Is a pharmacist a Doctor?

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Sarapary

Sarapary

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I wonder about the title that they have, because they have PHD so are they doctor or not?!!
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Pharmacists are doctors in more than one sense of the word. The word doctor usually means "someone who practices medicine" and "someone who has earned a doctorate degree" (PharmD.). Both apply to the pharmacist. I think that in the field (meaning clinics, hospitals, pharmacy stores, etc...) people will call pharmacists doctor.
 
Sarapary said:
I wonder about the title that they have, because they have PHD so are they doctor or not?!!
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First off, a pharmacist does not have a PhD, they have a PharmD. A PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) is research intensive, and recognizes individuals who discover something novel.

All persons who earn a doctoral degree (PhD, M.D., PharmD, J.D., OptD, D.D.S., etc.) rightfully and legally earn the title of "Doctor." However, due to tradition, a pharmacist, much less a lawyer, doesn't go by the title of Dr. ____ _____ in public, and wouldn't expect a client or patient to call them such. This is to prevent confusion, especially in the medical field.

However, if your a pharmacist, I believe you should get the recognition of your academic and professional achievement. Whether it be in a form being filled out, a business card, your signature, a publication, etc. I can't really think of something relevant.

To sum it up, a pharmacist has the title of doctor, just like a professor has the title of doctor. However, they are not "doctors" like your medical doctors are.
 
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However, as clinical pharmacists become more relevant in the field of medicine, you may see them getting called "Dr."
 
Only applied to health care. If you intend to label yourself as a "doctor" you better damn well put the earned degree behind your last name. In some state, you must have a valid license, in order to have the title of "doctor". Save yourself a field trip to your state capital and call yourself a pharmacist.
 
GreyFox2002 said:
First off, a pharmacist does not have a PhD, they have a PharmD. A PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) is research intensive, and recognizes individuals who discover something novel.

All persons who earn a doctoral degree (PhD, M.D., PharmD, J.D., OptD, D.D.S., etc.) rightfully and legally earn the title of "Doctor." However, due to tradition, a pharmacist, much less a lawyer, doesn't go by the title of Dr. ____ _____ in public, and wouldn't expect a client or patient to call them such. This is to prevent confusion, especially in the medical field.

However, if your a pharmacist, I believe you should get the recognition of your academic and professional achievement. Whether it be in a form being filled out, a business card, your signature, a publication, etc. I can't really think of something relevant.

To sum it up, a pharmacist has the title of doctor, just like a professor has the title of doctor. However, they are not "doctors" like your medical doctors are.
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When I c the pharmacist on my campus, I usually call him Dr. XXX. But actually I'm sure whether I should just call him Mr. XXX instead...😕
 
amusefan said:
When I c the pharmacist on my campus, I usually call him Dr. XXX. But actually I'm sure whether I should just call him Mr. XXX instead...😕
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when we think of doctors, we think of people who perform diagnosis. Pharmacists don't diagnose. But nowadays, we still call a professor with a PharmD or PhD degree in Pharmacy, by Dr. So and So. I learned it the hard way. I called my interviewer by the first name and regret it. I was wondering why he was looking at me strangely during the interview. As for calling retail pharmacists doctors? Maybe not now but maybe in the future when most of the pharmacists will have a PharmD degree. Some of the pharmacists working in retail today, dont even have a PharmD degree so technically, we can't call them doctor.
 
Anybody that have a PhD, EdD, PharmD,JD, MD, DO are supposed to be called Doctor. They earned a doctorate in their subject so they are doctors.
We commonly called Physicians, Doctors and that is not wrond but in the way we use it, it is wrong,
 
My academic degree is a PharmD - Doctor of Pharmacy.

Some people call me Dr, some people call me "the pharmacist", some people call em sdn.....some people even call me Mom😀 - I answer to all of them!
 
sdn1977 said:
My academic degree is a PharmD - Doctor of Pharmacy.

Some people call me Dr, some people call me "the pharmacist", some people call em sdn.....some people even call me Mom😀 - I answer to all of them!
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Can we call you mom? 😱 🙄 😀
I guess I prefer SDN better.
 
Just when I was ready to hide under a table with my thumb in my mouth, I was surprised at how well this thread has gone so far. Sure it's the 1,000,000,008th time this topic has been brought up on SDN, but no one has made THEE A-hole comment to set it off yet. 😀 I think this board is changing for the better.

And when I work (no matter what setting), I expect to be called by my 1st name. But as with interviewers and professors, it's safer to call them Doctor BLAH so you won't accidentally offend them.
 
eddie269 said:
Just when I was ready to hide under a table with my thumb in my mouth, I was surprised at how well this thread has gone so far. Sure it's the 1,000,000,008th time this topic has been brought up on SDN, but no one has made THEE A-hole comment to set it off yet. 😀 I think this board is changing for the better.

And when I work (no matter what setting), I expect to be called by my 1st name. But as with interviewers and professors, it's safer to call them Doctor BLAH so you won't accidentally offend them.
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And what might that comment be? 😛
 
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amusefan said:
When I c the pharmacist on my campus, I usually call him Dr. XXX. But actually I'm sure whether I should just call him Mr. XXX instead...😕
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On campus and on rotations, you should call all of them Dr. XXX. They will let you know if they want you to call them anything else.

PS. I love Muse.
 
Dr.Biassi said:
Anybody that have a PhD, EdD, PharmD,JD, MD, DO are supposed to be called Doctor. They earned a doctorate in their subject so they are doctors.
We commonly called Physicians, Doctors and that is not wrond but in the way we use it, it is wrong,
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That is the most ******ed thing I have ever heard. We call physicians doctors.......in the way we use it, its wrong. WTF!! When you ask a child what their dream is, and they say they want to become a doctor.....do you think they meant a PhamD....No freakin way. I have never heard anybody call of pharmacist a doctor, and it should stay that way. You PharmD people are trying so hard to parallel your education and training to that of a MD or DO, but its never going to happen.....just be happy with what you have already.
 
Zjodak said:
Pharmacists are doctors in more than one sense of the word. The word doctor usually means "someone who practices medicine" and "someone who has earned a doctorate degree" (PharmD.). Both apply to the pharmacist. I think that in the field (meaning clinics, hospitals, pharmacy stores, etc...) people will call pharmacists doctor.
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Becareful there buddy, you do NOT "practice medicine" as a pharmacist. The practice of medicine is governed by the state board of medicine which oversees physicians and mid-levels, folks who do practice medicine.
 
kovamies23 said:
That is the most ******ed thing I have ever heard. We call physicians doctors.......in the way we use it, its wrong. WTF!! When you ask a child what their dream is, and they say they want to become a doctor.....do you think they meant a PhamD....No freakin way. I have never heard anybody call of pharmacist a doctor, and it should stay that way. You PharmD people are trying so hard to parallel your education and training to that of a MD or DO, but its never going to happen.....just be happy with what you have already.
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Does this qualify as "THEE comment"?
 
kovamies23 said:
That is the most ******ed thing I have ever heard. We call physicians doctors.......in the way we use it, its wrong. WTF!! When you ask a child what their dream is, and they say they want to become a doctor.....do you think they meant a PhamD....No freakin way. I have never heard anybody call of pharmacist a doctor, and it should stay that way. You PharmD people are trying so hard to parallel your education and training to that of a MD or DO, but its never going to happen.....just be happy with what you have already.
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Pros:
1.) PharmD = Doctor of Pharmacy

Cons:
1.) not all pharmacists today have a PharmD degree but as more pharmacists now are required a PHarmD degree, all that may change in the future.
2.) pharmacists don't do diagnosis
 
If someone who gets a PhD in lets say Business administration can be called a doctor ( which has nothing in relation to any health field) then why is it wrong for me to want to be called a doctor when i get my PharmD.

PharmD means doctor of pharmcy so i see nothing wrong if pple want to be called doctors, well only if they dont know what they are doing.

But personally i would love the title.
 
kovamies23 said:
That is the most ******ed thing I have ever heard. We call physicians doctors.......in the way we use it, its wrong. WTF!! When you ask a child what their dream is, and they say they want to become a doctor.....do you think they meant a PhamD....No freakin way. I have never heard anybody call of pharmacist a doctor, and it should stay that way. You PharmD people are trying so hard to parallel your education and training to that of a MD or DO, but its never going to happen.....just be happy with what you have already.
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If someone earns a doctrate they have every right to be called Dr whether they are an MD, PhD, or PharmD. Your argument is what is ******ed.
 
Yes, it appears that kovamies has a third copy of chromosome 21 as well as excessive levels of testosterone.
 
In my pharmacy school interviews so far, I've been interviewed by a number of PharmDs. In my thank you notes, I have consistently started them with "Dear Dr. So-and-so" in order to avoid offending anyone. My dad works in critical care and always calls his PharmDs doctor. I feel like in order to avoid offending anyone, especially if you're interviewing, it might not be a bad idea to call them doctor. Since there's a bit of controversy around the topic, even if the PharmD doesn't agree with you calling them doctor, at least they won't think that you're being ignorant if they prefer to be called doctor and you called them Mr. or Ms. or Mrs. Do you guys agree?
 
thelonius said:
Yes, it appears that kovamies has a third copy of chromosome 21 as well as excessive levels of testosterone.
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Yup, I have some huge balls too. That extra surge of testosterone gives me the edge I need.

Bottom line: Dont be haters just cause you all know I am right. If anybody calls you Dr., its because they also have your same, skewed view about whether PharmD's should be called Dr. I dont have any problem with being a PharmD, but quit whining about being equals with other health practitioners......I would classify pharmacists along with chiropractors; only difference is, Pharmacists actually know what they are doing.
 
kovamies23 said:
Yup, I have some huge balls too. That extra surge of testosterone gives me the edge I need.

Bottom line: Dont be haters just cause you all know I am right. If anybody calls you Dr., its because they also have your same, skewed view about whether PharmD's should be called Dr. I dont have any problem with being a PharmD, but quit whining about being equals with other health practitioners......I would classify pharmacists along with chiropractors; only difference is, Pharmacists actually know what they are doing.
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👎
 
kovamies23 said:
Yup, I have some huge balls too. That extra surge of testosterone gives me the edge I need.

Bottom line: Dont be haters just cause you all know I am right. If anybody calls you Dr., its because they also have your same, skewed view about whether PharmD's should be called Dr. I dont have any problem with being a PharmD, but quit whining about being equals with other health practitioners......I would classify pharmacists along with chiropractors; only difference is, Pharmacists actually know what they are doing.
Click to expand...

Double 👎 👎
 
Glowwyrm said:
If someone earns a doctrate they have every right to be called Dr whether they are an MD, PhD, or PharmD. Your argument is what is ******ed.
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The point, I think, is the context in which a person is using the title "Doctor". Obviously when a student is addressing a PharmD and uses "Doctor", this is appropriate and correct, since both the student and the PharmD understand the context of the statement.

However, if an average patient is referring to a PharmD as "Doctor" in a clinical setting, it seems appropriate to clarify to the patient that the person is a "Doctor of Pharmacy" and not a Medical Doctor. This makes clear the role of each health care provider, and prevents confusion in the patient's mind over who does what.
 
guys... it doesn't matter... if you're a PharmD, you're a "Doctor of Pharmacy", period. Just do your job and be professional!!
 
At the hospital as I can see so far, there are MD/DO who are really stupid (!!) (sorry for the word...) about drugs and drugs interactions. They have to ask the clinical pharmacist on how to combine drug therapy and what they should do if their "favorites" do not work. Without these clinical Doctor of Pharmacy's, those MD/DO guys are completely cripples! Especially if you are talking to PharmD that has BCPS--trust me, they know A LOT about drugs and pharmacotherapy. Besides like someone has said, each has his/her own jobs, MD/DO diagnose and PharmD compound and dispense drugs. THey work side-by-side and are mutually exclusive for the patients. I personally would like that they make people call PharmD "Doctor" in the future to honor their educational excellence and professional knowledge. FIY: If you look at the curriculum in med school and pharm school, probably you'll see that pharmacists get more training in drugs than physicians do...
 
lvp0021 said:
At the hospital as I can see so far, there are MD/DO who are really stupid (!!) (sorry for the word...) about drugs and drugs interactions. They have to ask the clinical pharmacist on how to combine drug therapy and what they should do if their "favorites" do not work. Without these clinical Doctor of Pharmacy's, those MD/DO guys are completely cripples! Especially if you are talking to PharmD that has BCPS--trust me, they know A LOT about drugs and pharmacotherapy. Besides like someone has said, each has his/her own jobs, MD/DO diagnose and PharmD compound and dispense drugs. THey work side-by-side and are mutually exclusive for the patients. I personally would like that they make people call PharmD "Doctor" in the future to honor their educational excellence and professional knowledge. FIY: If you look at the curriculum in med school and pharm school, probably you'll see that pharmacists get more training in drugs than physicians do...
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We've been over this many, many times before and I'm sure you really don't mean to disparage any other professional.

Now - having said that - I will agree that within each of our 4 years of training, we have more pharmacology. However, pharmacology is not the only aspect one must consider when treating a pt with medication.

To suggest that a board certified cardiologist, surgeon, anesthiologist, ENT or any of the many other specialities knows less about the medications they use than me - who is a very experienced hospital pharmacist is just plain inappropriate - IMO. I do not have the pt experience & knowledge they have within their specialities and many of them are drug intensive - like cardiology for example.

I might very well be able to suggest how to start therapy in a newly diagnosed CHF pt or be able to give him/her definitive drug interaction information or even suggest an alternative when the first one or two choices is not producing results or producing unexpected results.

But....you take that same pt - who has CHF secondary to pulmonary hypertension which has resulted in cardiomyopathy & decreased renal function with a compromised liver and possible bowel infarct - well....now - you are absolutely out of my realm of which drugs this person might best respond do - particularly when I've not followed them over the years of their illness. This is a big difference in our training - we do not have the years of pt experience with disease - each of these physicians has gone on to at least 3 years of residencies & for specialties like cardiology - 2 or more years more. Likewise - I'm not the one on call at all hours of the day & night when the pt starts to crash.

Learning to be humble is a difficult lesson. Perhaps not all pharmacists want to be humble....but you won't gain friends or respect by disparaging other professions. Those first year residents who come in July are indeed "green" and unfamiliar with so much of drug therapy. But - if you treat them with respect - they will return it. That has been my experience - but that may not be uniform with everyone.
 
kovamies23 said:
Yup, I have some huge balls too. That extra surge of testosterone gives me the edge I need.

Bottom line: Dont be haters just cause you all know I am right. If anybody calls you Dr., its because they also have your same, skewed view about whether PharmD's should be called Dr. I dont have any problem with being a PharmD, but quit whining about being equals with other health practitioners......I would classify pharmacists along with chiropractors; only difference is, Pharmacists actually know what they are doing.
Click to expand...

I wonder what Emily Post would say?
 
I wonder what Freud would say....
 
kovamies23 said:
That is the most ******ed thing I have ever heard. We call physicians doctors.......in the way we use it, its wrong. WTF!! When you ask a child what their dream is, and they say they want to become a doctor.....do you think they meant a PhamD....No freakin way. I have never heard anybody call of pharmacist a doctor, and it should stay that way. You PharmD people are trying so hard to parallel your education and training to that of a MD or DO, but its never going to happen.....just be happy with what you have already.
Click to expand...

Well, ok, this poster may be a bit..."passionate", but he is right. In the real world, not just pre-this or pre-that students posting opinions, most hospitals actually have rules PROHIBITING anyone but a physician be referred to as "Doctor". This was re-affirmed recently when some ND(Doctor of Nursing) midlevel at my hospital was called in by the hospital administration to stop referring to herself as "Dr. ---". The reason is simple, if a pt were to have an adverse event, you can be darn sure the plaintiffs lawyer would have a field day about how the "Doctor" was in fact not a "Doctor" as a layman would assume in a clinical setting. This in fact is misrepresentation and not just the practitioner, but the hospital itself, would not have a leg to stand on. This is a true-life example to answer the OP's question. If midlevels with doctorate training, who actually can dx and tx pts, is PROHIBITED from refering to themselves as "Drs", you can be darn sure the pharmacists are also prohibited.
 
Again, this issue has been brought up in 10000000000000000000 posts. Are we doctors? Well, yeah. We are doctors of pharmacy. But we are not doctor of medicine and never will be. That's just the fact. Can we refer ourselves as Dr.? Hell yeah, nobody will be able to sue me(and even if they do, they'll lose for good) if I introduce myself CLEARLY, "Hi, this is Dr.XXX, your clinical pharmacist". My name badge will say it all, "XXXX, Pharm.D/Pharmacist". But i rarely see pharmacists introduce themselves as such Dr. I, personally, won't do that. There is no point to confuse the patients.

There are a lot of reasons why pharmacists aren't yet recognized by the fellow professionals and public and referred as Dr. Title:

1. Historically, pharmacists are known for the main function: Distribution. The Pharm.D programs evolved not too long ago (20 yrs or so?...correct me if i am wrong). And even way back then, not many people go for Pharm.D when your main job is dispensing and checking.
2. Public and even fellow professionals aren't aware of the Pharm.D degree. I work at retail setting right now as an intern and round at my clinical rotations. At times, I asked people from retail settings....Not many know what the heck the Pharm.D is. They thought we just obtain a Bachelor Degree only in order to work as a pharmacist. Even some nurses (especially LVN nurses) don't have a clue what Pharm.D is.
3. In the public , they still imagine a pharmacist is someone dispensing medications only and they think it's a simple task that ANYONE can grab that concept.
4. At small hospitals, clinical role of a pharmacist isn't emphasized much. Sure, they have protocols and everything but people still don't understand how important a pharmacist would benefit the hospital and can reduce the cost of medications SIGNIFICANTLY. Nurses think that dosing TPNs and Vancomycin/AMG are easy tasks (Yeah, i talked to one nurse and she said that and i have to educate her about the whole deal).

5. What happens in the future? Well, nothing if the pharmacy associations are still weak. Yes, we aren't very strong because everyone was too busy making money:laugh: Look at AMA and NSNA. They are really strong. Why? I don't know either. But one thing for sure: They're more powerful than us. In a hospital, how many CEOs are pharmacist-background? I haven't seen one, yet. But I do see nurses, and of course MDs are always at top.

Another thing is we have to be more involved in clinical activities. More protocols and ideas should be initiated. It doesn't matter how smart you are, the top people at a hospital always look at HOW MUCH YOU CAN SAVE for them. It all boils down to MONEY and BUSINESS. Once you can prove one Pharm.D is more efficient/accurate than two RNs....then yeah, we'll get more respect.

Anyway, at the end, I do believe our career would be changing a lot in 5,10, and 20 yrs. ANd our degrees will gain more respect from others because people start to realize how long it takes to become a pharmacist. Take a look at dentistry. Nobody in dentistry has a bachelor degree. You have to be a DDS (Doctor of Dental Surgeon) to practice dentistry. Public are aware of that. Just a very small suggestion, the retail settings should put something like Bob Clayton, Pharm.D up all the wall right at the pickup window so people would see that. Rather than just Bob Clayton, RPh. It's shallow but that's the only way we will be recognized for what we earn.
 
rxforlife2004 said:
Again, this issue has been brought up in 10000000000000000000 posts. Are we doctors? Well, yeah. We are doctors of pharmacy. But we are not doctor of medicine and never will be. That's just the fact. Can we refer ourselves as Dr.? Hell yeah, nobody will be able to sue me(and even if they do, they'll lose for good) if I introduce myself CLEARLY, "Hi, this is Dr.XXX, your clinical pharmacist". My name badge will say it all, "XXXX, Pharm.D/Pharmacist". But i rarely see pharmacists introduce themselves as such Dr. I, personally, won't do that. There is no point to confuse the patients.

There are a lot of reasons why pharmacists aren't yet recognized by the fellow professionals and public and referred as Dr. Title:

1. Historically, pharmacists are known for the main function: Distribution. The Pharm.D programs evolved not too long ago (20 yrs or so?...correct me if i am wrong). And even way back then, not many people go for Pharm.D when your main job is dispensing and checking.
2. Public and even fellow professionals aren't aware of the Pharm.D degree. I work at retail setting right now as an intern and round at my clinical rotations. At times, I asked people from retail settings....Not many know what the heck the Pharm.D is. They thought we just obtain a Bachelor Degree only in order to work as a pharmacist. Even some nurses (especially LVN nurses) don't have a clue what Pharm.D is.
3. In the public , they still imagine a pharmacist is someone dispensing medications only and they think it's a simple task that ANYONE can grab that concept.
4. At small hospitals, clinical role of a pharmacist isn't emphasized much. Sure, they have protocols and everything but people still don't understand how important a pharmacist would benefit the hospital and can reduce the cost of medications SIGNIFICANTLY. Nurses think that dosing TPNs and Vancomycin/AMG are easy tasks (Yeah, i talked to one nurse and she said that and i have to educate her about the whole deal).

5. What happens in the future? Well, nothing if the pharmacy associations are still weak. Yes, we aren't very strong because everyone was too busy making money:laugh: Look at AMA and NSNA. They are really strong. Why? I don't know either. But one thing for sure: They're more powerful than us. In a hospital, how many CEOs are pharmacist-background? I haven't seen one, yet. But I do see nurses, and of course MDs are always at top.

Another thing is we have to be more involved in clinical activities. More protocols and ideas should be initiated. It doesn't matter how smart you are, the top people at a hospital always look at HOW MUCH YOU CAN SAVE for them. It all boils down to MONEY and BUSINESS. Once you can prove one Pharm.D is more efficient/accurate than two RNs....then yeah, we'll get more respect.

Anyway, at the end, I do believe our career would be changing a lot in 5,10, and 20 yrs. ANd our degrees will gain more respect from others because people start to realize how long it takes to become a pharmacist. Take a look at dentistry. Nobody in dentistry has a bachelor degree. You have to be a DDS (Doctor of Dental Surgeon) to practice dentistry. Public are aware of that. Just a very small suggestion, the retail settings should put something like Bob Clayton, Pharm.D up all the wall right at the pickup window so people would see that. Rather than just Bob Clayton, RPh. It's shallow but that's the only way we will be recognized for what we earn.
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Is your name Bob Clayton?:scared:
 
Not to put too fine a point on things - but since I'm the "old" one here, I'll clarify some misunderstandings.

Family - you've been very kind - thanks! However, your experience is not the case everywhere. I am in the real world & have been a practicing pharmacist in hospitals for 30 years - with a Pharm.D. I'm not now, nor have I ever been prohibited from using my title by any of the hospitals I have practiced in. In fact, my nametag states my title. But...I've been around so long I address my physician colleagues by their first names unless in front of pts or families & they do likewise with me. Someone asked - if your're not sure - use Mr or Ms. - no one cares really - in my real world anyway. However - as you clearly pointed out...it is the context in which we use the title. When I enter a pts room to obtain information or to educate or explain a process.....I introduce myself & explain what I'm there for & why. It is always drug related & to facilitate that...I also indicate I'm a pharmacist. Actually, it opens many opportunities for drug related conversation. If a conversation starts to get into the realm of medical decisions, I suggest they bring it up with Dr XYZ or offer to do so for them.

rxforlife - the PharmD degree has been around for more than 100 years. Do a history search on it when you're no longer in school - its interesting actually. It was replaced by the BS degree when the education became uniform in the 30's, but the degree was brought back in the 50's by USC. It was uniformly adopted by both USC & UCSF in the 60's & in 2000, was the uniformly awarded degree by all pharmacy schools in the US. I wrote a detailed explanation of the history of this degree about a year ago here.

Dentists do indeed get a BS in Dental Surgery. My husband was awarded the BS in dental surgery minutes before he was awarded the DDS degree. (Actually, the BS was earned midway thru dental school & is meaningless since it allows you to do nothing at all). But - many schools do give a BS degree since it is given after a certain number of units in a field of study. It serves no purpose other than to make the degrees hang nice & uniform on the wall of his office😉 .

I'd encourage everyone to think why you respect someone in a particular field. We all know pharmacists who have less than honorable ethics. I know of physicians who I wouldn't let treat my dog. I also know of dentists who would drill a virgin tooth since the pt wouldn't know any different.

But...we all know people in those same fields who command our respect & admiration. Why? Not because of their title. For me - it has to do with their honesty, compassion, the trust I place in them, their demonstration of skill and ability - regardless of their title. Fortunately, there are more of these! Be that person and you'll be respected. Demand respect & acknowledgement of your title - and you might get it, but you also might receive disdain because you've demanded something which you've yet to demonstrate.

And....yes - our careers will change over the years - that's a good thing! I'd honestly say that after years of precepting, I don't think we spend enough time educating pharmacists in the art of communication. I hope that is one of the things that changes with time. And...I hope this fretting over the degree will settle down so we can concentrate on the business of what we're trained to do. Just things to think about.....
 
FamilyMD said:
Well, ok, this poster may be a bit..."passionate", but he is right. In the real world, not just pre-this or pre-that students posting opinions, most hospitals actually have rules PROHIBITING anyone but a physician be referred to as "Doctor". This was re-affirmed recently when some ND(Doctor of Nursing) midlevel at my hospital was called in by the hospital administration to stop referring to herself as "Dr. ---". The reason is simple, if a pt were to have an adverse event, you can be darn sure the plaintiffs lawyer would have a field day about how the "Doctor" was in fact not a "Doctor" as a layman would assume in a clinical setting. This in fact is misrepresentation and not just the practitioner, but the hospital itself, would not have a leg to stand on. This is a true-life example to answer the OP's question. If midlevels with doctorate training, who actually can dx and tx pts, is PROHIBITED from refering to themselves as "Drs", you can be darn sure the pharmacists are also prohibited.
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I have to disagree. The VA hospital where I work, everyone with a doctrate degree (PhD, PharmD, MD) are referred to as Dr. The other hospital, a teaching hospital, is the same. Everyone with a doctorate is referred to as Dr. One the same note, something of even more concern to me happens here. We have an MD that graduated from a medical school in Mexico. He is not licensed to practice medicine in the US. However, he signs everything John Doe MD and also refers to himself as Dr. John Doe. I think that's even more misleading than anything. At least the PharmDs are licensed in the US to do their job. This guy isn't even licensed and is only hired to do recruiting but signs MD behind his name when he sends out reminder letters to patients that he recruits.

I really have a hard time understanding why some people have such an issue with Dr. It's just merely a way of recognizing someone for completing their education. It's not like they are referring to PharmDs as physicians or anything like that.
 
lvp0021 said:
At the hospital as I can see so far, there are MD/DO who are really stupid (!!) (sorry for the word...) about drugs and drugs interactions. They have to ask the clinical pharmacist on how to combine drug therapy and what they should do if their "favorites" do not work. Without these clinical Doctor of Pharmacy's, those MD/DO guys are completely cripples! Especially if you are talking to PharmD that has BCPS--trust me, they know A LOT about drugs and pharmacotherapy. Besides like someone has said, each has his/her own jobs, MD/DO diagnose and PharmD compound and dispense drugs. THey work side-by-side and are mutually exclusive for the patients. I personally would like that they make people call PharmD "Doctor" in the future to honor their educational excellence and professional knowledge. FIY: If you look at the curriculum in med school and pharm school, probably you'll see that pharmacists get more training in drugs than physicians do...
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Oh Please🙄
 
Glowwyrm said:
I have to disagree. The VA hospital where I work, everyone with a doctrate degree (PhD, PharmD, MD) are referred to as Dr. The other hospital, a teaching hospital, is the same. Everyone with a doctorate is referred to as Dr. One the same note, something of even more concern to me happens here. We have an MD that graduated from a medical school in Mexico. He is not licensed to practice medicine in the US. However, he signs everything John Doe MD and also refers to himself as Dr. John Doe. I think that's even more misleading than anything. At least the PharmDs are licensed in the US to do their job. This guy isn't even licensed and is only hired to do recruiting but signs MD behind his name when he sends out reminder letters to patients that he recruits.

I really have a hard time understanding why some people have such an issue with Dr. It's just merely a way of recognizing someone for completing their education. It's not like they are referring to PharmDs as physicians or anything like that.
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Now I dont believe that! You honestly think a hospital would hire a physician who prescribed under a false name....if this is what you were implying. You seem to be diggin for something to lash back at FamilyMD.
 
AustinFinklea said:
Now I dont believe that! You honestly think a hospital would hire a physician who prescribed under a false name....if this is what you were implying. You seem to be diggin for something to lash back at FamilyMD.
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Obviously this is just BS. I AM on the credentialing committee of my hospital (every hospital has one) whose only purpose is to review and confirm and verify the credentials of applicants to the hospital's Medical Staff. This is so vitally important b/c the hospitals have liability if it allows sub-standard physicians on its staff. If you can so blatantly lie about this (thought no one would know😕 😕 ), then the rest of your post holds no credibillity. I stand by the fact that I am on staff at 3 local hospitals, and b/c of liability issues, only physicians are referred to as doctors.
Look pharm people, the issue is not your Academic title, the issue is the layman's, that's "patients" to the dense folks, perception. Misrepresentation is a slam-dunk in malpractice suits. Honestly, as one of my attending once said, if you want to be captain go to captain school.
 
kovamies23 said:
Yup, I have some huge balls too. That extra surge of testosterone gives me the edge I need.

Bottom line: Dont be haters just cause you all know I am right. If anybody calls you Dr., its because they also have your same, skewed view about whether PharmD's should be called Dr. I dont have any problem with being a PharmD, but quit whining about being equals with other health practitioners......I would classify pharmacists along with chiropractors; only difference is, Pharmacists actually know what they are doing.
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Good thing you aren't an MD....with your excessive high levels of testosterone your balls would probably be more like raisins.:laugh:
 
FamilyMD said:
Obviously this is just BS. I AM on the credentialing committee of my hospital (every hospital has one) whose only purpose is to review and confirm and verify the credentials of applicants to the hospital's Medical Staff. This is so vitally important b/c the hospitals have liability if it allows sub-standard physicians on its staff. If you can so blatantly lie about this (thought no one would know😕 😕 ), then the rest of your post holds no credibillity. I stand by the fact that I am on staff at 3 local hospitals, and b/c of liability issues, only physicians are referred to as doctors.
Look pharm people, the issue is not your Academic title, the issue is the layman's, that's "patients" to the dense folks, perception. Misrepresentation is a slam-dunk in malpractice suits. Honestly, as one of my attending once said, if you want to be captain go to captain school.
Click to expand...

Totally Agree.....couldnt have said it better myself.👍 👍
 
Hey look...it's the FamilyMD all god mighty MBA/MD doc credential checking insurance company consultant who didn't want to PM me his personal info when he asked for personal info on Pharmacist turned Hospital administrators!!

How you doing Buddy!!! 👍
 
Family - you were nice until this morning.

Nobody here is talking about malpractice other than you. We don't get sued for malpractice unles we've made a mistake doing OUR job. When that occurs - neither our degree nor our titile comes into the equation.

You are referring to misrepresenting oneself as an MD when in fact, over & over again, we've all stated that those of us in the real world of pharmacy do indeed use our titles & do not misrepresent ourselves as anything other than pharmacists.

Now....how much clearer can we make this for you? You are becoming as obsessed about this as another poster, who will remain unnamed. Our titles are not going away & using them will not go away.

I can appreciate how frustrating this is for you, but "saying it isn't so" isn't going to make it so. We are PharmD's, our badges say that & for some of us, our colleagues will use Dr. You are not forced to & none of us are going to be offended if you call us by first name or Mr/Ms or perhaps, in your case, you feel uncomfortable & just use "hey you" or "are you the pharmacist?" - we answer to all of that too.

OP - has this question been answered fully for you? Can we all just leave it now?
 
FamilyMD said:
Well, ok, this poster may be a bit..."passionate", but he is right. In the real world, not just pre-this or pre-that students posting opinions, most hospitals actually have rules PROHIBITING anyone but a physician be referred to as "Doctor". This was re-affirmed recently when some ND(Doctor of Nursing) midlevel at my hospital was called in by the hospital administration to stop referring to herself as "Dr. ---". The reason is simple, if a pt were to have an adverse event, you can be darn sure the plaintiffs lawyer would have a field day about how the "Doctor" was in fact not a "Doctor" as a layman would assume in a clinical setting. This in fact is misrepresentation and not just the practitioner, but the hospital itself, would not have a leg to stand on. This is a true-life example to answer the OP's question. If midlevels with doctorate training, who actually can dx and tx pts, is PROHIBITED from refering to themselves as "Drs", you can be darn sure the pharmacists are also prohibited.
Click to expand...

What "real world" do you live in? That has clearly not been my experience. Perhaps you are the one with a disorted view of reality. You are so obsessive about this topic that it makes me wonder if your only motivation for becoming a doctor is just so you could be called one. And about credibility-you are the one who is aligning yourself with a person of adult age who refers to others as "******ed" and "*****s". Also, could you provide us with some proof of a "real-life example" where a Pharmacist misrepresrented his/herself as a physician and a major law suit followed? If the Clinical Pharmacist wanted people to think he/she was a physician, they would have gone to medical school. By the way, arrogance is not a virtue.
 
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