few if any. I know that you've already gained enough ground so that at this point your "progress" is essentially irreversible. I know that it's no longer special to wear a white coat, it no longer denotes doctor. Heck, even "doctor" doesn't denote doctor anymore, thanks to all you ME-TOO Johnny Come-Latelys. I know that I'll be underpaid and overworked and my status in society will only degrade over the course of my career, and I realize that people with a fraction of my training, student debt, and personal investment will directly insult me by claiming they can do my job and wage their crusade. I know all this - and I've accepted it. Just know that I'm on to you, and so are my colleagues. And know that as much as you can fool patients and friends and family with your whole phony "doctor" routine, you'll never have the full respect from ME that you would otherwise deserve if you hadn't compromised your professionalism and my own career with your selfish ambition. Anyone who takes issue with anything I've said can feel free to have the last word on this thread because I'm not coming back because this thread depresses me.

By the end of his post I started to think I was going into a medical insurance career. Relax, Jeff, we as DPTs will be making $60K with $100K+ in student loans. Be thankful for your 6-figures, and stop complaining that we are "compromising" your career. If you would like to take your anger out on someone, I know of a Chiro that lives just down the street...

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[GetnMyFtNtheDor]

xMerryx, you say "duh", but someone on the forum did not know; that's why this post has so many views. If all you have to say is "duh", please don't post

 

[xMerryx]

I was just trying to make the point that is obvious! and I was agreeing with you..... Relax, the "duh" was about what I wrote.

 

[xMerryx]

Just know that I'm on to you, and so are my colleagues. And know that as much as you can fool patients and friends and family with your whole phony "doctor" routine, you'll never have the full respect from ME [/B]that you would otherwise deserve if you hadn't compromised your professionalism and my own career with your selfish ambition. Anyone who takes issue with anything I've said can feel free to have the last word on this thread because I'm not coming back because this thread depresses me.

My god!! what's with the anger? I understand you maybe have worked hard to be in (or go to) medical school and being called a doctor is a form of rewad or gives you a snse of acomplishment, but you have to calm down. The DPT i a relatively new concept that has caught your attention but there have been other kind of doctors for years! and physicians have lost their reputation and salary??? no, because even though I agree that of course in a medical patient we all should introduce oruselves in the appropriate manner, everybody understand the differences among the professions.

 

[medordent]

MD,DO,DVM,DDS/DMD have the right to call themselves doctor.
PharmD or DPT are not doctors... you kidding me?

 

[truthseeker]

is the clinical psychologist a doctor? is the math professor a doctor? is Stephen Hawking a doctor? your optometrist? etc . . .

The point is there is a difference between the word "doctor" and the word "physician". A difference between medical doctor and chiropractor.

the point is, if you are in a clinical setting and introduce yourself as Dr X, you had better be a physician. If you are not, and you introduce yourself as doctor, you had better be presenting a paper, otherwise you are an insecure status seeker.

 

[wacokid]

Can you people please get over yourselves and go back to treating patients?

Geez, I haven't seen this much whining and moaning in I don't know how long.

 

[bipennate]

MD,DO,DVM,DDS/DMD have the right to call themselves doctor.
PharmD or DPT are not doctors... you kidding me?

Why do you feel this way? You have offered no evidence to support your claim. Do you have some evidence that we are not aware of?

 

[DPT2011]

I truly believe there are some extremely bitter individuals in the health care field. If someone goes to school and gets their PhD why can they be called Dr's? Chiropractors? Veteriarians? Podiatrist? (im pretty sure a Dr. of podiatry medicine doesnt even go to medical school, but i could be wrong) etc. DOCTOR OF PHYSICAL THERAPY is now out there. GET OVER IT! No one said they were physicians, but they earned their rights to sign a piece of paper with Dr. because of an educational achievement with a doctoral degree.
I dont care if your wife is a physician, you must have the problem with it because you are the one that decided to go back to school for dentistry. I am a D.D.S. MS and my husband is on his way to becoming a DPT from a PTA. That means that he loves his career choice, paid his dues in tuition and can say "hello my name is Dr. so and so, your physical therapist." The Doctor of Physical Therapy program is attempting to become an elite force in the field of health care. In order to do this, the bar of education must be raised, why is this such an issue with people??

Eventually and hopefully people will just accept this issue and they can GET ON WITH THEIR OWN CAREER.

Vision 2020 may or may not come, but for now GO DPT STUDENTS! all those dissections classes, pharmacology classes, rehab classes, and 3 semesters of un paid clinicals in all different settings. YOU ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT.

Good Luck.

 

[xMerryx]

Thank you!

 

[lirpa]

I truly believe there are some extremely bitter individuals in the health care field. If someone goes to school and gets their PhD why can they be called Dr's? Chiropractors? Veteriarians? Podiatrist? (im pretty sure a Dr. of podiatry medicine doesnt even go to medical school, but i could be wrong) etc. DOCTOR OF PHYSICAL THERAPY is now out there. GET OVER IT! No one said they were physicians, but they earned their rights to sign a piece of paper with Dr. because of an educational achievement with a doctoral degree.
I dont care if your wife is a physician, you must have the problem with it because you are the one that decided to go back to school for dentistry. I am a D.D.S. MS and my husband is on his way to becoming a DPT from a PTA. That means that he loves his career choice, paid his dues in tuition and can say "hello my name is Dr. so and so, your physical therapist." The Doctor of Physical Therapy program is attempting to become an elite force in the field of health care. In order to do this, the bar of education must be raised, why is this such an issue with people??

Eventually and hopefully people will just accept this issue and they can GET ON WITH THEIR OWN CAREER.

Vision 2020 may or may not come, but for now GO DPT STUDENTS! all those dissections classes, pharmacology classes, rehab classes, and 3 semesters of un paid clinicals in all different settings. YOU ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT.

Good Luck.

Thank you PLus two!!
..it is time for this thread to die for good, get over yourselves..if you go to school to get your doctorate in physical therapy..YOUR AN EFFING DOCTOR (of physical therapy)..end of story..not a physician..not a dentist..not an orthopedic surgeon..blah blah..we get it..were not claiming to be anything other that what our education classifies us as..DOCTORS OF PHYSICAL THERAPY!
Its not like we had a choice, the system took us this way..you think we want to pay 150k for school to make a fraction of what an MD makes..no..we went into this field because we love what the job entitles..NOT WHAT THE JOB WAS GOING TO TITLE US..helping rehabilitate individuals and have them return to a functionable state and thats exactly what were going to do..not try to help people with their asthma and bladder infections..trust me we dont want anything to do with that!
Its pretty sad that so many MD's and what not are so concerned with this, it seems to me that you are all more concerned about your title than your actual job..Everyone knows the difference between an MD and a DPT..and if they dont yet..they will soon..so shut up already!

Oh and just for the record..here is the dictionary definition of DOCTOR-
Doctor (title), a title accorded to someone who has received a "doctoral degree"
Notice the doctoral degree in quotes..i did that to show that it doesnt state a certain doctoral degree..meaning any doctoral degree qualifies you as a doctor..so maybe now you can stop posting your anger with this topic towards us future DOCTORS of physical therapy and go argue with the people who defined the term doctor!

 

[Phys Wiz]

MD/DO in any setting; what's up Doc Extensive coursework and reviewing the literature (research), followed by several more years as a resident.

Ph.D. and Ed.D. in an academic setting; what's up Doc This is well established because these individuals have spent 3-5 years in school (sometimes longer with post-doc training) and conducting research establishing an area of expertise (and now here is the real reason why) and then defending and publishing their research to a peer review committee.

Now, DPT's and DNP's in any setting; What's up Mary, Jerry, or whoever. These degrees are no different than JD's. My brother-in-law is a very successful Harvard graduate lawyer and nobody refers to him a Doctor! When I have asked him about this his response is; a JD is a glorified Masters degree (this aligns much better with a DPT and DNP). They are practice degrees, there is NO research requirement, or rigorous defense of any area of expertise (a project is not a dissertation). There are many DPT's, MPT,s and BSPT's all doing the same job. Why? Same training (with the exception of a few more classes. The license is the same.

I know some of you still won't like this, but time is tradition and the MD's and Ph.D's of the world in their respective settings are your properly referred to Docs.

 

[rcheeley]

Can we please close this thread? I believe it just brings about too much confrontation between 2 professions. Not that this is bad, but some of the individuals posting obviously do not have any valuable insight and instead are just putting in their blind opinions. Many of these opinions are against my (and probably the majority of other DPTs) beliefs about the profession and are only ruining our (DPTs) credibility with our posts and knowledge.

 

[MotionDoc]

Can we please close this thread? I believe it just brings about too much confrontation between 2 professions. Not that this is bad, but some of the individuals posting obviously do not have any valuable insight and instead are just putting in their blind opinions. Many of these opinions are against my (and probably the majority of other DPTs) beliefs about the profession and are only ruining our (DPTs) credibility with our posts and knowledge.

agree

 

[johncronejr]

I agree completely. Calling yourself "doctor" in an academic setting is completely appropriate for PhD's and the like. The term "doctor" in a clinical setting implies a skill set not obtained by entry level DPTs. When someone runs up to an accident scene and announces he/she is a doctor, you should be able to assume they aren't an english professor. They are a trained physician capable of handling the situation. DPT's do not have the skills to handle many of the medical events physicians are exposed to on a regular basis. It's a matter of specificity of training.

Just because the chiros call themselves "doctors", doesn't mean we need to keep up with the Jones' and do the same. Incidently, the training for DPT programs is VERY similar to MPT programs with a few weak radiology and pharmacology courses.

You can call yourself a doctor all you want, but I don't think it's appropriate to mislead the public in such a shallow way.

Yes, I am sure there is a big problem in this country with English PhD's running up on an accident scene announcing that they are a Dr.

As you said to someone else right after you made this post...."That's a silly argument. Think it through."

 

[summerX]

I don't mind PTs being called Dr. if that is the degree they earned. However in a hospital there is no reason not to say hi I am so and so, and I am your physical therapist. That way there will be no confusion. In an outpatient setting it would probably be ok to say hi I am Dr. so and so your physical therapist because the patient should understand you are not a medical doctor. I have seen physical therapists use there title Dr. without specifying they were physical therapists and of course I don't agree with this.

I don't really think there should be 2.5 yr DPT programs (unless it is a combined program with undergrad) because even though it is close to the 3 yrs it just seems too short for a doctorate program. Shouldn't the line be drawn somewhere? I was also shocked that we couldn't do more clinically than MPT or BS PTs, which I learned during PT school and that we all took the same licensing exam. The tDPT also seem very short, but I don't know what to think about them. I suppose it is probably the shortest doctorate someone could get today, but then it might be fair considering that alot of the DPT is clinical stuff.

 

[basupran]

You are on a plane when an announcement is made- 'if there a doctor on the plane, please raise your hand- we have a very sick patient in first class'




Would you raise your hand? I hope not. This is where the distinction is made- you hold a doctorate, but you are NOT a doctor. All too many times, I hear DPTs, DNPs, etc....... stating 'I am a doctor'. Again, having a doctorate is not the same as being a doctor.

Oh and just for the record..here is the dictionary definition of DOCTOR-
Doctor (title), a title accorded to someone who has received a "doctoral degree"
Notice the doctoral degree in quotes..i did that to show that it doesnt state a certain doctoral degree..meaning any doctoral degree qualifies you as a doctor..so maybe now you can stop posting your anger with this topic towards us future DOCTORS of physical therapy and go argue with the people who defined the term doctor!

 

[jles]

Oh come on, if you were in an emergency on that plane would you call over a dentist, dermatologist, radiologist, gastroenterologist? All commonly referred to as doc. Compared to them, give me an ER nurse or EMT/paramedic. It's a question of what you practice everyday and are good at. It's not about emergency situations, it's about area of expertise.

I agree completely. Calling yourself "doctor" in an academic setting is completely appropriate for PhD's and the like. The term "doctor" in a clinical setting implies a skill set not obtained by entry level DPTs. When someone runs up to an accident scene and announces he/she is a doctor, you should be able to assume they aren't an english professor. They are a trained physician capable of handling the situation. DPT's do not have the skills to handle many of the medical events physicians are exposed to on a regular basis. It's a matter of specificity of training.

Just because the chiros call themselves "doctors", doesn't mean we need to keep up with the Jones' and do the same. Incidently, the training for DPT programs is VERY similar to MPT programs with a few weak radiology and pharmacology courses.

You can call yourself a doctor all you want, but I don't think it's appropriate to mislead the public in such a shallow way.

 

[jles]

also, if there is a very sick patient on that plane and a physician doesn't step up, I'm going up there to see what I can do. I have a CPR certification, and also have a good amount of knowledge and experience that can be useful in such as situation. It just depends on the situation. Talk about conceit.

 

[johncronejr]

Well if we really want to get technical about this whole mess, we could go by the fact that the title "doctor" was originally used for the academic setting. The word comes from the latin word doctoris "to teach".

So perhaps physicians should quit encroaching on the term and just go by physician. "Hi, I am Physician Sam"....That way I won't get you confused with all of my professors.

This really is a ridiculous argument that I see crop up here regularly. The scenarios that are created for argument here are amusing. For instance, the guy on page 1 that brings up a PhD arriving on an accident scene and proclaiming that they are a "doctor". It boils to the fact that these guys and gals who spend an incredibly long time in med school don't want anyone else to be able to use the term. I wonder if early on the PhD's sat around and lamented how those damn physicians were really out of line for using the doctor title.......

 

[FutureDoc4]

Well if we really want to get technical about this whole mess, we could go by the fact that the title "doctor" was originally used for the academic setting. The word comes from the latin word doctoris "to teach".

So perhaps physicians should quit encroaching on the term and just go by physician. "Hi, I am Physician Sam"....That way I won't get you confused with all of my professors.

This really is a ridiculous argument that I see crop up here regularly. The scenarios that are created for argument here are amusing. For instance, the guy on page 1 that brings up a PhD arriving on an accident scene and proclaiming that they are a "doctor". It boils to the fact that these guys and gals who spend an incredibly long time in med school don't want anyone else to be able to use the term. I wonder if early on the PhD's sat around and lamented how those damn physicians were really out of line for using the doctor title.......

Actually, no... its about a patients understanding of the healthcare system and their ability to "choose" who they see and understand what providers they have and what they do.

There was a recent survey done by the AAMC to determine peoples understanding of the term doctor and physician.

The majority of people (it was something like <20% didn't even realize an otolaryngology was a MD)...people forget how confusing the healthcare system is (when they dont work in it)

Everyone here is involved in healthcare, so we all understand each others roles.

The average education in this country is between 8th-9th grade. You have to "leggo your ego" and try and realize that when you say "doctor" to the average person in the hospital they assume you are a MD/DO. If you can't understand that, than you aren't spending time in the hospital dealing with patients.

Legislation was recently introduced to try and address this problem in the truth and transparency act (supported by multiple organizations---not suprisingly, the nursing lobbying was against it)

http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/news...sparency.shtml

Bottom line, so many different providers are not clearly representing themselves so patients have NO idea whats going on.

Wake up.

If you want to use "Doctor" in front of your name, I am actually fine with it.

As long as the words that come out of your mouth are:

"Hi Mrs. Smith, my name is Dr. X, I am a physical therapist and will be seeing you today in regards to Y"

This is only honestly, if your ego is so weak that you just need that little "boost" to be called doctor.

The problem is, many of you, (not just your profession, others, DNPs etc).... walk into a patients room and say "I am Dr. X, what can I help you with?" (this is NOT acceptable).

EVERY room I walk into:

"Hi Mrs Smith, My name is FutureDoc, I am a third year medical student, what brings you in today?"

 

[johncronejr]

Actually, no... its about a patients understanding of the healthcare system and their ability to "choose" who they see and understand what providers they have and what they do.

There was a recent survey done by the AAMC to determine peoples understanding of the term doctor and physician.

The majority of people (it was something like <20% didn't even realize an otolaryngology was a MD)...people forget how confusing the healthcare system is (when they dont work in it)

Everyone here is involved in healthcare, so we all understand each others roles.

The average education in this country is between 8th-9th grade. You have to "leggo your ego" and try and realize that when you say "doctor" to the average person in the hospital they assume you are a MD/DO. If you can't understand that, than you aren't spending time in the hospital dealing with patients.

Legislation was recently introduced to try and address this problem in the truth and transparency act (supported by multiple organizations---not suprisingly, the nursing lobbying was against it)

http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/news...sparency.shtml

Bottom line, so many different providers are not clearly representing themselves so patients have NO idea whats going on.

Wake up.

If you want to use "Doctor" in front of your name, I am actually fine with it.

As long as the words that come out of your mouth are:

"Hi Mrs. Smith, my name is Dr. X, I am a physical therapist and will be seeing you today in regards to Y"

This is only honestly, if your ego is so weak that you just need that little "boost" to be called doctor.

The problem is, many of you, (not just your profession, others, DNPs etc).... walk into a patients room and say "I am Dr. X, what can I help you with?" (this is NOT acceptable).

EVERY room I walk into:

"Hi Mrs Smith, My name is FutureDoc, I am a third year medical student, what brings you in today?"

I am far past needing any ego boost. I won't use the title Dr. as a physical therapist. If I decide to get a PhD, I will probably use the title in the classroom.

As far as patients understanding, yes I am sure that many would automatically think you are an MD/DO. But, the arguments many of you are using have to do with non-MD's passing themselves off as doctors. If a PT said "I am Dr. X" and the patient asked a non-PT question, don't you believe the PT would say "I am your PT, you will want to ask your gastroenterologist/cardiologist/etc..... that question"?

If I am in a hospital and I ask a Dr. a question which is outside of his specialty, is he going to take the question on, or is he going to tell me that I need to speak with my XYZ Dr ?

I will be 48 when I finally get out of school, so I am not concerned in the least with what title I have. I just want to enjoy my day, earn some money, help some people along the way if I can, and enjoy my time off with my family. I have been a big shot in life already, and I have been the lowest man on the board. It all still boils down to just doing your job, being competent with what you do, and treating people with respect. My philosophy with titles is as follows: If I visit your office and you address me as Mr. Lastname, I will address you as Dr. Lastname. If you call me John, I will call you Fred. It's that simple, noone gets special respect simply because they spent a long time in school.

 

[ClimberGrrrl]

Would you raise your hand? I hope not. This is where the distinction is made- you hold a doctorate, but you are NOT a doctor. All too many times, I hear DPTs, DNPs, etc....... stating 'I am a doctor'. Again, having a doctorate is not the same as being a doctor.[/QUOTE]

That's actually exactly what it means. Having a doctorate means you are a doctor. Does it mean you are a doctor of medicine (aka physician)? Not unless you hold an MD or DO. Does it mean you are a doctor of whatever field you earned your doctorate in? Yes. Why is this concept so difficult for people to understand? It's not a battle of which doctoral degree is the "true" doctoral degree (ie MD, PhD, DPT, etc), they are simply doctoral degrees in completely different fields. Being a doctor of physical therapy means you are a ... wait for it ... doctor of physical therapy! Anyone who holds a DPT (or any other doctoral degree for that matter) is well within their rights of someone who has earned a doctoral degree to introduce themselves to a patient/client as "Hi, I'm Dr. X, I'll be your physical therapist." Have I ever heard a DPT introduce them as such? No. Do they have the right to with respect to the degree they have earned? Yes. Seriously - argue about it all you want, but it is what it is so get over it. If you want to continue to manifest all kinds of ridiculous scenarios, then fine, continue to waste your time.

 

[johncronejr]

Would you raise your hand? I hope not. This is where the distinction is made- you hold a doctorate, but you are NOT a doctor. All too many times, I hear DPTs, DNPs, etc....... stating 'I am a doctor'. Again, having a doctorate is not the same as being a doctor.

That's actually exactly what it means. Having a doctorate means you are a doctor. Does it mean you are a doctor of medicine (aka physician)? Not unless you hold an MD or DO. Does it mean you are a doctor of whatever field you earned your doctorate in? Yes. Why is this concept so difficult for people to understand? It's not a battle of which doctoral degree is the "true" doctoral degree (ie MD, PhD, DPT, etc), they are simply doctoral degrees in completely different fields. Being a doctor of physical therapy means you are a ... wait for it ... doctor of physical therapy! Anyone who holds a DPT (or any other doctoral degree for that matter) is well within their rights of someone who has earned a doctoral degree to introduce themselves to a patient/client as "Hi, I'm Dr. X, I'll be your physical therapist." Have I ever heard a DPT introduce them as such? No. Do they have the right to with respect to the degree they have earned? Yes. Seriously - argue about it all you want, but it is what it is so get over it. If you want to continue to manifest all kinds of ridiculous scenarios, then fine, continue to waste your time.[/QUOTE]

Bravo! Bartender get that girl a drink!

 

[FutureDoc4]

Would you raise your hand? I hope not. This is where the distinction is made- you hold a doctorate, but you are NOT a doctor. All too many times, I hear DPTs, DNPs, etc....... stating 'I am a doctor'. Again, having a doctorate is not the same as being a doctor.

That's actually exactly what it means. Having a doctorate means you are a doctor. Does it mean you are a doctor of medicine (aka physician)? Not unless you hold an MD or DO. Does it mean you are a doctor of whatever field you earned your doctorate in? Yes. Why is this concept so difficult for people to understand? It's not a battle of which doctoral degree is the "true" doctoral degree (ie MD, PhD, DPT, etc), they are simply doctoral degrees in completely different fields. Being a doctor of physical therapy means you are a ... wait for it ... doctor of physical therapy! Anyone who holds a DPT (or any other doctoral degree for that matter) is well within their rights of someone who has earned a doctoral degree to introduce themselves to a patient/client as "Hi, I'm Dr. X, I'll be your physical therapist." Have I ever heard a DPT introduce them as such? No. Do they have the right to with respect to the degree they have earned? Yes. Seriously - argue about it all you want, but it is what it is so get over it. If you want to continue to manifest all kinds of ridiculous scenarios, then fine, continue to waste your time.[/QUOTE]

This is the problem (you seemed to completely ignore my post?).

No one cares when you say "Hi I am Dr. X I am your physical therapist"

The problem is what I stated above. I would like to see your response to my above points (which I will not repeat)

 

[chicdianne]

Doctor is a fairly meaningless term only meant to indicate a prestige level or a high level of education. If one has the highest degree in their field, they are referred to as 'doctor' of ________. I could be a doctor of english, history, marine biology, medicine, PT, even OT or nursing if i wanted to be, but it wouldn't make me a medical doctor. And it wouldn't make me an MD/DO wannabe, either. Its just an indicator what within my field, I have the highest degree possible. No one has legal ownership of the term "doctor" and the general public needs to understand just what the meaning of a doctoral level degree is.

Well this one makes sense at least. She is right a person can be called a doctor once he had earned high level of education or you got a degree in a highest level...

 

[ClimberGrrrl]

That's actually exactly what it means. Having a doctorate means you are a doctor. Does it mean you are a doctor of medicine (aka physician)? Not unless you hold an MD or DO. Does it mean you are a doctor of whatever field you earned your doctorate in? Yes. Why is this concept so difficult for people to understand? It's not a battle of which doctoral degree is the "true" doctoral degree (ie MD, PhD, DPT, etc), they are simply doctoral degrees in completely different fields. Being a doctor of physical therapy means you are a ... wait for it ... doctor of physical therapy! Anyone who holds a DPT (or any other doctoral degree for that matter) is well within their rights of someone who has earned a doctoral degree to introduce themselves to a patient/client as "Hi, I'm Dr. X, I'll be your physical therapist." Have I ever heard a DPT introduce them as such? No. Do they have the right to with respect to the degree they have earned? Yes. Seriously - argue about it all you want, but it is what it is so get over it. If you want to continue to manifest all kinds of ridiculous scenarios, then fine, continue to waste your time.

This is the problem (you seemed to completely ignore my post?).

No one cares when you say "Hi I am Dr. X I am your physical therapist"

The problem is what I stated above. I would like to see your response to my above points (which I will not repeat)[/QUOTE]

I did read your post, and I did not disagree with it. I did, however, disagree with one statement made by another poster and thus addressed it. My post had nothing to do with yours. I'm sorry if that confused you.

 

[basupran]

You actually completely misunderstood my point. I have seen too many DPT/DNP holders state the following : "I am a doctor". 99.9% of people would equate that statement with "I have an MD/DO".

By your logic, anyone with a doctorate could say 'I am a doctor'. Imagine a lawyer in a hospital saying 'I am a doctor'...they theoretically could as they hold a JD.

I am not arguing that about whether or not a DPT holder can call themselves Dr. PT. I am arguing that a DPT cannot make statements along the lines of 'I am a doctor'.

That's actually exactly what it means. Having a doctorate means you are a doctor.

 

[truthseeker]

Basupran,

you are totally correct. I don't see why people are having a hard time understanding your point.

Yes, if you are a DPT, you have a doctorate.
But, there is a difference in a degree and a profession. A "doctor" is a very distinct profession. A doctorate is a degree held by many.

It comes down to how you represent yourself. If you say I am a doctor, then people will make the assumption that I do surgery, prescribe pills, order Xrays etc . . .

If you say you have your doctorate, they will ask you "in what?"

I think some people here are being thick.

 

[MotionDoc]

Basupran,

you are totally correct. I don't see why people are having a hard time understanding your point.

Yes, if you are a DPT, you have a doctorate.
But, there is a difference in a degree and a profession. A "doctor" is a very distinct profession. A doctorate is a degree held by many.

It comes down to how you represent yourself. If you say I am a doctor, then people will make the assumption that you do surgery, prescribe pills, order Xrays etc . . .

If you say you have your doctorate, they will ask you "in what?"

I think some people here are being thick.

 

[rcheeley]

Finished?!?!?!

PLEASE!!!!!!

 

[johncronejr]

Finished?!?!?!

PLEASE!!!!!!

LOL, folks get worked up about this topic don't they?

 

[MuscleHead]

the official title should simply be....john doe, PT, DPT. thats it. it indicates your level of education and license, and doesnt confuse anyone as to whether you practice medicine.

 

[honker23]

All of us PTs know we are not physicians. We all know that an MPT with 10 yrs exp is better than a new grad DPT. I think as PTs we have a unique skill set that will help patients. If this degree will increase patients' access to us great. We are not trying to practice as a physician, we are trying to practice as a specialist in musculoskeletal conditions.

For years MPTs have been "overeducated" I think by adding DPT to the profession reflects the amount of education we (PTs) have been receiving for years.....Still we are physical therapists....not physicians.

 

[PTtoBe]

I've been around dozens of DPTs in clinical settings, and have yet to hear a single one refer to themself as "Dr. so and so" in front of a patient. Is this really a problem right now, or are PTs just getting overflow criticism from physicians due to other doctoral degree professions who do routinely refer to themselves by name as Dr. (like chiropractors, dentists, etc.)? Maybe one day many DPTs will do this, but that day isn't now.

This strikes me as a lot of caterwauling over something which frankly is not a problem, while far greater problems (medicare reimbursement, changing compensation model, etc.) persist.

 

[chman]

I have volunteered in the rehab wing of a hospital for a while now and have never heard a DPT call themselves "doctor." I have a feeling the OP was a bit misleading with all that.

This is how I see it. Everyone who earns a doctorate level degree technically has the right to call themselves doctor. However, I think only MDs/DOs should introduce themselves as doctor in a clinical setting. Otherwise it just gets too confusing for people.

 

[allover]

only Phds should really be calling themselves "Doctor". "Doctor" in its latin origin means "to teach". and in fact it was originally a religious title. physicians adopted "Dr" for the same reasons other health-care professions are doing so now and that is for the perceived authority.

 

[shaunbevins]

Of course PTs want to be able to present themselves as an expert in their profession. However, I do think the use of Dr. is confusing especially since not all members of the profession can use the term. A BPT and MPT have the same professional rights and responsibilities as DPTs. I think it can be confusing to patients who really don't understand the differences or non-differences. "Doctor" has a perceived status in many peoples minds. I think as long as the DPT clearly represents themselves as a doctor of physical therapy than that is fair.

I do think though it is the practitioners responsibility to make it clear to patients that they are not a medical doctor, not a chiropractor, not a podiatrist. I am sure most individual state boards have a position on this and what the therapists responsibilities are with respect to the use of Suffixes or prefixes.

To DPTs who choose to use the term DR. If you have a patient, any patient, that thinks you are a physician because of the use of the term Dr. then according to many states YOU as the practitioner have not made the difference clear and YOU may be violating codes of practice in your state. That burden lies with YOU. Given the fact that many patients are clueless, this is a huge responsibility, but if you choose to...more power to you.

 

[jles]

The latin origin of doctor is true. So really, PTs do this every single day. The goal of course being patient independence. Teaching is the foundation of what we do. So if we wanna get technical...Of course, that is besides the point of this poorly titled thread but I think that was addressed already.
This should be put to rest, although yes, I did just bump the thread. Oh well.

only Phds should really be calling themselves "Doctor". "Doctor" in its latin origin means "to teach". and in fact it was originally a religious title. physicians adopted "Dr" for the same reasons other health-care professions are doing so now and that is for the perceived authority.

 

[Socrates25]

Well if we really want to get technical about this whole mess, we could go by the fact that the title "doctor" was originally used for the academic setting. The word comes from the latin word doctoris "to teach".

So perhaps physicians should quit encroaching on the term and just go by physician. "Hi, I am Physician Sam"....That way I won't get you confused with all of my professors.

This is missing the point. The reason why DPTs, nurses, and everybody else wants to be called DOCTOR is NOT because of the word itself -- its because of the context in American society where "doctor" = physician.

If physicians made a new rule that they could not call themselves doctor anymore and had to call themselves physician, guess what would happen.

All the other professions such as DPTs would also stop calling themselves doctor and instead switch to some nonsense such as "physical therapy physician" instead.

Its not about the word doctor itself, its all about trying to emulate/copy/steal from the respect that MDs have in this country.

Its the same deal with white coats. If the AMA came out tomorrow and said that physicians were not allowed to wear white coats and that they all had to switch to black coats, guess what would happen. All the wannabes out there (including NPs, PAs, DPTs, pharmacists, etc) would ALSO try to switch to the black coat.

MDs have something special and you guys want a piece of it. It has nothing to do with patient care, this is about ENVY AND RESPECT and trying to copy off the success that MDs have become in this country.

Thats ALL this is about.

 

[chman]

This is missing the point. The reason why DPTs, nurses, and everybody else wants to be called DOCTOR is NOT because of the word itself -- its because of the context in American society where "doctor" = physician.

If physicians made a new rule that they could not call themselves doctor anymore and had to call themselves physician, guess what would happen.

All the other professions such as DPTs would also stop calling themselves doctor and instead switch to some nonsense such as "physical therapy physician" instead.

Its not about the word doctor itself, its all about trying to emulate/copy/steal from the respect that MDs have in this country.

Its the same deal with white coats. If the AMA came out tomorrow and said that physicians were not allowed to wear white coats and that they all had to switch to black coats, guess what would happen. All the wannabes out there (including NPs, PAs, DPTs, pharmacists, etc) would ALSO try to switch to the black coat.

MDs have something special and you guys want a piece of it. It has nothing to do with patient care, this is about ENVY AND RESPECT and trying to copy off the success that MDs have become in this country.

Thats ALL this is about.

So do English professors call themselves doctor sometimes because they want to be more like physicians? I think not. Your arguments is a bit faulty. I would say it is more about people wanting respect for the amount of education they have. Out of all the health professions with higher degrees it seems that physical therapists are "trying to be doctors" the least IMO.

 

[demayette]

In a clinical setting, only MD/DO/DPM/DDS/DMD should call themselves doctors to avoid any confusion. Any other professions that think they should be able to do that in a clinical setting is simply wrong.

 

[wrennywren]

This is missing the point. The reason why DPTs, nurses, and everybody else wants to be called DOCTOR is NOT because of the word itself -- its because of the context in American society where "doctor" = physician.

If physicians made a new rule that they could not call themselves doctor anymore and had to call themselves physician, guess what would happen.

All the other professions such as DPTs would also stop calling themselves doctor and instead switch to some nonsense such as "physical therapy physician" instead.

Its not about the word doctor itself, its all about trying to emulate/copy/steal from the respect that MDs have in this country.

Its the same deal with white coats. If the AMA came out tomorrow and said that physicians were not allowed to wear white coats and that they all had to switch to black coats, guess what would happen. All the wannabes out there (including NPs, PAs, DPTs, pharmacists, etc) would ALSO try to switch to the black coat.

MDs have something special and you guys want a piece of it. It has nothing to do with patient care, this is about ENVY AND RESPECT and trying to copy off the success that MDs have become in this country.

Thats ALL this is about.

What the?? That made absolutely no sense.

Once I get my DPT, I won't refer to my self as "Doctor" when talking to patients, but I will be proud that I earned a doctorate degree. If others want to call themselves doctor, then that's their perogative. The vast majority (I'm sure there are some losers in the minority) of DPT's are NOT trying to fool anyone into thinking they are a physician. "Doctor" is a title that is earned. No big deal. Sheesh.

Seems like Physicians really have a beef with this and that's just weird.

 

[PTLove]

Very interesting topic to me I will begin school this fall to become a PT, I honestly don't think I would call myself a doctor to people, I would say I'm a physical therapist ....that's what I am and proud to be one. I am not coming in for a title I really want to help people, titles do not matter to me. Helping is in my blood. The only confusion I have been having is the big difference with occupational therapist and physical therapist? I'v been doing the research still seems a bit confusing of the real difference.

 

[The Poet Sings]

Very interesting topic to me I will begin school this fall to become a PT, I honestly don't think I would call myself a doctor to people, I would say I'm a physical therapist ....that's what I am and proud to be one. I am not coming in for a title I really want to help people, titles do not matter to me. Helping is in my blood. The only confusion I have been having is the big difference with occupational therapist and physical therapist? I'v been doing the research still seems a bit confusing of the real difference.

it's my understanding that a physical therapist is to help with strengthening and toning the body (ok i injured my wrist, i need a physical therapist to teach me what to do to bring it back to its pre-injury state), whereas an occupational therapist is to help with the things that occupy your daily life that you have trouble doing (i have a problem with holding objects, i need an occupational therapist to help me learn how to brush my teeth on my own).

of course, there is always http://lmgtfy.com/?q=occupational+vs+physical+therapy for help

 

[Donkeykiss]

This is missing the point. The reason why DPTs, nurses, and everybody else wants to be called DOCTOR is NOT because of the word itself -- its because of the context in American society where "doctor" = physician.

If physicians made a new rule that they could not call themselves doctor anymore and had to call themselves physician, guess what would happen.

All the other professions such as DPTs would also stop calling themselves doctor and instead switch to some nonsense such as "physical therapy physician" instead.

Its not about the word doctor itself, its all about trying to emulate/copy/steal from the respect that MDs have in this country.

Its the same deal with white coats. If the AMA came out tomorrow and said that physicians were not allowed to wear white coats and that they all had to switch to black coats, guess what would happen. All the wannabes out there (including NPs, PAs, DPTs, pharmacists, etc) would ALSO try to switch to the black coat.

MDs have something special and you guys want a piece of it. It has nothing to do with patient care, this is about ENVY AND RESPECT and trying to copy off the success that MDs have become in this country.

Thats ALL this is about.

Sad...but being honest with ourselves it's the truth...and I don't care at all about titles or what people do....more important things in life

 

[jbizzle]

Are there even any PTs or DPTs posting on this thread anymore? All I see are MDs or Med Students posting.

Look, If I ever get accepted in a PT program and then graduate, there is NO CHANCE IN HELL im calling myself a doctor. Its just not right....it wont even sound right!

So for all the people saying that PTs are going to start calling themselves Doctors, just know that not all of them/us want to.

LETS CLOSE IT OUT!!!

 

[allover]

doctor means "to teach". only PhD levels are "Doctors", as they are the ones teaching at our universities. MD, PT, DDS, optometrists, PharmD blah blah do not teach.

 

[arvest25]

doctor means "to teach". only PhD levels are "Doctors", as they are the ones teaching at our universities. MD, PT, DDS, optometrists, PharmD blah blah do not teach.

PHYSICAL THERAPISTS DO NOT TEACH?? WHAT ARE YOU SMOKING? PT's main job is teaching! So re-educating a stroke patient on how to use their affected arm/leg is not teaching? Re-educating a patient on how to walk properly instead of "hike walking" is not teaching? lol....and no I don't think PT's should be called doctors.

 

[The Poet Sings]

PHYSICAL THERAPISTS DO NOT TEACH?? WHAT ARE YOU SMOKING? PT's main job is teaching! So re-educating a stroke patient on how to use their affected arm/leg is not teaching? Re-educating a patient on how to walk properly instead of "hike walking" is not teaching? lol....and no I don't think PT's should be called doctors.

i think it's about teaching students rather than patients? but yes, PTs do teach. i've been through quite a few of them. what they teach isn't on the level of what you'd learn in a class though. just "i'm going to teach you what exercise will help your condition". i know they only went into depth with me on the reasons behind certain things because they knew i was premed and because i asked. otherwise we probably never would've gone into detail on certain things. and PTs can get their PhDs, too, and earn that magical doctor title.