When is the "Dr" Title used?

This may seem like a silly question, but who gets the title to be exact?

Do dentists and vets get it too? And do you officially obtain it after graduating from unviersity? Are you required to use the title Dr forever after graduating?

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Reply 1

duality

Original post by AtomicMan

Don't you just need to get a doctorate to get the doctor title. My maths teacher is a doctor but i wouldn't let her operate on me or my pets! :biggrin:

Reply 2

edd360

I believe i you have a PHD you get to us the title.

Reply 3

Long Haired Teen

Original post by AtomicMan

Not sure about all the ins and outs of medicine. But I assume after being fuly qualified and trained as a dctor you will become Dr... If you then go on and become a consultant you revert to Mr...

Getting a PhD will lso earn you the title Dr... but not in any medcal sence

Reply 4

Organ

I believe the medical doctor title is an honoury one - those with Phds or Dphils - in say history or chemistry are the real doctors.

Dentists can, traditionally they haven't used the doctor title, however it's become more commenplace these days, one reason is because immigrant dentists have used the title doctor - and patients assume they have a better degree! Vets I have no idea.

Consultant surgeons aren't known as Dr. in the UK, Mr. (I have no idea about women - I assume Miss or Mrs), everywhere else they are known as Dr. It's a historic thing.

Reply 5

Organ

Original post by Long Haired Teen

Consultant surgeons, and only in the UK. Medical consultants - Oncologists, Cardiologists and so on are still called Dr. as a consultant.

Reply 6

AnythingButChardonnay

PhD = doctor

Although in America vets get the title Dr too for some reason. Whereas here you get a Bachelor's degree for veterinary medicine, and vets tend to consider themselves surgeons here so are quite content with "Mr"

Not sure about dentists. My dentist seems to be a "Dr" but then he's from well east of here.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 7

Kiwiguy

Original post by AtomicMan

Anyone who completes a PHD may name themselves Dr.

Its just assumed that when you say doctor that you are a medical doctor.

Reply 8

Renal

In the context of medicine;

Anyone who is a qualified medical practitioner may style themselves 'Dr'.

Any surgeon, that is anyone who has completed MRCS, may style themselves 'Mr'.

Anyone that has a PhD or MD (although the latter is irrelevant) may style themselves as 'Dr'.

Vets and Dentists have started to use the title in the last few decades, I presume they have the same authority (although post membership may revert to 'Mr' as they are dental and veterinary surgeons).

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 9

Beska

Anybody who completes a PhD gets the title 'Dr.' and they can use it forever, afaik.

Anybody in the UK that graduates from medical school, are awarded a medicine/surgery degree and register with the GMC can use the title 'Dr.' You need to be registered with the GMC to use the title. I am not too sure if you can carry on using the title 'Dr'. if you retire or not.

e: However, surgeons in the UK use 'Mr.' as it's historical tradition.

What is the correct nomenclature for somebody that is both a medical doctor and a professor? I have heard of priests being called 'Rev. Dr.' so is it similar, or does 'Professor' supersede 'Dr.'?

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 10

-Simon-

How the UK system works:

Well the "real" way to have the title Dr. is to complete a doctorate which is a post graduate degree, this way you are referred to as doctor for the rest of your life...unless you start to teach (only at uni I believe) then you can call yourself professor.

For medicine you start as Mr. until you take your 5 year medical degree (MBBS). The Dr. title is only an honorary title, you aren't actually a real doctor as above, however you are allowed to use the title as soon as your registered with the GMC. But, if you choose surgery as a speciality you move back to the title of Mr. as traditionally surgeons in England weren't doctors. However you can complete a doctorate in Medicine (MD) or some other Medical related field (D.sc) and become a doctor once again and it is no longer an honorary title. The professor thing as above applies.

But in the USA you do a medical doctorate straight out as it is already postgraduate, therefore regardless you are a doctor.

Reply 11

Ewan

Nah you are still a Dr if you have gained a PhD & are teaching, you only become a professor when you show outstanding teaching & research abilities (think of it like a promotion above senior lecturer). Most of my lecturers are doctors/senior lecturers, very few are actually called professor.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 12

Fusilero

Original post by AnythingButChardonnay

"Mr"

Not sure about dentists. My dentist seems to be a "Dr" but then he's from well east of here.

That is because alot of first professional degrees in America are postgraduate rather than undergraduate. So they do their 4 year BS or SB and then do DPharm (Pharmacist), MD (Doctor), JD (Law), DDS (Dentistry) and DVS (Vets) etc

Reply 13

GodspeedGehenna

Original post by Beska

You need to be registered with the GMC to use the title.

As far as I'm aware, you don't register with the GMC until you're an SHO (correct me if wrong, medics) but house officers (hence PRHO meaning pre-registration) are still entitled to call themselves Dr. You can use the title as soon as you graduate from medical school.

Original post by Beska

or does 'Professor' supersede 'Dr.'?

Professor is a higher title than Dr. They've levelled up.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 14

Hygeia

Original post by GodspeedGehenna

Using new terms - in FY1 you're provisionally registered with the GMC and can call yourself Dr then at the end of FY1 (provided you've met all their requirements), you're fully registered with the GMC.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 15

Beska

Original post by GodspeedGehenna

As far as I am aware you gain provisional registration after you leave medical school, and then gain full registration after successful completion of F1.

Original post by GodspeedGehenna

Professor is a higher title than Dr. They've levelled up.

efb: damn you hyegia

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 16

GodspeedGehenna

Original post by Hygeia

Yeah that's what I was hacking at.

So is PRHO Provisionally-registered as opposed to Pre-registration?

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 17

Artymess

do a PhD

thats my plan - to be a dr of biology :biggrin:

Reply 18

Hygeia

Original post by GodspeedGehenna

Yeah that's what I was hacking at.

So is PRHO Provisionally-registered as opposed to Pre-registration?

It's pretty much a defunct term now as far as I know - FY1's might be referred to as HO but haven't heard PRHO used for a while now. Can't say which of those is correct though tbh!

Reply 19

IQ Test

You need to have a medical degree, a PhD or a DPhil to use the "Dr." title. Dentists can't use it, as they are dental surgeons, and in the UK, the custom is that qualified surgeons use Mr or Mrs instead of doctor. I don't know about vets though, but as they're veterinary surgeons, I wouldn't have thought that they can call themselves "Dr.".