To sign up at the surgery as ‘Dr’

[Chocolatebutton43]

I got my PhD two months ago, moved to a new place and signed up to a new doctor’s surgery and dental practice.

Filling in the forms, I got a bit carried away with my new title and ticked the ‘dr’ box! I’ve been doing it a lot lately for silly little things partly ‘cause I’m just happy to have finished and passed my degree and also because I relish that I am no longer defined by my marital status.

But, I now need to visit the surgery and I feel like an idiot. The form also had occupation so the doctor will know I’m not a medical doctor. Is he/she going to think I am a total prat for using Dr outside my work and at the doctor’s surgery of all places? Cringe

1- Not necessarily as there were more grammar schools back then! Heard if the 11+?

This doesn't make sense. My PhD was actually in fair access to university. We used to have an elite university systems here only 6% of the population went to university. The overwhelming majority of these people were rich, white men.
The expansion of the HE system is a good thing overall.

2- Giver over being over dramatic
Then stop making ridiculous inflammatory statements then. Comparing degrees to toffee apples is insulting to graduates and the universities they attend.

3- I didn’t say everyone has a degree, I said almost everyone I know has a degree. 50% of people having a degree means they don’t hold as much weight as they once did.

There is an element of truth about this but it doesn't make degrees worthless.

4- Prove what? That there are far far more graduates than there are graduate positions? Do you think they’ll take all the ones with 2:2 degrees and 3rd class degrees?
Well if you're going to make sweeping generalisations shouldn't you at least have some evidence to back up your claims?
You're clearly not expert on the graduate labour market but fortunately I live with one such expert and happen to teach this particular subject..... what you've quoted there is one the the biggest myths about the the graduate labour market. Pre-pandemic there were more graduate positions than there were graduates. Obviously this varies between sectors and and geographically but the labour market was quite buoyant.
We are obviously facing more challenging times at the moment but having a degree means you are far less likely to become unemployed than a non graduate and are likely to time employment quicker.

From the opposite perspective I cringed when I registered at a new gp not long after getting my gp. So registered as Miss. I now cringe every time they write to me because I wish I had registered as Dr.

I use Dr is all written communication but will accept miss in verbal communication unless I get called Mrs or the person is talking down to us. One bugbear in forms is when I select Dr and an extra box appears asking if I am male or female.

At work a PhD is a requirement we only use the titles when someone comes over asking for a favour "Ah Dr X, what can I do for you"

I have bugger issues with my profession, I'm a chemist. I put this as my profession on my maternity notes and spent 9 months explaining that I wasn't a pharmacist, didn't work in a pharmacy and then what the difference between a chemist and a pharmacist is. I did almost get free scan pics as they assumed I was NHS staff. Next time I will stick to scientist!

I didn’t say everyone has a degree, I said almost everyone I know has a degree.
Surely that's partly to do with who you know, your age, career choices, where you live - lots and lots of people still don't have degrees, they aren't as ubiquitous as you assume.
There was a part of my career when 90% of the people I knew had professional degrees which was mainly because I have a professional degree so most of the people I worked and socialised with also had them. My work was mainly with other professionals not on site.
Now my social sphere has widened - house move from posh city suburb to village , kids, work now more involved with trades, site etc I would say that less than 50% of the people I know have degrees and that's still going to be a high percentage compared to some because of my professional colleagues.

@SueEllenMishke

1- Not necessarily as there were more grammar schools back then! Heard if the 11+?

This doesn't make sense. My PhD was actually in fair access to university. We used to have an elite university systems here only 6% of the population went to university. The overwhelming majority of these people were rich, white men.
The expansion of the HE system is a good thing overall.

2- Giver over being over dramatic
Then stop making ridiculous inflammatory statements then. Comparing degrees to toffee apples is insulting to graduates and the universities they attend.

3- I didn’t say everyone has a degree, I said almost everyone I know has a degree. 50% of people having a degree means they don’t hold as much weight as they once did.

There is an element of truth about this but it doesn't make degrees worthless.

4- Prove what? That there are far far more graduates than there are graduate positions? Do you think they’ll take all the ones with 2:2 degrees and 3rd class degrees?
Well if you're going to make sweeping generalisations shouldn't you at least have some evidence to back up your claims?
You're clearly not expert on the graduate labour market but fortunately I live with one such expert and happen to teach this particular subject..... what you've quoted there is one the the biggest myths about the the graduate labour market. Pre-pandemic there were more graduate positions than there were graduates. Obviously this varies between sectors and and geographically but the labour market was quite buoyant.
We are obviously facing more challenging times at the moment but having a degree means you are far less likely to become unemployed than a non graduate and are likely to time employment quicker.

That’s all very well opening up the doors so everyone can go to university, but it doesn’t mean they should.

If university was free then yes perhaps, but the fact they charge £10k per year then when you factor in living costs etc.... some of these current students will have debt in excess of 50k.

It’s one of those situations where ‘great, you have a degree, but no experience’. I know a fair few people that have worked their way up in companies, where they didn’t need a degree. Complete waste of money as they’d have got to their destination without the £50k price tag.

Unless a degree was essential, such as teacher, nurse, solicitor, I would actively encourage my DC to look at other alternatives. Like work place apprenticeships etc...

@TableFlowerss

...ok Sarah.... ok. If that’s what you take from that article.... ok. Let’s leave it there!

I think that might be best!

@wonkylegs

I didn’t say everyone has a degree, I said almost everyone I know has a degree. Surely that's partly to do with who you know, your age, career choices, where you live - lots and lots of people still don't have degrees, they aren't as ubiquitous as you assume. There was a part of my career when 90% of the people I knew had professional degrees which was mainly because I have a professional degree so most of the people I worked and socialised with also had them. My work was mainly with other professionals not on site. Now my social sphere has widened - house move from posh city suburb to village , kids, work now more involved with trades, site etc I would say that less than 50% of the people I know have degrees and that's still going to be a high percentage compared to some because of my professional colleagues.

Yes you’re right. Partly because of where I work and the field I work in. It appears as a magnet for graduates that don’t go in to their chosen profession.

When I was younger I didn’t know anyone with a degree. As I grew up and my friends went to uni, it became more normalised.

@SueEllenMishke
Pre-pandemic there were more graduate positions than there were graduates.

Simply because, in current times, even the local
newsagents expects you to have a parchment! It’s that dumbing down thing, yet again.

Why not, you earned it

[quote Janegrey333]@TableFlowerss

...ok Sarah.... ok. If that’s what you take from that article.... ok. Let’s leave it there!

I think that might be best![/quote]
😂 head table and banging

This drive to stuff school leavers into “uni” has had consequences. For one thing, the piece of paper - it’s not even a proper parchment anymore - does not come with any guarantees. This is particularly the case if you have not gone to an RG establishment or to one of the Ancients.

@SueEllenMishke

Having a degree was a big deal because they didn’t give them out like toffee apples.

Disgusting and insulting comment.

That dies not make it any less true.

That does not...

That’s all very well opening up the doors so everyone can go to university, but it doesn’t mean they should.

Everyone doesn't go to university and we will never be in a situation where that will be the case. Increasing access to university means that people who have the ability but would have been excluded in the past due to gender, class and ethnicity now have the opportunity to go to get a degree. This is important.

If university was free then yes perhaps, but the fact they charge £10k per year then when you factor in living costs etc.... some of these current students will have debt in excess of 50k.
Which is why is should be a carefully considered decision.

It’s one of those situations where ‘great, you have a degree, but no experience’. I know a fair few people that have worked their way up in companies, where they didn’t need a degree. Complete waste of money as they’d have got to their destination without the £50k price tag.
Again this should be factored in to the decision making progress and students should make the most of their time at university - many offer placements and lots of work experience opportunities which can be difficult to access without the support of a university placement team.

Unless a degree was essential, such as teacher, nurse, solicitor, I would actively encourage my DC to look at other alternatives. Like work place apprenticeships etc...
Many of the top graduate recruiters like the more traditional degree subjects. The top accountancy recruiters specifically target history graduates and 70% of graduate level jobs don't specify a degree subject.
Apprenticeships are great but only if you have a clear career idea because they are training you to do a specific job. If you want to keep your options open or don't have a clear career idea then university is the better option.

Absolutely use it, you worked hard for it.

Having a degree was a big deal because they didn’t give them out like toffee apples.

Disgusting and insulting comment.

That dies not make it any less true.

It doesn't make it true at all. Universities have policies and procedures in place around assessment and awards. Nobody is just giving away degrees.

If I had a PhD, I'd be Dr everywhere. Well done, be proud of your title :)

Nah I use it when necessary (at the bank and on my Amazon account 😁). I take great pleasure in explaining that yes I'm a Dr just not the useful kind (in a life or death situation) 🤫 I am a chemist/material scientist 😉

This drive to stuff school leavers into “uni” has had consequences. For one thing, the piece of paper - it’s not even a proper parchment anymore - does not come with any guarantees.
It never came with any guarantees

This is particularly the case if you have not gone to an RG establishment or to one of the Ancients.

Apologies for my language but what utter bullshit. In some sectors we still see evidence of an 'old boys' network but across the HE sector this just isn't the case.

Many of the non-RG universities have their roots in vocational education meaning they have excellent links to employers and they have used this expertise to expand these networks. The careers teams in these universities are often better resourced and ahead of the game in terms of supporting students and graduates.

That’s a title - and it is earned. The most respected title in my opinion, be it medical or PhD. I have it on my passport and everywhere, as this is my title when asked. I dislike gendered titles and use my earned one. PhDs are recognised as Dr so what’s the issue? It’s not designated only for medical doctors.

OP, not RTFT but many years ago my DH was taken very seriously ill in the USA. He was airlifted to a hospital hundreds of miles away that could treat him. The medi-vac crew asked for some ID to go with him so I handed over his passport which has his title of Dr (PhD). When the DC and I finally arrived at the hospital the next day, DH was in ICU on life support. After a quick update about his condition, all the staff were desperate to know what he was a doctor of. When I told them, their response was "oh, a proper doctor".

Congratulations on your PhD and enjoy your new status. You've worked hard for it, so enjoy using it. Round here, load of people are ex-services so Captain this, Admiral that, Sgt the other. Nobody bats an eyelid.

Not daft at all ! You are a proper doctor

@SueEllenMishke

That’s all very well opening up the doors so everyone can go to university, but it doesn’t mean they should.

Everyone doesn't go to university and we will never be in a situation where that will be the case. Increasing access to university means that people who have the ability but would have been excluded in the past due to gender, class and ethnicity now have the opportunity to go to get a degree. This is important.

If university was free then yes perhaps, but the fact they charge £10k per year then when you factor in living costs etc.... some of these current students will have debt in excess of 50k.
Which is why is should be a carefully considered decision.

It’s one of those situations where ‘great, you have a degree, but no experience’. I know a fair few people that have worked their way up in companies, where they didn’t need a degree. Complete waste of money as they’d have got to their destination without the £50k price tag.
Again this should be factored in to the decision making progress and students should make the most of their time at university - many offer placements and lots of work experience opportunities which can be difficult to access without the support of a university placement team.

Unless a degree was essential, such as teacher, nurse, solicitor, I would actively encourage my DC to look at other alternatives. Like work place apprenticeships etc...
Many of the top graduate recruiters like the more traditional degree subjects. The top accountancy recruiters specifically target history graduates and 70% of graduate level jobs don't specify a degree subject.
Apprenticeships are great but only if you have a clear career idea because they are training you to do a specific job. If you want to keep your options open or don't have a clear career idea then university is the better option.

But why would they have been excluded in the past? Genuine question. It was free until about 1998 or thereabouts? My boyfriend at the time was the last year group whereby there was no such thing as tuition fees. It surely would have been easier to go back in the day, especially for the truly academic.

I suspect more people go these days because more universities opened up and offered more options as degrees. As you say, not everyone is suited to Maths and the sciences.

Then the next obstacle is how prestigious is the establishment you attended. Oxbridge obviously at the top followed by the RG universities.

Getting a 2.2 from a uni 122 on the Times University rankings isn’t going to hold the same weight as a 2:1 from a RG uni on an application form.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s great that kids are setting their sights high, but it comes at a price, a 50k price tag

You are a doctor, why on earth wouldn’t you use it - it’s your correct title. 25% of mumsnetters clearly don’t know what a phd is...

But why would they have been excluded in the past? Genuine question. It was free until about 1998 or thereabouts? My boyfriend at the time was the last year group whereby there was no such thing as tuition fees. It surely would have been easier to go back in the day, especially for the truly academic.

The cost of a degree is actually irrelevant ( which I know sounds odd). There is no real evidence that the cost of a degree influences decisions to go to university but is does impact on the choice of university.
There are deep rooted structural inequalities in society which meant certain groups of people didn't apply to university or weren't accepted. For example, Working class children were expected to leave school and start earning - university was seen as the preserve of the elite. I do research on this subject and I've lost count of the number of times I've heard ' people like me don't go to university' or 'people like me don't go to that university'.

Then the next obstacle is how prestigious is the establishment you attended. Oxbridge obviously at the top followed by the RG universities
This was the exact topic of my masters and my PhD. It's real issue which needs addressing.

Getting a 2.2 from a uni 122 on the Times University rankings isn’t going to hold the same weight as a 2:1 from a RG uni on an application form
It depends on the subject. I teach at an ex-poly but we're a centre of excellence for my subject and my students are very employable internationally.

Plus not everyone wants to enter an elite career and a 2:2 form an ex-poly can still be life changing for some people.

You earned that title! Think of all the hard work you did to earn it! It's only questionable because over time, other people have become jealous and they can be quite scathing when you have something they don't!

Congratulations!