# You have an MD or a PhD. Do you make people call you "Doctor" in social settings? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 15, 2012, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-an-md-or-a-phd-do-you-make-people-call-you-doctor-in-social-settings/634798 "2012-09-15T16:50:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-an-md-or-a-phd-do-you-make-people-call-you-doctor-in-social-settings/634798/61 "2012-09-16T13:05:17Z")
> [@KarlGrenze](#): > > In professional settings, whether I ask it or not, I get called Dr. Sometimes I try to not use Dr, and technicians with whom I do not work still insist on using the Dr. OK, then… > > Teaching students is occasionally part of my job, and there I insist on the title. I tell them I don’t care if it is just “Dr.”, “Dr. first name”, or “Dr. Lastname”. And I also tell them that that applies only to my area, once I am done teaching them, they can no longer call me Dr. unless they’re talking to me about a professional consult. If they see me outside drinking and hanguing out, I tell them I don’t want to be addressed by my title. > > Since my own doctor knows what I do and my specialty, she gives me extra information, which I find cool. I was about to ask if it wasn’t “Herr Doktor,” but then I saw your profile explains that you’re neither male nor German. So, uh, saved me the embarrassment. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-an-md-or-a-phd-do-you-make-people-call-you-doctor-in-social-settings/634798/62 "2012-09-16T14:01:44Z")
> [@Snnipe\_70E](#): > > I do not consider calling someone Dr. as settting them ina higher class. To me it is reconizing the work they put into getting the DR. This seems to come up as a reason. In Hari Seldon’s example, the guy wanted his hard work recognized. Why insist on having the work you’ve put into getting an MD/PhD recognized by everyone you meet? If that hard work was worth it, won’t you acquire knowledge and abilities which are beyond most people? If so, then you’ll get recognition because of the results your knowledge and abilities enable you to effect, not because of a title. If not, then getting that MD/PhD wasn’t that smart. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-an-md-or-a-phd-do-you-make-people-call-you-doctor-in-social-settings/634798/63 "2012-09-16T14:18:27Z")
For me, the greatest abuse of the title “Dr.” is when it is used to suggest expertise in a field where the Dr. does not possess it. This includes advocates of medical/health woo who style themselves as “Dr.” when their degrees are in such areas as chemistry and English literature. Chiropractors frequently disguise or minimize their actual credentials in advertisements. And I’ve lost count of how many letters to the editor I’ve seen where ludicrous claims were made by people signing off as Dr. So-and-so, who actually turned out to be chiros, naturopaths or other non-M.D. practitioners. People naturally assume that someone named “Dr.” who is dispensing health advice is an M.D., but it isn’t necessarily so. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-an-md-or-a-phd-do-you-make-people-call-you-doctor-in-social-settings/634798/64 "2012-09-16T14:25:06Z")
Like Dr. Laura? ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-an-md-or-a-phd-do-you-make-people-call-you-doctor-in-social-settings/634798/65 "2012-09-16T14:32:16Z")
For a few years after I got my PhD, I rather enjoyed it when my wife introduced me as Dr. Inexplicable. But, I very rarely introduced myself as such. In my work environment, most of the people I worked with had doctorates of various disciplines and we NEVER called each other ‘Doctor’ except, of course, when we were meeting at a bar when it was ‘Doctor’, \, ‘Doctor’, \ and so on. For some reason that never got old. When my daughter got her doctorate, I made a point of calling her Doctor \ until she told me to stop. I couldn’t help it. I was so proud of her. Still am, actually. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-an-md-or-a-phd-do-you-make-people-call-you-doctor-in-social-settings/634798/66 "2012-09-16T16:46:04Z")
I have a Ph.D. and never introduce myself as Doctor in social settings. It comes up rarely. However, when I’m in business meetings with customers my boss will often mention it to people who haven’t met me before. She thinks it helps to impress them with our qualifications. ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-an-md-or-a-phd-do-you-make-people-call-you-doctor-in-social-settings/634798/67 "2012-09-16T16:58:06Z")
I think people are conflating several different things. Do you insist people call you “Dr So-and-so” in a situation where people normally go by their first name? You’re being an ass. Do you insist on being called “Dr So-and-so” in a one-off situation when someone calls you “Mr So-and-so”. This is usually not worth it (but can be if they’re deliberately doing you down, not just automatically being polite in a situation where they’ve no reason to know your title). Do you insist on being called “Dr So-and-so” when someone you know repeatedly refers to you as “Mr So-and-so”? This can go either way. In some cultures it’s normal to insist on Dr whenever you’d go by a title, in others, you’d only use it for an academic setting. But I do think women have a particular reason to insist, if people are using the wrong honorific (especially so if they’re deliberately using the wrong honorific). ---
**Author:** ![mischievous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mischievous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mischievous)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2012, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-an-md-or-a-phd-do-you-make-people-call-you-doctor-in-social-settings/634798/68 "2012-09-17T00:19:13Z")
I have a Ph.D., and I can only think of two instances where I’ve been called “Dr.” in a non-joking way: (1) When I (female) was on jury duty and the lawyers repeatedly referred to the (male) M.D. next to me as “Dr.”, and to me as “Ms.”, despite knowing that I had a doctorate. The forth or fifth time this came up, I insisted on my honorific, dammit. Still got put on the jury, so apparently this didn’t upset them much. (2) When my mother (an M.D.) was going into major surgery and being introduced to her medical team, she introduced me and her other friend there (also an M.D.) as “Dr. Daughter and Dr. Friend”. However, that wasn’t social: that was a very clear message to the surgical team that we were not to be fucked with. Oh, and by all of the poor secretaries that have to use honorifics to avoid the possibility of offending a visiting scientist - I feel bad for them. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2012, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-an-md-or-a-phd-do-you-make-people-call-you-doctor-in-social-settings/634798/69 "2012-09-17T15:45:24Z")
Years ago, at one department, we had _good_ secretaries and they would book our flights under “Dr.”. This seemed to help. E.g., one time we missed our connecting flight (another PhD and me) and got booked to a nearby city. (There was strike stuff going on and it was hard to go anywhere on-the-fly\*.) The counter person there gave us a free rental car to drive home. Didn’t see anyone else getting a car. In recent years, the only time I asked to be called “Dr.” was seeing an specialist MD who was acting like a superior jerk. So I pointed out that I have a PhD, he got the point. “Dr. FtG” from then on. I think people should be friendly and drop pretenses. Titles should be limited to things like obits and letterheads. \*Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2012, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-an-md-or-a-phd-do-you-make-people-call-you-doctor-in-social-settings/634798/70 "2012-09-17T15:56:34Z")
> [@Shade](#): > > I think people are conflating several different things. > > Do you insist people call you “Dr So-and-so” in a situation where people normally go by their first name? You’re being an ass. > > Do you insist on being called “Dr So-and-so” in a one-off situation when someone calls you “Mr So-and-so”. This is usually not worth it (but can be if they’re deliberately doing you down, not just automatically being polite in a situation where they’ve no reason to know your title). > > Do you insist on being called “Dr So-and-so” when someone you know repeatedly refers to you as “Mr So-and-so”? This can go either way. In some cultures it’s normal to insist on Dr whenever you’d go by a title, in others, you’d only use it for an academic setting. But I do think women have a particular reason to insist, if people are using the wrong honorific (especially so if they’re deliberately using the wrong honorific). This is well said. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2012, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-an-md-or-a-phd-do-you-make-people-call-you-doctor-in-social-settings/634798/71 "2012-09-17T17:22:51Z")
I was part of a hobby club. The sort of hobby that tends to attract a lot of engineers and scientists. (among others, of course) At one point there was a bit of a disagreement between Nate Goodguy and Booby deBois (not real names). Nate: \ “Look, Mr. DeBois …” Booby: \ “It’s DOCTOR deBois!” \ Nate:“Very Well, DOCTOR deBois, it’s Dr. Goodguy for all that, but as I was saying…” Having thus betrayed himself as a total dickhead, Booby was forever after known as Dr. Doctor by my circle of friends. In fact it was a struggle to come up with his actual name so I could alter it for the above description. If you first knew the person professionally where the honorific was traditional (say they were your college prof. who you kept in touch with) and then came to know them socially, then keeping on with the honorific might be natural and reasonable. To insist that someone you know only socially address you by the honorific, especially if you are not an MD…pure asshattery. I make the exception for MD’s because it CAN occasionally be helpful to have in your mind that so-and-so is a doctor, like when Bill starts having chest pains and shortness of breath at a cocktail party. ---
**Author:** ![MyMack\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MyMack\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyMack_1)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2012, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-an-md-or-a-phd-do-you-make-people-call-you-doctor-in-social-settings/634798/72 "2012-09-17T17:32:09Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > So she prefers to use the professional title she earned in the most appropriate professional setting and you purposefully use titles she has asked you not to use and she’s the irritating one with the inferiority complex? > [@Fretful\_Porpentine](#): > > This is a very sensitive topic for a lot of female faculty. There are many students who automatically call male professors “Dr.” or “Professor” but do not default to the appropriate professional titles with women. If it is standard at your university is for faculty members with doctorates to be called “Dr.” or “Professor” by students, she is right to insist upon it and you are the one being irritating. (I withdraw my objection if the institutional norm is for faculty to go by their first names and she is the only one insisting on a title.) Oh good lord. Then I am irritating. Well it’s not my worst fault. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2012, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-an-md-or-a-phd-do-you-make-people-call-you-doctor-in-social-settings/634798/73 "2012-09-17T17:32:21Z")
> [@Kevbo](#): > > I make the exception for MD’s because it CAN occasionally be helpful to have in your mind that so-and-so is a doctor, like when Bill starts having chest pains and shortness of breath at a cocktail party. That sort of presentation is what 911 is for. Call EMS, then ask if there’s a doctor in the house. A smart health professional in that situation will just ensure that no CPR is needed while waiting for the rescue folks to arrive. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2012, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-an-md-or-a-phd-do-you-make-people-call-you-doctor-in-social-settings/634798/74 "2012-09-17T18:30:58Z")
> [@MyMack\_1](#): > > Oh good lord. Then I am irritating. Well it’s not my worst fault. It’s simply polite to call someone by the name they request to be called, regardless of position, status or situation. If you don’t do that it that makes one wonder why- to annoy on purpose or try to “put someone in their place”? And unfortunately, does make the person doing it kind of an ass. ---
**Author:** ![Yossarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/9de0a6/32.png) [@Yossarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yossarian)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2012, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-an-md-or-a-phd-do-you-make-people-call-you-doctor-in-social-settings/634798/75 "2012-09-17T19:39:06Z")
I only insist that rocks call me “Dr.” Everyone else gets to use my first name. ---
**Author:** ![BigNik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/73ab20/32.png) [@BigNik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigNik)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-an-md-or-a-phd-do-you-make-people-call-you-doctor-in-social-settings/634798/76 "2012-09-18T00:31:23Z")
I worked with someone who wanted to be called “Doctor” so-and-so. Having been granted an honorary D. Div after making a ‘donation’ to an American ‘church’, I pointed out that they would therefore need to call me “Reverend Doctor”, and corrected her every time I heard her correcting someone over her title. ---
**Author:** ![smokey78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@smokey78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smokey78)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-an-md-or-a-phd-do-you-make-people-call-you-doctor-in-social-settings/634798/77 "2012-09-18T00:51:54Z")
I got one for you. I’m a Doctor of Pharmacy, but nobody has ever called me Dr. I also would never insist folks call me Dr. Smokey since I thought based on Emily Posts’ etiquette rules, you only refer doctors if they have MDs or PhDs (in America). Also, I’d never insist anyone call me doctor since I work as a staff pharmacist and work alongside (doing the same job) as those with Bachelors of Pharmacy. The degree got inflated so that the last ten yrs all new grads had to finish with a Doctorate. The same scenario is going for physical therapy too as my physical therapist said he will have to finish his doctorate. In Europe and Africa, lawyers are called doctors. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-an-md-or-a-phd-do-you-make-people-call-you-doctor-in-social-settings/634798/78 "2012-09-18T01:11:51Z")
> [@BigNik](#): > > I worked with someone who wanted to be called “Doctor” so-and-so. Having been granted an honorary D. Div after making a ‘donation’ to an American ‘church’, I pointed out that they would therefore need to call me “Reverend Doctor”, and corrected her every time I heard her correcting someone over her title. I became a Universal Life Church minister years ago, so if someone wants to go all titles on me, I insist on Reverend Professor Doctor Doctor Attack. I just wish my real name were as cool as ‘Attack’. ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-an-md-or-a-phd-do-you-make-people-call-you-doctor-in-social-settings/634798/79 "2012-09-18T02:15:29Z")
In medical school, “Doctor” is often the opposite of an honorific (except, of course, if it’s a student addressing a Professor). Resident to med student, e.g.: What would you like to do now, Doctor? Resident to resident (sarcastically): I see that you made a great decision there, Doctor. Socially, there’s no such thing as “making” someone call you anything, is there? I would never introduce myself as “Doctor,” and I am irritated at the common expression, “My name is Doctor Pedant.” No. Your name is Chief Pedant. Your title is “Doctor,” and you are a pompous ass if you use introduce yourself that way in a social setting. I might also mention that in many circles, a physician might well find herself in the lower tier of status. Money and/or a high corporate position typically outrank a lowly doctorate in any field, medicine or otherwise. Those who seem to want to attach significance to themselves by attaching “Doctor” to their name come off as wannabes and not Players. Even in front of patients, it has been my practice to introduce myself as “Chief Pedant. I’m the physician seeing you today.” The patient should decide what she wants to call you, and patients often (but not always) want the professional barrier there. Especially if they are exposed. I am not above occasionally hauling out a title for petty personal gain, but hey…I never went so far as to pretend I was a Marine Biologist. That sort of approach inevitably backfires. ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-an-md-or-a-phd-do-you-make-people-call-you-doctor-in-social-settings/634798/80 "2012-09-18T03:29:09Z")
Unless I am very mistaken, the tradition in the US (probably not practiced in fifty years) is that only _medical_ doctors are known as “Dr. So-and-so.” The only exception was an academic instructor being addressed by his or her students (and as noted above, protocol varied school to school as to whether “Doctor” or “Professor” was regarded as the proper address). Even a psychologist would be introduced as Mr. or Mrs./Miss So-and-so (this being before Ms. became popular). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-an-md-or-a-phd-do-you-make-people-call-you-doctor-in-social-settings/634798.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-an-md-or-a-phd-do-you-make-people-call-you-doctor-in-social-settings/634798.md?page=5)