AIBU - use of ‘Dr’ title - is this normal?!

[Cheesecake45]

Just not sure if I need to get with the times or not - is it normal to go by the title ‘Dr’ simply for having a PhD, if you aren’t in the medical profession? I’m talking one of the easiest PhDs to get (comparatively speaking), nothing vaguely linked to medicine.

AIBU??
YES = this is totally normal get over yourself
NO = wouldn’t be caught dead calling myself a doctor unless I could be assistance in a medical emergency!

All of this.

This thread is so weird!! I can't believe people get so worked up by people daring to use a title to which they are entitled, and which may be the norm in their sphere of work. There's a lot of very weird jealously/reverse snobbery dressed up as other stuff going on.

If someone has a PhD and wants to go by Dr I say we'll done them and carry on with my day 😆

Are you always this wrong?

To which the answer seems to be because I worked hard to achieve it and am entitled to.

What more is there to say? Why isn't this an acceptable answer?

Sorry, but PhD is a doctorate - a person with a doctorate is entitled to call themselves a ‘doctor’. It means that you have studied at a specific and very high level above that of a bachelor or masters degree.

In the US upon completing training a medical doctor has an MD (ie is a Doctor of Medicine). In the UK, however, most medical doctors do NOT actually have a ‘doctorate’ - in stead they have a Bachelor degree in Medicine and a second bachelor degree in surgery (MB BChir or MBBS), hence they need to go on to further training before qualifying as a practicing physician - which is what they used to be called.

It is only in recent decades that ‘doctor’ has been perceived by the general public to exclusively denote a medical qualification - and is, therefore, erroneous. Moreover, most specialists cannot wait to dump the title of ‘Dr’ and become Mr (or Mrs) as they progress to seniority due to professional snobbery.

If you have a PhD in a specialist area of cancer research, for example, why the hell shouldn’t you be able to call yourself ‘doctor’? Your expertise will far outstrip that of a GP prescribing lotion for your eczema!

Disclaimer - I am entering the final year of my PhD, it’s been 6 years of study and slog to get where I am, so yes, I will absolutely be using ‘doctor’ in correspondence, both personally and professionally. And having bankrolled it, my husband will be seriously fucked off if I don’t.

Yes I don’t know why pensione is so vehemently negative about the idea of a non-medical Dr.

Perhaps she whipped her stockings off to show a “ Dr” her fungal toenail and it turned out the doctorate was in Mathematics…

It’s just not the social norm.

Maybe in your social sphere. Doesn't mean everyone's is the same though. I know 3 non medical Drs. And at DHs workplace (non medical or academic) everyone with a PhD uses the title Dr. You can't get their jobs without a phd. And it's absolutely the norm to use the title Dr. It'd be very weird if someone chose not to.

Which of my posts was vehement? I’ve found the thread quite amusing if anything.

Maybe not among the less educated.

BusyMummy001 congratulations on nearing the end of your PhD. Call yourself Dr BusyMummy001 when the time comes...you'll bloody well have earned it!

It’s funny how the PHD holders like to dismiss everyone else as ignorant, uneducated, less educated. No wonder no one wants to call you doctor 😀

Because I framed a question that why does an academic achievement warrant a change in public title but other achievements don't and why do people use it outside a professional context.
I have never said it isn't hard to get
Never said there is no entitlement to use it
Never made any judgement or comment on people who do use it when they are entitled to.
And I've got
What's it to you
Because I worked hard and am entitled to
Take it up with the universities
Because I'm entitled to
Because I worked hard and I am entitled to

You not agreeing with my points don't make them not rational.
A PhD was an important step in my career progression and after successfully applying to a respected University I completed my research, submitted my thesis and met the viva requirements for said University to award me Doctor of Philosophy. I can thus call myself Dr, should I choose.
What exactly are you struggling with regarding this process?

I’m not wrong . I know people with phd’ s are called doctors , I have one myself . I just don’t know anyone who uses the term Dr unless they are obnoxious idiots . Almost everyone I work has a phd , nobody uses Dr .

Ah, in amongst all the arguing on this thread no one has noticed that you're a properly lovely friend, what a joyful thing to write and to feel, I'm glad you posted this, she's lucky to have you xx

The vast majority of PhD research is really irrelevant. I don't think we can reasonably pretend that many/most PhD students make a difference to the world with their research.

Refusing to call someone who holds a doctorate Dr is quite ignorant though.

What's a 'caked doctor'?

Ha ha - took my glasses off!

I immediately thought of this too 😂

Why is it ignorant?

Most of the folk I know with PhDs completed pretty useful research projects.

Why is it pretentious? It's a doctoral degree. No matter how easy OP's subject is compared to medicine, PHD requires a lot of time commitment and hard work.

Technically the Dr title belongs to the PhD rather than to medical doctors. Medical doctors are only called Dr as a courtesy title as they have completed 2 bachelors degrees rather than a doctorate.

DH has DPhil but rarely uses the title outside of his work where it is usual to use it you certainly wouldn't want anyone asking for him in an emergency

Why shouldn't a holder of a PhD call themself a Dr? Why on earth would you label someone who has this title as 'obnoxious' for using it?