FWIW, many physicians are, in fact, lab scientists, and/or have a background in laboratory science. Nearly every accredited fellowship for physicians requires lab research of the fellows. I wouldn't get too bent out of shape about it. But, seriously, if you feel like the lab coat and title are arbitrary anyway, what's the issue with NP's, PA's, DPT's, or others, not getting the arbitrary indicators for themselves?
OK, but that is not true of physicians 100 or so years ago when they first started wearing lab coats, and 95+% of physicians now never set foot in a lab.
I honestly don't care one way or another. I just think the whole debate (from both sides) is kind of lame. The physicians who argue against others using the title "doctor" claim it is a patient safety/confusion issue, and I understand, appreciate and agree to a certain extent, but it's largely disingenuous to me. It is also that many want an exclusive title and the status it brings. I am a male nurse, and I work with female physicians, and often when we walk into a patients room together, the family and/or patient (if they haven't met me yet) think I'm the physician and she is the nurse. Should we ban female physicians and male nurses so patients don't get confused? As a student RN, then as an RN, and now as an NP student, I get called "doctor" constantly, even after I correct patients. In the hospital, patients see various physicians, PT, OT, RT, rad techs, speech, nurses, lab techs, and chaplains and most don't know who is who already, even when the person introduces themselves properly. And honestly, if I were a patient, I would
want to know if the person caring for me had a doctorate, medical or not, including PT, speech, nurses, etc.
Where I work, most physicians don't even wear lab coats, but most RT's do, and even some of our chaplains do. In my NP clinicals, I have now had two physicians specifically tell me they wanted me to wear a lab coat after showing up my first day without one. And I hate lab coats.
The "other side" (i.e. nurses) says they want to be able to use the title to demonstrate their level of education to patients and to have a doctorate to have parity with OT, PT, pharmacists, speech, optometry, etc.). I understand and appreciate that too. But is also is largely disingenuous -- many want to convey parity with physicians.
I dunno. To me, there are much bigger fish to fry.
