By calling a surgeon sir, or should I call him doctor?

[teaandcake32]

I am aware there is etiquette around addressing Dr's and surgeons.

Should you call a surgeon Mr ..........., what if you don't know his surname.

Would Sir be an insult? Would Dr be an insult?

Please help me find the correct terminology, wise women of Mumsnet.

In a personal or professional context? I’d go with however he’s introduced to you, but failing that, John or Mr Smith.

Mr for a surgeon or their first name.
I would always call a surgical colleague by their first name as I don't believe in hierarchical terminology in the NHS.

I think you're overthinking this. I can't imagine they would be insulted by doctor. How would you address any other person whose name you do not know?

I’d go with Mr but I’m not very well versed in this subject.

In my experience surgeons are called ‘mr x’ or ‘Mrs x’ rather than ’doctor x’. There’s some convention behind it but can’t remember what it is.

Surgeons do not use the title "doctor" in the UK.

Sir (or Madam) would be a bit strange.

Mr/Mrs/Ms/ Miss Lastname is normal, assuming you are the patient.

Mr / Mrs / Miss / Ms then last name for a surgeon. You don’t need to call them Sir!

On a similar vein, I think consultants go by Mr/Mrs/Ms/Miss Lastname as well.

The convention of calling surgeons Mr, Mrs, Miss came from days past when barber surgeons performed surgery and they weren’t qualified doctors.

In what context? Writing to anyone whose name I didn’t know in a formal or semi-formal context I’d use “Dear Sir or Madam” but I can’t imagine using Sir otherwise.

I believe the convention with surgeons is Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms and I’d probably Google them to find out which it is, and use that unless and until I knew them well enough to use their first name or was invited to use a first name. Just like I’d call other doctors “Dr X” under the same circumstances.

Really hate this actually. No other professional seems to think that they need to be addressed as title surname or the world will end.

It's Mr Surname, Dr is lower status and reserved for consultants.

Teachers?
Priests?

I would call them ‘Mr or Miss so and so’ or by their first name if they had introduced themselves that way to me. If I didn’t know their name I would say ‘excuse me, I’m afraid I didn’t catch your name…’ they’d say it and then I’d repeat it along with my question.

It's a sign of respect for the level they have achieved, it's absolutely the very smallest, easiest way to acknowledge it.

Ask him what his name is.

In what context? In the local corner shop I would go for sir but in a professional capacity I would go for Doctor.

I’ve always called my surgeons Mr Last Name.

Surgeons are Mr/Miss/Mrs/Ms as appropriate. If you refer to them when talking to someone else Mr Jones or ‘the surgeon’ would be correct, but honestly only the worst kind of person would be offended at being called or referred to as Dr.

Call her or him by their first name.

I dunno. Teachers and lecturers go by Mr/Ms/Dr/Professor and I’d be uncomfortable addressing, say, a solicitor or vicar by their first name if I’d just met them in a professional context.

Yes call him sir and don't forget to doff your cap

Really?? That’s bizarre no? Because every man is a “mr” so generally dr is considered higher status?

Mr

For god’s sake not sir.. a lot of them are puffed up as it is

SHOs and Registrars are Dr.
Consultants and surgeons are Mr/Mrs.

Not in the medical world