To wonder why we always call doctors by their last name

[Loveandpeace56]

In any other profession this wouldn’t be the case. Even teachers do often refer to themselves by their first names but with a doctor this would never happen.

@carhire101 as I always say I am perfectly happy to address a Dr by their title and surname because I am not their chum. However in 50% of interactions they introduce themselves formally yet use my first name. If they wish me to address them formally they may address me formally. It's an equality issue.

Hi Roses- yes I agree that’s unprofessional actually hence why I said I always ask patients how they want me to address them as part of introductions. Generally I default to Mr, Mrs, Dr whoever....

@Mydogdoesntlisten

I suppose to an extent we are all making assumptions on here about what other people think. I have assumed that clients wouldn't accept calling their accountant by his/her title and surname, but I could be wrong. Personally, I would prefer a doctor/surgeon to introduce himself/herself as John/Jane even if they then added, 'the consultant' or whatever, but possibly that's just me. And no, have never been to an eye clinic. Once had a chalazion which had to be treated but the NHS doesn't fund that so I had to go private although that's another thread entirely. . Anyway, happy Christmas everyone.

We would not employ an accountancy firm or a law firm that introduced itself using formal titles - we’d assume they were old fashioned, inefficient and backward thinking and difficult to work with - I suppose others might see it as solid and dependable. Using a title sends a signal about who you are - people will interpret that signal in different ways as is seen on this thread.

I completely agree @copperzippedup.

. Me too.

@RosesAndHellebores

I completely agree *@copperzippedup*.

So do I. I've been an accountant for nearly 40 years. Throughout that time, the only people who've been formally addressed were old/almost retired accountants in the 80s. (Who presumably were from the "old school"). I never introduce myself or sign off letters formally, nor have any of my colleagues/co-workers for the past 30 years. Likewise, we have numerous "professional" clients such as vets, doctors, solicitors, architects etc., who we refer to by their first names.

In the early 2000s I worked as a secretary for a small firm of solicitors. The solicitors called and referred to each other by first names, but the older ones expected the secretaries to call them Mr X and Mrs Y. I always found this incredibly pompous.

Doctors seem to be a mixed bag these days. I've seen GPs who introduce themselves as (e.g.) Dr Smith and others who are just Chris. Hospital doctors in the last few years have all just been Chris, even consultants.

Our lovely vet insists on calling me Mrs Harpy which makes me feel very old. I've always called him by his first name.

I've been thinking about this - how often DO doctors use your name during a consultation? I can imagine it would be quite easy to have whole long conversations without doing that Archer's soap opera thing.

"Hello. Mark. Hello, Shula what brings you in today?
Well, Tracy...."

Which they do at the top of every scene to let the audience know who's 'on stage'.

Oh quite often they don't bother with introductions and don't call one anything but I remember the arrogant so and so's who pompously say "hello Henrietta, I'm Mr Bumstuffed-Pomparsed". Or my rheumatologist who doesn't use my name but has hers on a big plaque on her desk: Dr Important and all the staff around her use my first name and refer to her as Dr Important --whilst referring to male patients as Mr Jones, etc"

I've been thinking about this too since last posting, and I can't think of a single instance where a nurse has introduced herself/himself title surname. So, although doctors on here have previously explained why they like to introduce themselves in this way as being because the doctor/patient relationship is a professional one (albeit many of us have argued that other, similar relationships do not need to be based on such archaic formality), do these doctors think that nursing colleagues are somehow different?
Or is it due to the medical hierarchy where doctors/surgeons do actually see themselves as being superior to the rest of us underlings?

For about the past fifteen years, any time I have been in hospital the doctor has introduced themselves by their first name.

The one exception was when I was a private patient and in that case the consultant called himself Dr xxxx but also called me Ms yyyyy.