EnglishMedic said:
I'm very interested in the US pharmacy profession. You guys study for the pharmD degree, so i'm assuming that gives you the right to use the title 'doctor'. So do you use this title when dealing with patients/ other health professionals or do you tend to use mr/mrs or first names?
In the UK the pharmacy degree awarded is master of pharmacy, mpharm, so pharmacists in the UK cannot call themselves Dr.
Yeah, and in the UK, the medical degree is a bachelor of medicine (MBBS), but in the UK, physicians still puff themselves up as "doctors", don't they? So do dentists with BDS degrees. Yes a pharmacist with an MS can't?
Yes, a PharmD can, and often does, go by the title "doctor", but most don't need to inflate their egos like optometrists and chiropractors who insist on the title, even outside work-settings.
Also, in the US, there is NO individual state that has enacted a medical practice statute that precludes one with a a doctorate to use that title in a professional setting. HOWEVER, MANY states have enacted medical practice statutes that preclude non MD/DO holders from using the title 'physician'. Some states are quite liberal and allow chiros, optometrists, and podiatrists to use the title physician (with a qualifier like chiropractic physician, optometric physician, etc.), and some only allow MDs and DOs to use the title.
So, in the US, one who holds an EARNED doctorate, whether academic or professional, even a JD, can legally and technically use the title 'doctor'. The title 'physician' is often barred due to legal reasons, but not 'doctor'. I know in Ontario, this is different and only physicians, psychologists, and dentists can use the title 'doctor' in a health care setting.