Hi everyone, I've really enjoyed the discussion so far. I'm in my second year of medical school, and did my Master's and Ph.D. in basic science (oncology, molecular biology), and I know that the hierarchy of titles and degrees is certainly rampant in any academic area. (Try talking to the research technicians, who have decades of experience and brilliant scientific minds, but are always considered by the invisible ranking scheme to be "inferior" to the grad students! Blech.) I think it has a lot to do with the similarities between us all (those of us who enter a career in the medical sciences tend to be somewhat intelligent [though the student loans I'm rapidly acquiring make me question that one!], motivated to impact our chosen field of specialty, and genuinely driven by our desire to help the patients that we all see in various contexts) - similarity can certainly breed competition, and there is no shortage of that in academia!
It's clearly a silly and losing battle to try to 'best' each other. (That includes some of the comments suggesting that it's insulting to be considered at the same 'level' as an occupational therapist, speech-language pathologist, or nurse - don't forget, many of these professionals also obtain advanced degrees such as Ph.D.'s, do brilliant research, and have many years of training credentials.) In any field, there will always be individuals who are nothing short of a disgrace to their colleagues, and there will be gifted and talented people who set the best examples of what their profession can achieve. I hope that no one here will let a few negative interactions or environments colour their view of an entire profession!
That being said, I hope I can offer my opinion on one point without offending anyone - it's just my opinion, based on my hospital experiences so far: I personally feel that when you are in the presence of patients in the hospital, it is not appropriate to use the title "Doctor" to refer to anyone who does not hold an M.D. unless you are careful to include, "a clinical psychologist" or some other designation. I know that anyone who holds a Ph.D. in anything is properly addressed as "Doctor" in a professional and (should they chose it) social setting, and this is completely appropriate. As soon as I passed my defense, I took tremendous pride in being introduced as "Doctor" to new colleagues, at research presentations, etc. But if someone were to address me in that way at the bedside, in front of a patient, I would hurry to correct them, because (at least at the present time), when that title is used in a clinical setting, it DOES infer an M.D. to most people. (For example, I work with several nurses who hold Ph.D.'s, but I don't think anyone here would argue that it would be inappropriate for these professionals to expect to be called "Doctor" on the wards.) Is this just a semantic argument, and should anyone with clinical expertise and a doctorate be addressed this way in the clinical setting? - I would have absolutely no problem with this, IF we could be sure that the patients understood the designation. I know that if anyone asks for clarification it would quickly be provided, and I know that no one is trying to "pose" as something they are not. However, at least at the moment, when someone says they are "A doctor", this is still socially known to indicate someone holding an M.D., and until that definition is more widely accepted to encompass a more broad range of medical professionals, I find it inappropriate to assume that it would not be something of a deception to the patient. This is not to say that I think a patient would feel differently about a person's credentials or professional advice whether they were an M.D. or a Ph.D. It is simply that my ethical alarm bells go off when I consider any setting in which a patient might believe something incorrect about the person treating them - it is a basic tenant of informed consent and the patient-professional relationship.
That's just how I see it, and I welcome anyone with a different take on it to share how they feel about this! 🙂