Doctors practicing under an alias?

[iak78612]

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As a boderline paranoid schizophrenic, my question: Can doctors practice under an alias?
Thanks

 

[Polka Dot]

Yes. You can get a fictitious name permit.

 

[hippiedoc13]

Yes. You can get a fictitious name permit.

A "fictitious name permit" is used to publicly register the name of a medical practice or other business.

OP, are you asking if one can assume a false name and practice under that name, even if it's not his/her legal name? ie, if my legal name (on my driver license, social security, etc) is Jane Doe but I wanted to tell my patients that I'm Dr. Mary Jones?

If that's what you're asking, I am almost certain that the answer is no. I have at 2 or 3 physician colleagues who got married and wanted to legally change their names to "Mrs. Married-Name" for use in their personal lives, but continue to practice medicine under "Dr. Maiden-Name" (which of course was the name on their diploma & their medical license, and the name all their colleagues knew them by). At least in California, the medical board wouldn't allow it. The CA medical board requires that the name on your medical license and the name under which you practice medicine has to exactly match the legal name on your driver's license/passport/social security card/etc. So if the board wasn't cool with a mismatch between married name and professional name, there's no way they'd be cool with somebody straight-up practicing under an actual alias.

 

[Dr Magpie]

I also know several female physicians who intended to practice as "Dr Maiden Name" but to be known socially as "Mrs Married Name". None of them are currently doing so- they are all using their married name. Haven't specifically asked why, but I suspect it was probably too confusing and too complicated. Makes me glad I just chose to be Dr/Mrs Married Name- makes life easier.