- Joined
- Oct 2, 2006
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Always good too see a heated discussion going on.
To the op, you are have a right to your opinion, just don't be surprised if people disregard it because of your lack of experience. A 13 year old's opinion often changes on many subjects by the time they are 18 year's old (and even when their opinion doesn't change, they often have more logical reason for their opinion, than they did when they were 13.) Likewise, someone who hasn't worked in healthcare, much less as an actual pharmacist.....your opinion will most likely change as you gain more experience, and even if it doesn't, you will have more logical/better articulation of your opinion 4-5 years from now.
As to the subject...both sides are right, which is why this subject is such a hot topic. People are easily confused, and if they hear "doctor" in a hospital setting, they are often thinking physician (where as if they hear doctor in their pharmacy/dentist office/optometrist office, they are often able to realize the "doctor" isn't a physician doctor. Especially in hospitals, people are often tired & scared, and even when they are familiar with how the hospital system works, its easy to get confused--and yes, people who are scared will ask questions of everyone they see, even the janitor.
On the other hand, people who have earned a doctorate, whether it be in underwater basket weaving or a medical school, have earned the right to call themselves a doctor. The problem stems from, until recent times, the only "doctor" most people commonly knew, was their physician (and possibly their lawyer, but for someone reason, lawyers don't encourage people to call them doctors....probably because they are intimately aware of the risks of liability issues.). Go back 40-50 years, most people weren't going to college, of those few who went to college, most weren't getting PhD's. So in people's minds and common day to day life, any doctor they knew was a physician. Society is different now, more people than not are getting at least some college education, and more people than ever before are getting PhD's or any number of advanced doctorate degrees.
Personally, if I were a leader in the physician community, I would realize that doctor always has been a generic term, even if the general public didn't recognize it as such, and encourage physicians to call themselves by a more specific term....um like physician. "I am Physician Smith, and I am hear to do your surgery." NOBODY else is going to be calling themselves a Physician, except a MD/DO. Physicians, rather than expecting others to not identify themselves as "doctor", when they have a doctorate, should use a title that is exclusive to them and clearly identifies their expertise and learning. A think "physician" clearly does this, and I suspect that most people, understand what a physician is.
As to anyone else using the title of doctor, that is their decision to make. I think anyone should be careful of possible misconceptions and be clear about what kind of doctor they are. (to use an example I read here on SDN, a doctor said that if he went to an art convention, he wouldn't introduce himself as Doctor Smith, because people would think he held a doctorate in art.) While the hospital is the most common place where the title of doctor can be confusing, the title can be confusing in other settings as well, because it is a generic title. People need to be specific, and while I feel physicians especially would benefit from using the specific title of physician, I think any profession offering an advance degree would be wise to come up with a specific title to identify that profession & its expertise.
To the op, you are have a right to your opinion, just don't be surprised if people disregard it because of your lack of experience. A 13 year old's opinion often changes on many subjects by the time they are 18 year's old (and even when their opinion doesn't change, they often have more logical reason for their opinion, than they did when they were 13.) Likewise, someone who hasn't worked in healthcare, much less as an actual pharmacist.....your opinion will most likely change as you gain more experience, and even if it doesn't, you will have more logical/better articulation of your opinion 4-5 years from now.
As to the subject...both sides are right, which is why this subject is such a hot topic. People are easily confused, and if they hear "doctor" in a hospital setting, they are often thinking physician (where as if they hear doctor in their pharmacy/dentist office/optometrist office, they are often able to realize the "doctor" isn't a physician doctor. Especially in hospitals, people are often tired & scared, and even when they are familiar with how the hospital system works, its easy to get confused--and yes, people who are scared will ask questions of everyone they see, even the janitor.
On the other hand, people who have earned a doctorate, whether it be in underwater basket weaving or a medical school, have earned the right to call themselves a doctor. The problem stems from, until recent times, the only "doctor" most people commonly knew, was their physician (and possibly their lawyer, but for someone reason, lawyers don't encourage people to call them doctors....probably because they are intimately aware of the risks of liability issues.). Go back 40-50 years, most people weren't going to college, of those few who went to college, most weren't getting PhD's. So in people's minds and common day to day life, any doctor they knew was a physician. Society is different now, more people than not are getting at least some college education, and more people than ever before are getting PhD's or any number of advanced doctorate degrees.
Personally, if I were a leader in the physician community, I would realize that doctor always has been a generic term, even if the general public didn't recognize it as such, and encourage physicians to call themselves by a more specific term....um like physician. "I am Physician Smith, and I am hear to do your surgery." NOBODY else is going to be calling themselves a Physician, except a MD/DO. Physicians, rather than expecting others to not identify themselves as "doctor", when they have a doctorate, should use a title that is exclusive to them and clearly identifies their expertise and learning. A think "physician" clearly does this, and I suspect that most people, understand what a physician is.
As to anyone else using the title of doctor, that is their decision to make. I think anyone should be careful of possible misconceptions and be clear about what kind of doctor they are. (to use an example I read here on SDN, a doctor said that if he went to an art convention, he wouldn't introduce himself as Doctor Smith, because people would think he held a doctorate in art.) While the hospital is the most common place where the title of doctor can be confusing, the title can be confusing in other settings as well, because it is a generic title. People need to be specific, and while I feel physicians especially would benefit from using the specific title of physician, I think any profession offering an advance degree would be wise to come up with a specific title to identify that profession & its expertise.
