When am I officially a doctor?

[triathlete411]

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Can I start calling myself a doctor now that I am finished with all of my clinical rotations and am just waiting for graduation day? Or, do I have to wait until graduation? First day of internship? Successful completion of Step III? Of residency?

Sometimes I feel like the MD degree is the only degree that means absolutely nothing until one has completed a residency. Granted, I know more now than I did the first day of medical school, but I still feel totally inept when people ask me for medical advice.

 

[Scrubbs]

Well... the day after I finished rotations, I went out and got "Doc" tatooed on my forehead. I mean, who needs the actual MD conferred when you have a tatoo that makes you a doc? 😉

 

[Gauss]

it helps to already have a phd
took care of that problem right away

 

[Annette]

Academically, you don't get the title until you graduate. However, in most states, it is illegal to represent yourself as a physician (having yourself called "Doc" would qualify) until you are licsened.