Etiquette Regarding Usage of "MD"

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Sandpaper

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So now that I have this hard-earned MD degree thingy-majiggy in hand, how do go about using it? Do I have to forever sign my name with those two letters after it? Do I have to change my driver's license? Does my dog have to call me doctor now or do I stay my humble self and not do nuthin'? Heheh...input appreciated for this numbskull.
 
I've never heard of a specific etiquette you might write one of those columnists who specialize in such things. Otherwise, I think its up to you. Most people I know primarily use it for professional communications etc. but I'm sure some have it monogramed on their bath towels :wink: .

M-
 
I would recommend that you at least not put MD on your driver's license. Studies have shown that physicians are more likely to sued for non-medical reasons then the general public (I think 2X more likely) because the public mis-perceives physicians (even residents) as being wealthy. I will tell you a story that somewhat illustrates my point. In high school, I accidentally rear ended someone at a very low speed, and her bumper and mine weren't even dented, and she walked out of the car and said that she was fine. We exchanged numbers and insurance information just in case, but she told me that she didn't want to report it (after seeing my license and seeing how young I was, she said that she didn't want to get a young driver in trouble); so I thought that was the end of that. Well, my insurance is under my dad's, who is a physician, and we get a phone call from her friend a few days later saying how she has whiplash and asking my parents for a monetary settlement (without going through the insurance companies). Of course my parents just tell them to take it up with their insurance company, which they eventually do but just end up dropping it. My father does use MD on most of his things, and I can't say for certain if my dad having Dr. on his insurance info is what caused them to call and ask my parents for money, but I will say that it never hurts to give people the impression that you are not financially well off. Particularly when it's true.
 
Something along these lines...

As I finish up perusing countless viewbooks and promotional materials from a myriad of med schools I've noticed something interesting. It seems that many of the Osteopathic Medical school official names/titles also include other degrees such as MS (or MSc - what IS the difference??), MPH, etc. while many of the allpathic school names/titles do not.

Is this due to the fact that many allopathic physicians to not earn other advanced degrees but osteopathic physicans do or is this all part of the unsaid "etiquette" mentioned in the previous post??

Just curious....

care
 
Careofme-- I have definitely seen MDs who use the additional letters if they have them. I am a member of SGIM (the society for general internal medicine) and there are many docs who use their MPH, PhD, MS, ScM, etc designations. It would make sense that DOs would pursue public health degrees in large numbers since osteopathic medicine focuses on the whole person much like public health does. Some schools may choose only to print a person's highest degree (ie, their MD).

As for the difference between MS and ScM (or MSc), there isn't one. Some schools (harvard and hopkins among them) offer master's degrees with the latin designations. That's why a BA from Harvard is noted as an AB and in this case, an MS is an ScM. It's all the same...if you see an ScD, it's like a little code that says "hey, i went to public health school at harvard or hopkins", at least in my little research world...
 
Do you plan to have your friends call your Doctor instead of your first name? Are you going to answer the phone (off call) as Doctor? It is interesting how Doctor (of Medicine) has become a social title as well as professional. I personaly would think it pretentious to rent a car or purchase a plane ticket as Dr. Coolio.
 
I never self title. After being paged, I answer, "This is Luke, I was paged." If I don't know who paged me, I answer with my full name. The nurses on my floor know that I am a doctor, I don't have to remind them everytime I talk to them. When talking to friends, I would be laughted at if I asked them to call me Doctor. In fact, just thinking about it makes me laugh.
 
I already told my parents that they will have to call me doctor...at least for a week after I graduate medical school.

😀
 
I've noticed the ones that are overly obsessed with the Dr. title are usually dentists. I have dentist friends that will actually say that they are a doctor (rather than dentist), whereas after talking to an optho friend of mine for an hour, you still wouldn't know he's a doctor.
 
I do the same as TheThroat - generally use my first name when answering a page, unless the person answering doesn't know me (ie, when I get called to some random number or medicine floor).

I too would find it a bit odd to use my professional degree in social situations, although I have been tempted to use it when making reservations (wondering if it would get me better seats). 😀
 
Dentist friend is constantly letting us know how much he makes and what kind of car he drives(BMW), as if we can't tell. Sometimes I think he engages strangers in conversations just so he can brag that he's a dentist.. beat him like crazy on the golf course,though,shot my best game last week,(80), felt great!!!! Like Doc beats Dentist!!!

Rarely let anyone know I'm a Doc...why would I??? We are a target group anyway especially in the legal arena, and fund raising I might add. Not ALL doctors are rich although the general public seems to think so...(some are, my Ortho doc just bought a 2mil home, but he is a grandfather and has worked very hard for many years, the public seems to forget all that).

Although like Dr.Cox, tempted on the reservation thing!!
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by Sandpaper:
•So now that I have this hard-earned MD degree thingy-majiggy in hand, how do go about using it? Do I have to forever sign my name with those two letters after it? Do I have to change my driver's license? Does my dog have to call me doctor now or do I stay my humble self and not do nuthin'? Heheh...input appreciated for this numbskull.•••••Hi there,

I kept looking at the degree ( in Latin of course) and thinking how cool its going to be to have MD behind my name. Like Kimberly, I only use the MD or I am Dr so and so for job duties. It came in pretty handy for apartment hunting because they know as a resident you won't be home much and when you are, you are generally sleeping.

I never put MD on my driving permit or on checks. It might be too tempting for someone looking to steal your identity. There are plenty of people who think that just because you are an MD, you are rolling in money. If they only knew, they would latch on to the B-school graduates!
 
While we are on the subject of petty accuracies, on public forms, or on social occasions when someone inquiries,"What do you do?" the reply should be I'm a physician, instead of Doctor, thus clarifying the whole PHD, dentist, thing, so of course the next question will be and what is your specialty? And 10 mins later you are still talking!!! <img border="0" alt="[Laughy]" title="" src="graemlins/laughy.gif" />
 
Geez, the tough thing now is when strangers ask you what you do for a living. Ummm...I guess I'm not a medical student anymore, though I still feel like one. I'm really not a doctor either (can't prescribe, can't see patients). Damn. The transition period between med school and internship is like hanging in limbo. Anyone feel like that?

And as for using this new-found title, boy, am I ever tempted to use it when making reservations for restaurants, hotels, etc. Hey, you never know, you may get better service that way.
 
Just keep in mind when you get the upgrade on the plane reservations as "MD" and the gentleman in Seat 1A has a cardiac arrest, who do you think they are going to look for? 🙂

Years ago a friend of mine, a family practitioner, told me that the title carries a lot of weight if you are a politically-minded person and want to make some sort of impact in a political arena. Oftentimes I've seen the difference in the way some folks (strangers) respond to you when the title is used (provided you're being polite to begin with, of course! 🙂 ). It does serve to expedite things out "in the real world."

Know, too, that even if you are a resident, you are considered a physician by the medical community regardless of the fact that you are still in training. You worked hard to earn the degree, and you should not be shy in telling folks that you are a physician (when asked, of course). You've earned that right.
 
Interesting thread. One piece of advice -- when asked by people what you do, I suggest you use "resident physician" rather than "resident."

As I discovered during my apartment hunting days, outside of the hospital environment, few people are familiar with the term "medical resident" and in one case, someone thought it meant that I was some sort of permanent hospital patient.
 
Originally posted by Sandpaper:
•Geez, the tough thing now is when strangers ask you what you do for a living. Ummm...I guess I'm not a medical student anymore, though I still feel like one. I'm really not a doctor either (can't prescribe, can't see patients). Damn. The transition period between med school and internship is like hanging in limbo. Anyone feel like that?•

Reminds me of that Seinfeld episode when Elaine was dating a medical school grad who hadn't passed his boards yet. Although she referred to him as a doctor, he didn't think so, because he couldn't practice yet.
Click to expand...
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by NuMD97:
•
Know, too, that even if you are a resident, you are considered a physician by the medical community regardless of the fact that you are still in training. You worked hard to earn the degree, and you should not be shy in telling folks that you are a physician (when asked, of course). You've earned that right.•••••Does anyone NOT do this? Heck, I always thought the day you graduated you were a physician and could legally and professionally call yourself one.

Sevo is right about the general public not knowing what a resident means. I can't tell you how often I'm asked when I will graduate and become a doctor (ie, a LOT of people think an intern is still a medical student; despite me using the title "Dr." when I introduce myself). I usually just say I'm "one of the physicians who work with Dr. So and So (the attending)."
 
Actually, I think my mother gets more mileage from the title than I do! Her favorite pastime (or so I'm told, from family and friends) is talking about her daughter, "the physician"! LOL! Oh well, she's earned it...it's been a long time coming! <img border="0" alt="[Laughy]" title="" src="graemlins/laughy.gif" />
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by Neurogirl:
•Actually, I think my mother gets more mileage from the title than I do! Her favorite pastime (or so I'm told, from family and friends) is talking about her daughter, "the physician"! LOL! Oh well, she's earned it...it's been a long time coming! <img border="0" alt="[Laughy]" title="" src="graemlins/laughy.gif" /> •••••I have a friend who does the same thing. About the 2nd thing out of her mouth when introducing me is that "she's a doctor". I find it strange and awkward to say the least.
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by Kimberli Cox:
•Does anyone NOT do this? Heck, I always thought the day you graduated you were a physician and could legally and professionally call yourself one.
•••••Actually, in Illinois, it is illegal to call yourself a physician unless you are licensed to practice. For those of us in limbo land, we are just merely "doctors."
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by Kimberli Cox:
• •••quote:•••Originally posted by Neurogirl:
•Actually, I think my mother gets more mileage from the title than I do! Her favorite pastime (or so I'm told, from family and friends) is talking about her daughter, "the physician"! LOL! Oh well, she's earned it...it's been a long time coming! <img border="0" alt="[Laughy]" title="" src="graemlins/laughy.gif" /> •••••I have a friend who does the same thing. About the 2nd thing out of her mouth when introducing me is that "she's a doctor". I find it strange and awkward to say the least.•••••Hey Kimberli,
I just tell folks who ask what I do that I am a surgical resident physician and move onto something else. My mum gets a hoot out of telling her friends that I "carve up people". 😀
 
Here in the UK, surgeons are NOT physicians. Physicians are medical practitioners who practice in the art of physic (I think you guys refer to it as internal medicine and its subspecialties). Surgeons on the other hand were traditionally barbars and cannot be referred to as physicians. Those who decide to persue a carrer in surgery (and any of it subspecialties) loose the title of Dr and use Mr instead, in recognition of their predecessors.

Funny thing is, we go through 6 years of med school to become a Dr and then loose the title within three years of qualifying (note that a minimum of three years of basic training is required post med school before you can be accepted into a specialty training programme.
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by Annette:
• •••quote:•••Originally posted by Kimberli Cox:
•Does anyone NOT do this? Heck, I always thought the day you graduated you were a physician and could legally and professionally call yourself one.
•••••Actually, in Illinois, it is illegal to call yourself a physician unless you are licensed to practice. For those of us in limbo land, we are just merely "doctors."•••••Interesting. I didn't realize that the term physician was a legally distinct one from doctor in some states.
 
What is FACS?
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by geezer:
•Here in the UK, surgeons are NOT physicians. Physicians are medical practitioners who practice in the art of physic (I think you guys refer to it as internal medicine and its subspecialties). Surgeons on the other hand were traditionally barbars and cannot be referred to as physicians. Those who decide to persue a carrer in surgery (and any of it subspecialties) loose the title of Dr and use Mr instead, in recognition of their predecessors.

Funny thing is, we go through 6 years of med school to become a Dr and then loose the title within three years of qualifying (note that a minimum of three years of basic training is required post med school before you can be accepted into a specialty training programme.•••••Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was told that the "Mr" designation for surgeons in the UK was only used by other doctors in a medical setting.

In public, aren't surgeons still addressed using the term Doctor?
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by Sevo:
• •••quote:•••Originally posted by geezer:
•Here in the UK, surgeons are NOT physicians. Physicians are medical practitioners who practice in the art of physic (I think you guys refer to it as internal medicine and its subspecialties). Surgeons on the other hand were traditionally barbars and cannot be referred to as physicians. Those who decide to persue a carrer in surgery (and any of it subspecialties) loose the title of Dr and use Mr instead, in recognition of their predecessors.

Funny thing is, we go through 6 years of med school to become a Dr and then loose the title within three years of qualifying (note that a minimum of three years of basic training is required post med school before you can be accepted into a specialty training programme.•••••Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was told that the "Mr" designation for surgeons in the UK was only used by other doctors in a medical setting.

In public, aren't surgeons still addressed using the term Doctor?•••••Geezer can surely verify this, but it was my experience that surgeons were addressed using the title "Mr" in all realms of life.
 
Kimberli is correct. Once a doctor embarks on surgical training, they are from then on referred to as "Mr" in all realms of life.
 
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