Obviously I’ve name changed for this - MNHQ can confirm I’m a regular poster.
I was at the hospital this morning and saw a doctor, in a jokey conversation with a friend, he asked how I knew the guy was a doctor. And he’s right, I obviously just take their word and assume the system is robust enough.
However, there was a case recently where a woman was found to have practised for 20 year when she wasn’t actually a doctor. In a similar vein, I used to be a teacher and my school never confirmed that I had QTS (my QTS number hadn’t been issued by the time I joined and they never followed up) and also never asked for my DBS check. I now work in a different, regulated profession and I absolutely can’t imagine I would be able to fool anyone into thinking I was qualified if I’m not. Having said that, I did two weeks at another firm (supposedly one of the best, most prestigious firms) and they decided it was easier to forward meeting links and documents to my personal email address (including sensitive client info). I now know some information that I absolutely shouldn’t know. Equally, MIL is a “therapist” (accredited by the University of Woo run by her mate). Her website claims that she’s “licensed” (by whom?), “qualified” (by whom?) and “accredited (by whom?). DH once tried to report that she’s not DBS checked (she’s specifically trying to work with children and believes she can cure cancer with her mind) and was told that he can’t make a direct report, it’s her employer’s responsibility to ensure she’s DBS checked - she’s self-employed!
So, in reality, people could say they’re a doctor or a qualified teacher or a licensed whatever but does anyone ever check? I’ve never known anyone check their doctor/dentist/solicitor/financial advisor/etc. Is this something people do?