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!

Yes, agreed. Our school has staff who are Dr- neither of mine have ever joked about it.

If they did I’d pull them up on it.

I use it professionally, having met a few other women who do and said it does make a difference in terms of getting treated with respect compared to men, who it seems just automatically get more respect by virtue of having a penis. I don't bother correcting people who call me Mrs though.

Plenty of posters here believe post grad education is equivalent to wasting time, lazing around and so on. So not surprised re the attitude at all.

If you have a PhD, you are a Dr.

Just like you become a Mrs if you get married.

If I had a PhD, my name would be Dr…. And I wouldn’t be ashamed of using it.

I personally wouldn’t go around introducing myself as Dr….., just like I wouldn’t go around introducing myself as Miss…….

I would just introduce myself using my first and maybe last name.

In what scenario is this person referring to themselves as a Dr?

That is your PhD.
Academics in STEM subjects are researching and pushing back the boundaries improving the lot of mankind.Researchers in pharmacology for example has the potential to save far more lives than a medical doctor.

I wonder how many people who said no, don’t have a PhD.

I sometimes use my Dr title outside of work. Mostly when filling out forms that require you to select a title. I'd never use it when booking an airplane ticket though, don't want them to think I am a medical doctor if there is an emergency on board.

This happened to someone I know. He was on a flight and a member of cabin crew came to quietly ask him for help with a medical emergency. He explained that he's a Dr of Geology. 😄

But I still think it's fine for someone with a PhD to use Dr as their title. I would if I had put in the hours and hours of original research required.

@ageratum1 "Researchers in pharmacology for example has the potential to save far more lives than a medical doctor."
I know. Not my point!

Quite.

Hahaha this is excellent. Great post. Thank you. Thank goodness somebody explained it all properly. Fully agree.

Exactly this!

If people have earned the title why on earth should they not use it. In fairness I don't use mine that much but it has come in handy once or twice when people have been patronising.

But that would be embarrassing because it doesn’t confer a title so why would you use it as one. A phd is a lot more demanding than a Bsc,which is an achievement but still a very basic degree.

Yes they do. The "d" in PhD literally stands for doctorate. They are a doctorate of their field, in the same way I am a bachelor of science because I have a bachelors degree. If I want to, I can use BSc after my name.

Your GP, surgeon, therapist, consultant or whatever are doctors of medicine.

Have some respect for the work it takes to earn these things.

Incidentally, I'm always amazed at the number of mumsnetters with multiple degrees. It must way higher than the national average....

Try having a PhD and being vegan, you can’t disclose either without people thinking you have a superiority complex 😎

IME it's usual in academia (uni websites, research papers) but no one I know uses it day to day if their work doesn't require them to make it clear.

I've family members with PhDs who work in science so it's relevant there, but not otherwise.

Totally disagree.

The people I know who do have a non-medical degree and use PhD day to day were totally obnoxious 'up their own' people!

Like it or not, people do immediately think someone is a medical doctor if they see the title Dr.

Unless it's in the context of a CV, bio, research paper.

I have four neighbours who have PhDs (all science based) and (we've had their parcels left with us!) none uses the Dr title.

You clearly have or you wouldn't even think it! :)

😐

I don’t have a PhD, but I’m very surprised at the number of people who don’t consider those who hold a doctorate to hold the title ‘Doctor’.

It’s generally known, isn’t it? It’s in plenty of film, television and literature, so I’d have expected it to be difficult to remain unaware of. Someone mentioned Friends earlier in the thread, there are older references like Pygmalian and newer like the film, Ballet Shoes (based on older book) which has two female lodgers who are Doctors (from 2007). I’d just assumed it was something everyone was aware of due to casual reference.

I worked in a place where there were senior men without an academic PhD who managed women who did have a PhD...... I loved it when the women used their Dr title, it's such an ass kicker.

Well said.
I have a PhD, and it is on the business card but I would not use it socially at all, anymore than I would mention my GCSEs. Even professionally, I imagine most are unaware.
That said, I am a white, British, man. I have a colleague who is a black NIgerian lady. She uses is more prominantly and unfortunately has to do so to get the a decent level of respect often.

I have a PhD. I go by it professionally if it is relevant to my role. I never use it in my everyday life.

My SIL and FIL also have them and use Dr for everything. Including booking restaurants as "Dr Bob" (Using their real name, not Bob obvs)