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?

As well as use of the term Doctor the UK health system has an oddity with Mr as it's used by Consultant Surgeons where others would be Doctor.

I remember a conversation with a fellow organiser of events about separating qualified Misters from those who were non medical.....

Chartered Psychologist are referred as doctor in their title but this based on their qualification. The title is not often used in the same way as a medical doctor. I tend to agree with others that this causes confusion for the general public. Whilst PHD's are entitled to refers themselves as doctor, I think this causes lots of confusion. I think doctor should become a protected titled used by only medical doctors

Actually, @Lavenderflower, doctor is just an honorary title for medical doctors (unless they have a PhD). The primary use of the title doctor has always been academic long before medical doctors were allowed to use the title and is international. Some countries use a different title for medical doctors.

This exact thing happened to me. Reception told me he was a doctor I specifically asked. He wasn't! It is illegal to misrepresent yourself as a Doctor if you are not one under section 49(1) of the Medical Act 1983.

I was not happy. I didn't mind being seen by a PA any other time, but I wanted a GP appointment specifically for this appointmebt dye to the nature of it.

Psychologists have a professional training doctorate in their respective psychological discipline (clinical/counselling) not a PhD. That’s why they are a Dr. Some have a PhD as well. Counselling and clinical psychologist is a protected and regulated title.

Context is all. If I am being asked about a physical problem I expect someone called doctor to be a medical doctor. If I am at a dentist's i expect them to be a doctor in dentistry. If I am being lectured in philosophy I expect them to be an academic.

If I was at a GP practice and met a doctor I would not question that they were a medical doctor and for other professions to use it in that circumstance is misleading, probably deliberately so. It would certain erode any trust and I would feel deceived.

The different roles are all important and can do different things but it is important that you know who you are seeing. I don't think only medical doctors should be able to use Dr but I do think they should have restrictions on where and when it can be used. But then I would have thought that someone intelligent enough to get a doctorate would figure that out themselves!

There’s always one!
Is it of any relevance who used the title hundreds of years ago?

Are you implying that those with PhDs should not use the title they have worked (very) hard to achieve?

The term doctor in medical and dentistry settings is nothing more than a courtesy title.

I only know one PA, and they do have a PhD in Biochemistry (and achieved top grades throughout school - would have met the entrance criteria for medicine but had no interest then).

I'm not convinced that it is appropriate to use the title Dr when introducing yourself in a medical setting, without clarifying you're are a PA not a doctor. It is two year postgraduate course - quite different from the 5+ years at medical school and the continued specialism training.

So 'Hello I'm Dr Smith one of the physician's associates' is fine but 'Hello I'm Dr Smith' seems quite misleading. I think it should be made clear anyway regardless of whether they have a PhD and use the Dr title or not.

Where did I say that?
I don’t care who uses the title doctor, many doctors have PhDs. However, there is always someone with a massive chip on their shoulder who comes on a thread like this and says but we had the title first blah blah - totally irrelevant to the discussion about whether there is misrepresentation about someone’s job in a very specific setting.

Exactly. DH has a PhD and works in medical research, very little infuriates him like PhDs using the title Dr in a clinical setting (we know someone socially that we believe does this). It's deceiving to patients who reasonably expect to be speaking to a doctor when someone introduces themselves as Dr Smith in a medical setting.

And jibes about PhDs using the title first and medical doctors having it as a courtesy are for banter in the pub, not the consultation room.

And jibes about PhDs using the title first and medical doctors having it as a courtesy are for banter in the pub, not the consultation room.

I'd have no objection to someone with a PhD calling themselves Dr providing they made it clear they were not clinical. It's the communication rather than the title that's at fault. At introduction stage everyone shoukd introduce themselves with their name and role.

John Smith, GP
Fred Brown, Associate Physician
Jane Jones, Cardiology Consultant
Frieda Hobbs, gynae Registrar
Matt Cole, F2, A&E doctor
Claire Bloggs, Clinical Psychologist
Mary Moore, Nurse Practitioner
Simon White, Staff Nurse
Brenda Wilson, Healthcare Assistant

Very few of the above people afford the patients the courtesy of their titles assuming first names may be used. AFAIC if healthcare staff chose not to use the patient's title, I see no reason why they should expect to be addressed with theirs. It's an equality issue easily put right and in doing so would provide absolute clarity of information.

Only in the NHS does this ludicrous split hierarchy exist in the 21st Century. It subordinates and is patriarchally passive aggressive. If I had a PhD I would expect any other individual affording themselves the courtesy of a title to address me as "Dr"

I assume you are referring to my post, @noworklifebalance @ColleenDonaghy? You are correct, noworklifebalance, there is always one... who doesn't read the full post...

I agree it is not appropriate for a PA with a PhD to use their title to imply that they are a medical doctor.

My post was referring to a PP's ridiculous suggestion (that I quoted) that the title Dr should be protected by law so only medical doctors can use it. Here's the relevant quote again:

I think doctor should become a protected titled used by only medical doctors

Medical doctor is already a protected title.

Dr is only a customary title for medical doctors without a PhD used in the UK and some other countries. Other countries use different titles for medical doctors.

Dr as title for people with a PhD or equivalent academic qualification is used internationally and has been long before medical doctors used the honorary title.

The PP thinks that the UK should stop academic doctors from using an internationally recognised title by law so only medical doctors can use it ie the people who are entitled to use it by virtue of their qualifications should stop using it because medical doctors use it as an a customary title. That would be somewhat ironic considering that, historically, because the title Dr for someone with a doctoral degree was not protected by law, the title was adopted by quacks with no qualifications... It also seems rather linguistically arrogant to claim the title for medical doctors in the UK because the word doctor has evolved to mean a physician in the English language because of this historical quirk when it actually means teacher in Latin

I would also guess it's not even legally possible to protect a title used by 2 different groups.

Thanks to a nurse practitioner dismissing my symptoms as ‘they couldn’t be x go away and don’t come back, I ended up on critical care if I had got to hospital 2 hours later I wouldn’t be here. Unfortunately they don’t always know what they are doing

That is the opposite to my experience, GP couldn't/wouldn't diagnose what was wrong with me, nurse practitioner spotted it straightaway, did blood test and the following morning I got a call to say go into surgery immediately as GP needed to see me.

I guess everyone makes mistakes.