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!

Self selection when this sort of thread pops up.

This. I wonder if the posters that deride the achievement of a PhD would say the same when it's those same PhDs who are the ones conducting research into every aspect of how we live our lives and the structure of our society. Including research into poverty, women's rights, changes to the law, mental health, the history of thought etc etc. And most of the examples above would have PhDs not in STEM, but in the arts or social sciences.

It's like when media studies was continuously derided as a "Mickey Mouse" degree a decade ago. Who would have thought it would be useful to have trained people and researchers into the ways that the media can be controlled and manipulated would be a good benefit to society eh? Maybe if more people actually understood how media and the internet worked there would be fewer instances of people being scammed, fake news, unsubstantiated claims during election periods etc.?

I think fundamentally it comes down to class in the UK. As a society we do not like interlopers, and a PhD is one of the only ways that a person can apparently be deemed to have gone up a class bracket-a feat that even having lots of money cannot often provide. So it's important to ensure that these PhDs don't get ideas too above their station.

There's a physics teacher at my teens school who uses Dr. The kids all love him, they understand why he uses the title and respect him. He's an amazing teacher and their school gets excellent physics results.

Maybe there are other reasons the kids all took the piss?

I don’t have one but friends do. It’s all about context. Relevant professional contexts or if you need to write it on a form, fine. Otherwise it comes across as wanky whether people like it or not. I wouldn’t write all my qualifications on my e-mail signature but where I work in higher education it is appropriate for some people to do this.

My brother who has a PhD uses Dr at work (in a university) but not outside.

There is no such thing as an easy PhD.

'Dr.' (Doctor) was originally an ecclesiastical title - not medical. It was used to designate the original teachers of the church (Doctors of the Church) and those with the authority to teach the doctrine of the Church. From there, it spread to teachers generally.

Medical doctors are newbies.

I'm a PhD and I use the title. If there was a more neutral female title like Mr without the baggage of (Miss, Ms, Mrs) I'd likely use this, but there isn't. Also, I'd hate people to think I had 'wife' (Mrs) on my CV.

Also, I call the vet Dr.

Most medical doctors aren't technically "doctors of medicine" in that they don't hold a doctorate, at least in the UK. The standard medical degree is a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery; the Doctor of Medicine is a higher degree not taken by most medical doctors.

If anything, PhD holders have more right to call themselves "Dr" than medical doctors who don't have a doctoral-level degree! 😉

If you have done a phd you earned it

Most physicians aren't doctors as they don't hold a PhD, MD, or any other doctorate.

I have just looked on my GP practice website. None of the five partners has a doctorate. All bachelors of medicine and surgery. So their title of Doctor is courtesy and not earned.

Why ? They’re perfectly entitled to use the title they’ve earned and for others to respect it.

I do think that PHDs are much more common now than they once were which means there are more Drs about. However, they are called a doctorate and come with the title so I can't see any issue with using it. I think it depends how you use it.
For example, the title is very much used in education and it's about recognising a level of academic achievement and very respected. I have a friend who is a very unassuming chemistry teacher who is known at work as 'Dr' rather than Mr. He is well-liked, respected and no one bats an eyelid about the title. I also know a local retired Headteacher who insists on everyone referring to him as Dr. He did at work and privately, and still does now. Makes a fuss about it not being used - to the extent I was behind him in a queue in the local chemist and he made a huge fuss about the assistant referring to him as Mr when she said 'Good morning Mr X'. We waited 10 minutes while he played a ridiculous game of 'Are you addressing me?' Everyone thinks he's a twat.

As does my niece, in her academic work, but not in her personal life.

A PhD or DPhil etc., IS a doctor, but a simple MBBS (basic medical doctor degrees) are only honorary doctors despite five years of university study. What gets my goat is dentists suddenly being called doctor when they aren't. The dentists' degree is onerous of course, but if a medical surgeon is 'Mr' then surely a dental surgeon should also be.

The Dr in PhD stands for doctorate - an extended level of education which also applies to a medical doctor.
The only time its not permissable is if you have a non medical doctorate and you are trying to pass yourself off as having a medical qualification and give medical advice - at that point you are legally required to differentiate.

When I was a kid there was a couple who were friends of my parents who were both vets. One had done her doctorate in vet medicine while the other had a bachelor's degree.

My mum did take a small amount of joy in correctly addressing letters to Dr and Mr Vet.

My DH is a Doc rather than a Dr but he only ever uses it in professional settings. One of his colleagues has 2 German PhDs and uses his earned title of Doktor Doktor Surname all the time.

when media studies was continuously derided as a "Mickey Mouse" degree a decade ago. Who would have thought it would be useful to have trained people and researchers into the ways that the media can be controlled and manipulated would be a good benefit to society eh? Maybe if more people actually understood how media and the internet worked there would be fewer instances of people being scammed, fake news, unsubstantiated claims during election periods etc.?

• *unless all those media studies moguls are using their powers for evil...

I don't have a PhD but if I was writing to someone who had one, I would definitely use Dr unless they had asked me not to. It's only polite.

YABU

No PhD is easy to get; research and writing are bloody hard work.

If I had one, I don't, I wouldn't expect people to refer to me as Dr B in normal conversation but I'd like it used professionally - eg if I were a conference speaker.

A PhD is actually a higher qualification than a medical doctorate, and it is what scientists who create cures, treatments, and vaccines hold. Medical doctors administer these - hence, they need PhD holders to create the treatments they use (PhDs need medical doctors to apply their discoveries and help people). It doesn’t work without BOTH, but people only see the medical doctor.

People who understand what a doctorate is will know it indicates you are an expert in your profession. Many people who are not in academia believe it only means being an expert in medicine - hence why they may think it would be incorrect to use a title you are legally entitled to. They’re wrong 😂

"Courtesy title" i woukd think a vet using dr was a right wally.

It may not be a PhD after their name, as MD is also a doctorate. And Dr is not a ‘courtesy’. It’s the title conferred on registration with the GMC after you gain the required degree at Uni and complete the lengthy post graduate training. Hardly unearned.