Physician’s associate introduced as Dr at GP surgery

[Elenor444]

The man I saw introduced himself as “Dr fhdjdj” so I assumed that I’d seen a GP.
Then only after the appointment I found out that my prescription was awaiting approval from a GP and that i’d actually not even seen a GP

should I write and complain?
anyone else been misled?

Yes, definitely. There's been a lot of controversy over these people portraying themselves as doctors, it's appalling.

Wow I cannot believe this!

It is possible the person you saw has a phd which does mean they can use Dr, although in the circumstances it seems a bit off. Maybe not complain (if you were otherwise happy with the care) but enquire?
having said that I’m Astonished a PA isn’t a non medical prescriber.

The receptionist said they’re not allowed to prescribe so my prescription was waiting to be signed off by a GP

otherwise I wouldn’t have known any better.
is it safe that the GP is issuing a prescription without having even seen me?

I'm not confident that I’ve been assessed properly

This. I am a PhD doctor and also a healthcare professional- I only use ‘Dr me’ in academia and pathetic attempts to get flight upgrades to avoid confusion.

i think there’s no such thing as a GP anymore, my service seems to be run by nurse practitioners and hca…it’s ridiculous!

To add - it could be the person is an advanced nurse practitioner who is still completing non medical prescribing hence needs the prescription approved. It’s not uncommon for a doctor to approve a prescription for a patient they have not assessed them self - it happens all the time, even in hospitals.

are you genuinely concerned you’ve not be adequately assessed or just feeling loss of confidence over the whole incident?

Please do complain.

I had a terrible experience with a physicians associate - like you I only discovered that they weren’t properly qualified after the event.

There’s potential for real danger here if people are following advice that has very little to back it up.

Well, I know nurses who are titled Dr because they have a doctorate.

But, in a GP surgery, I'm definitely coming down on the side of it being misleading.

Why is it ridiculous? I was a nurse practitioner for years dealing with people with cancer and I knew much more than the patient’s GP about many cancer-related interventions- GPs used to phone me for advice. HCSWs do things like test urine, carry out vital signs, take bloods etc - a well run multi disciplinary service is more cost effective and frees up the GP to do the things only they can do.

COMPLAIN
Having a doctorate is not a reason to misrepresent yourself - in a medical setting, it would be pretty much universally assumed that some who has the title Dr is medically trained.
If they wish to use the title Dr when not medically trained they should make it clear what their role is.

Could be a locum dr and may not have access to prescribe as they are not a permanent member of your gp practice

Definitely find out what their official role is though. It's not appropriate for people that aren't drs to introduce themselves as drs

Please complain. Many GPs think the way PAs are being used is unsafe but we have no say over it.

nope, locum doctors can prescribe

They wouldn't be allowed to use that title in a medical setting, it's obviously misleading.

that's completely different - you were an expert in your particular area.

I assume you wouldn't have tried to see unfiltered patients at a surgery?

They introduced themselves as Dr X. That's unacceptable.

I can't even see my GP anymore. Always intercepted by a nurse practitioner and she's not the best. Would rather see a doctor.

In answer to your AIBU I think you're right to deserve more clarity. If someone is called Dr in a GP surgery you would expect them to be able to prescribe!

Nonsense! It’s not some random off the street doling out medical advice - nurse practitioners are “adequately trained” for the role.

It’s fair enough to highlight that the person did not properly explain who they were/their role but complaining that they weren’t a doctor will get you nowhere as this is the model being used across healthcare now.

Rubbish. She's complaining that they misrepresented themselves as a doctor,not that they weren't a doctor.

No it’s not if they have a doctorate.

but they should say “I’m Dr Nurse Practitioner name” and make it clear they are a nurse/what their role is.

The days of seeing a doctor just because you want to are over. It’s been like this in maternity for years - many women with a straightforward low risk pregnancy will never see a doctor.

Yes it is unacceptable . A plumber with a doctorate calling himself Dr. causes no confusion because you aren't asking him for medical advice.
A non medical doctor in a doctors surgery calling himself Dr. is deliberate misrepresentation, because the obvious conclusion is that they're a doctor of medicine.

What exactly are this individual's qualifications?

It shouldn't be too difficult to find them on the practice's website. Or failing that by asking their name etc.

I don't think being seen by a Nurse Practitioner or similar as a 'gateway' and/or with a straightforward complaint is anything we should worry about. I've seen one locally a couple of times for two recurrent conditions - back pain and fungal toe nail infections. Both were just as thorough as the GP, now practice head, had been on previous occasions. Asked the right questions about back pain including ensuring poo and wee were appearing and being managed as normal - not always asked by the GP.

OTOH if somebody who has not passed the required medical training is passing themselves off as a Doctor then you have every reason to complain. However one can be a Doctor without having got GP status....

Definitely complain, I wouldn't even start off with 'enquiring' or 'mentioning', and I never complain!

A person introducing themselves as Dr Smith, in a GPs surgery, while conducting a medical appointment knows exactly what the patient will think. Even if they've got a PhD, if they're not a medical Dr it's really not OK to be using that title with medical patients.

Can you look the person up on your GPs website and see how they are listed? Or Google them?

Please do feed back - it might be appropriate for you to see a PA depending upon your presentation, but absolutely not ok for them to be misrepresenting themselves. There was a terrible case recently where a PA missed a blood clot and the young woman believed she had seen a doctor so didn’t seek a second opinion, then passed away. Her mother thinks she would have asked to see someone else or gone to A&E if she realised it hadn’t been a GP she saw.
For those saying they might have a doctorate - plenty of medical students have a doctorate from their previous life - they obviously don’t go around introducing themselves to patients as ‘Dr x’.