Opinion

[Ndebt]

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This has probably been asked already but do you all think it's appropriate for a DPT to go by Dr in public?
For example I saw a physical therapist on snapchat with his name saying dr____ is this something that is acceptable to do? Or must you have a PhD

 

[jblil]

Do a search, this has been discussed a billion times already.

 

[DPTinFL]

This has probably been asked already but do you all think it's appropriate for a DPT to go by Dr?
For example I saw a physical therapist on snapchat with his name saying dr____ is this something that is acceptable to do? Or must you have a PhD


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I think for marketing purposes/social media, the Dr. label is very appropriate as long as you specified that you are a Doctor of PT. I do it.
Dr. XYZ, DPT MS OCS
In the Bio I write "Dr. XYZ obtained a doctorate in physical therapy from Univ. of ZXY".
However speaking to other healthcare providers, patients. I don't think is appropriate.
In the educational setting I think students should refer to you as Dr XYZ unless you tell them not to.

 

[DesertPT]

Do a search, this has been discussed a billion times already.

Try some of the big physical therapy groups on Facebook too, this has been discussed quite a few times there as well.

tl;dr: Do whatever floats your boat and makes sense to you, there is no consensus opinion on this whatsoever. Opinions range from "you are a total schmuck and have no place seeing patients if the word doctor ever comes out of your mouth in association with your name as a PT" to "you are doing the profession and your patients a massive disservice if you don't refer to yourself using the doctoral title you have rightfully earned", to everything in between. Unfortunately, PTs tend to have quite a knack for bashing other members of their own profession, and few topics are quite as polarizing as this one (at least on message boards and social media...PTs in real life don't seem to care nearly as much about this as PTs on the internet do).

 

[jblil]

OP - let your actions, your knowledge and your skills speak for themselves, because that's what your patients will respect you for. Not your title.

 

[Ndebt]

This doesn't have anything to do with patients or the work setting. I'm asking in your opinion, out in public or around friends or what have you, would you refer to yourself as dr so and so

 

[jblil]

My friends know who I am, so no need to insist on the Dr title with them. The public usually wouldn't care who I am, so no need to insist on the Dr title there either. With my patients, I let my skills speak for themselves.