are residents considered doctors?

[mindquick]

are residents considered doctors? what about interns? are you still considered a doctor after you retire?

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[BADMD]

are residents considered doctors? what about interns? are you still considered a doctor after you retire?

Residents are doctors. Once you graduate from medical school, you are a doctor, even if you never go on to residency. What may change is the modifier before "doctor." Intern, resident, attending, retired, etc.

 

[elwademd]

once you graduate from medical school, you have your md or do and are therefore a doctor.

you do not have to do internship nor residency to be a doctor, as you are a doctor when you graduate from medical school.

interns are doctors, since they graduated from medical school.
residents are doctors, since they graduated from medical school.
attendings are doctors, since they graduated from medical school.
the old retired doctor is still a doctor, since he/she graduated from medical school.
the person who decided to do something else besides residency, but graduate from medical school is still a doctor... because he/she graduated from medical school.

 

[Meatwad]

Iff you haven't done a residency yet or you are retired (no longer renew your license), although you obviously still have your MD/DO degree, can you still put MD/DO after your name? Probably not, right?

 

[Pir8DeacDoc]

The , MD after your name only signifies your degree, not your status as practicing or not. Think about folks that sign , MBA or whatever. There is no practicing or not for that degree.

You can sign your name anyway that you want. I only sign legal documents with my FULL NAME, MD. Otherwise I feel like a self-important jerk putting MD after stuff.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Iff you haven't done a residency yet or you are retired (no longer renew your license), although you obviously still have your MD/DO degree, can you still put MD/DO after your name? Probably not, right?

I'm not an attorney, but while technically correct that you can sign your name with MD/DO as long as you've earned the degree, I would venture its unethical if not illegal if you are signing with the degree to imply you are a licensed physician.

But even beyond the ethics, its sort of lame to do so if you aren't a practicing or retired physician. I mean you don't see Michael Crichton put it on his books. People who do this are the same ones who put "Lady Doc" on their license plates.🙄

 

[gutonc]

But even beyond the ethics, its sort of lame to do so if you aren't a practicing or retired physician. I mean you don't see Michael Crichton put it on his books. People who do this are the same ones who put "Lady Doc" on their license plates.🙄

My favorite was one outside one of the community hospitals in Brooklyn where I did a rotation as an MS3. In NY and NJ, you can get "MD" plates which both allow you to park in otherwise no parking areas near hospitals and to get rear-ended by dirtbags who think they can work you over for extra cash. Anyway.... There was a Mercedes S500 parked in front of this hospital w/ the MD license plate that said "DOCMD." We get it, you're a doctor, congratulations...douchebag.

 

[Meatwad]

The , MD after your name only signifies your degree, not your status as practicing or not. Think about folks that sign , MBA or whatever. There is no practicing or not for that degree.

You can sign your name anyway that you want. I only sign legal documents with my FULL NAME, MD. Otherwise I feel like a self-important jerk putting MD after stuff.

You sure about that? This seems like it could lend itself to a lot of unsavory individuals using their "credentials," as an MD to scam others. Example: some guy goes to an online med school in the Caribbean and gets an MD degree. He can sign John Doe, MD, even though he's got a totally bogus degree? I would think states would have some sort of system in place, for reasons such as this.

 

[Bertelman]

You sure about that? This seems like it could lend itself to a lot of unsavory individuals using their "credentials," as an MD to scam others. Example: some guy goes to an online med school in the Caribbean and gets an MD degree. He can sign John Doe, MD, even though he's got a totally bogus degree? I would think states would have some sort of system in place, for reasons such as this.

I think we're pretty sure. What you place after your name is only an indication of the degree you obtained. It does not imply licensure or legitimacy, nor should it imply credibility. I haven't been a doctor for long, but I rarely sign MD after my name. It hasn't stopped people from filling my prescriptions. Have you seen your doctor's signature? Can you really identify the MD after his/her name?

Typically, if someone is intent on scamming others, and has the willpower, ingenuity and gumption to do so, they won't take the time to complete an online med school, if indeed one existed. They would just start signing MD after their name. You can do so tomorrow if you like, and see how far you get. Rip a sheet of paper out of a notebook, write an Rx for some drugs, and take it to the local pharmacy.

 

[Meatwad]

they won't take the time to complete an online med school, if indeed one existed.

Yeah, I wasn't implying they'd just go to med school to get the letters. I was assuming they would go to med school, not get into a residency (because their online school means they have a completely useless and bogus degree), and therefore have to revert to other, less legitimate ways of making money.

Unfortunately, online schools do exist. Fortunately, no state in this country is dumb enough to take their grads (if any have ever completed all the material without bailing).

http://www.stewartmed.org/
http://www.uhsa.ag/

Two examples, although there's probably more out there.

 

[mindquick]

so say a person gets their MD degree after finishing med school, and that person writes MD after their name. would the lickscienced doctors look down upon that?

 

[8744]

I'm not an attorney, but while technically correct that you can sign your name with MD/DO as long as you've earned the degree, I would venture its unethical if not illegal if you are signing with the degree to imply you are a licensed physician.

But even beyond the ethics, its sort of lame to do so if you aren't a practicing or retired physician. I mean you don't see Michael Crichton put it on his books. People who do this are the same ones who put "Lady Doc" on their license plates.🙄

Every communication from my hospital and program, every letter from the state board, and every single piece of official mail I get is addressed to "Panda Bear, MD" or "Dear Dr. Bear." I don't see the problem. I have a brother-in-law, by the way, who is insanely jealous of me because I'm a 43-year-old former Marine, structural engineer, and now a Doctor while he is a 49-year-old insurance computer geek (and bald to boot). He insists that I'm not a "real" doctor until I'm licensed. No doubt after I take Step 3 in November he'll insist I'm not a "real" doctor until I finish residency.

Eventually, after I get board-certified he will probably have to concede that I am a "real" doctor but he will probably then say that the degree is over-rated.

 

[fineline]

He may be bald, but he's nailing your sister. ZING!

 

[Bertelman]

Yeah, I wasn't implying they'd just go to med school to get the letters. I was assuming they would go to med school, not get into a residency (because their online school means they have a completely useless and bogus degree), and therefore have to revert to other, less legitimate ways of making money.

I guess I'm still not following your question. What example do you propose someone might use their MD intials to gain an advantage without legitimacy?

 

[Winged Scapula]

so say a person gets their MD degree after finishing med school, and that person writes MD after their name. would the lickscienced doctors look down upon that?

As a lickscienced doctor (sic), I wouldn't look down on someone who used the MD degree in the appropriate situation.

That is, if you are in training or have just graduated and are using the title in the context of taking care of patients or do some other work which requires the medical degree, that is appropriate.

It is inappropriate if you are using the degree to imply that you are a licensed physician (as well as illegal) to practice medicine outside an approved training program.

It is distasteful to me when you use the degree in social situations or non-medical business situations (ie, making hotel reservations). I have a couple of friends who, when introducing me to others in a social setting, always manage to work in that I'm a physician...in about two sentences. Its very embarassing.

 

[Long Dong]

I've seen adds on TV and bodybuilding mags where such and such diet medicine/muscle drink is endorsed by Dr. So N So and the small print says recent grad or in residency training.

I've also seen this website that talks about health and diet sponsored by the Dr. So N So. Turns out she is a doctor of Sci. which I think is an honorary degree. Check this out http://www.veganforum.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-258.html

 

[Meatwad]

I guess I'm still not following your question. What example do you propose someone might use their MD intials to gain an advantage without legitimacy?

Lending their name to some crap diet pill, claiming that because they are an MD, they are an authority on this sort of thing.

I guess it's more of a hypothetical, though. I don't have many examples right now, so I'll just concede that you've answered my question.👍

 

[mindquick]

Cool, so if I get an MD, I can pay back my loans by lending my name to some diet pill?

 

[Winged Scapula]

Cool, so if I get an MD, I can pay back my loans by lending my name to some diet pill?

As long as you've got the body to back up your claims!😀

 

[Tired]

I've also seen this website that talks about health and diet sponsored by the Dr. So N So. Turns out she is a doctor of Sci. which I think is an honorary degree. Check this out http://www.veganforum.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-258.html

Yeah, actually that's what they call a PhD in a lot of Europe.

 

[Hurricane]

My favorite was one outside one of the community hospitals in Brooklyn where I did a rotation as an MS3. In NY and NJ, you can get "MD" plates which both allow you to park in otherwise no parking areas near hospitals and to get rear-ended by dirtbags who think they can work you over for extra cash. Anyway.... There was a Mercedes S500 parked in front of this hospital w/ the MD license plate that said "DOCMD." We get it, you're a doctor, congratulations...douchebag.

I knew a guy who had MD2B or something similar for his license plate. Which immediately made me think "what a douchebag." But it turns out his parents bought him the car when he graduated college and put that plate on it because they were so proud of him for going to medical school, and he didn't have the heart to tell them it was really embarassing.

OTOH, I knew this guy who would sign stuff His Name, B.A. then the second he graduated med school, he even changed his email so that it came from His Name, M.D. 🙄

 

[Bertelman]

Lending their name to some crap diet pill, claiming that because they are an MD, they are an authority on this sort of thing.

I guess it's more of a hypothetical, though. I don't have many examples right now, so I'll just concede that you've answered my question.👍

I see what you are getting at. I believe in Darwin, that is, if someone believes a pill works just because a doctor on a TV says so, they probably deserve to be duped.

 

[IndyXRT]

Do people really sign MD after their name all the time? Is it required in some hospital charts? As a medical student, I always put MSIII/IV after my name, just to make it crystal clear that someone had to co-sign my orders. Now I just sign my name.

 

[Winged Scapula]

I sign with MD after all charting, medical paperwork etc. Then again, my signature is just a bunch of curves so its not like its really obvious anyway.

As I recall, we had a thread about this awhile back as to whether or not you had to sign with the degree in a chart. I think the answer was "no".

 

[Annette]

Unfortunately, medicare may make you straighten out your signatures. You may not have to sign MD after your name, but if your signature is unreadable, you have to have some other kind of identification- name printed, pager #, etc.

The generic prescription pads have MD at the end of the signature line. Wonder if the DO's cross it out and put DO in?

 

[TRAMD]

I knew a guy who had MD2B or something similar for his license plate. Which immediately made me think "what a douchebag." But it turns out his parents bought him the car when he graduated college and put that plate on it because they were so proud of him for going to medical school, and he didn't have the heart to tell them it was really embarassing.

OTOH, I knew this guy who would sign stuff His Name, B.A. then the second he graduated med school, he even changed his email so that it came from His Name, M.D. 🙄

My name on here is my initials and then MD.

I saw a dude today with this huge sticker in his back window that said "Certified E.M.T." and had that picture with the snake around the thingy.

 

[TRAMD]

Yeah, I wasn't implying they'd just go to med school to get the letters. I was assuming they would go to med school, not get into a residency (because their online school means they have a completely useless and bogus degree), and therefore have to revert to other, less legitimate ways of making money.

Unfortunately, online schools do exist. Fortunately, no state in this country is dumb enough to take their grads (if any have ever completed all the material without bailing).

http://www.stewartmed.org/
http://www.uhsa.ag/

Two examples, although there's probably more out there.

That is just plain f***ing scary! I thought what many caribbean medical schools were doing to people was messed up but this is ludicrous!

 

[Meatwad]

That is just plain f***ing scary! I thought what many caribbean medical schools were doing to people was messed up but this is ludicrous!

Isn't it? What's even more ludicrous to me is that there are human beings devoid of any intelligence that would actually give these places their money. The one place said it was 10 grand a semester or something! That's ri-god-damn-diculous. Who the hell has ten grand to blow on something completely worthless? I mean, one night with a high class hooker, a Cohiba, and a bottle of Louis XIII is a better investment.

 

[TRAMD]

Isn't it? What's even more ludicrous to me is that there are human beings devoid of any intelligence that would actually give these places their money. The one place said it was 10 grand a semester or something! That's ri-god-damn-diculous. Who the hell has ten grand to blow on something completely worthless? I mean, one night with a high class hooker, a Cohiba, and a bottle of Louis XIII is a better investment.

Did you notice that a semester is 4 months? That means 30k per year.

 

[Meatwad]

Did you notice that a semester is 4 months? That means 30k per year.

Nope, didn't read that part. Makes it all the more insane, good catch.

These schools remind me of people on infomercials that sell crap that is so useless, you can't imagine how they have the money to afford a commercial. You have a hard time believing they could find even one sap idiotic enough to buy the thing. But if they couldn't, there's no way they could afford to come back on TV, night after night. In order for Stewart Med, or UHSA, to stay open, there has to be at least a couple of *****s blowing their money on it.

Oh yeah, there's one more school that I remember hearing about. It's called "Northern Medical School," and is online as well. I'd never heard of it until someone on this message board mentioned they went there😱 It doesn't even have WHO approval, which is pretty much granted to every medical school, legit or not. If you open shop with at least one faculty member someone on this Earth, you can get WHO approval pretty quickly. Just goes to show how great this school had to be to not even achieve this most mild of achievements...