As more and more of my family and friends began to refer to me by the nickname “Dr. Montgomery,” I noticed that others seemed to assume I had made the choice to go to medical school. Now, I have never told anyone that I have a goal of becoming a medical doctor (because I love being a nurse and would never choose to go into medicine), but that is the general assumption. The more this type of awkward situation occurred, the more I began to question the reason for the misunderstanding.
It has been my experience that, outside of an academic setting, a person introduced as “Doctor X” is assumed to be a medical doctor. Why is this so? The terms “doctor” and “physician” are not synonymous, but apparently to the general public they are. If we look at the first definition for the terms “doctor” and “physician” in Webster’s Dictionary, they are as follows:
- Doctor—(a) an eminent theologian declared a sound expounder of doctrine by the Roman Catholic Church, (b) a learned or authoritative teacher, (c) a person who has earned one of the highest academic degrees conferred by the university, (d) a person awarded an honorary doctorate by a college or university.
- Physician—a person skilled in the art of healing; specifically: one educated, clinically experienced, and licensed to practice medicine as usually distinguished from surgery.
Looking at the above definitions, it is clear that a doctor and a physician are not one and the same. So again, why is it a general assumption that all doctors are physicians? The truth of the matter is this: All physicians may be doctors, but not all doctors are physicians. Doctors come in many shapes and sizes, and they may have earned one of many degrees: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Doctor of Nursing Science (DNSc), Doctor of Education (EdD), Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD), Doctor of Psychology (PsychD), Doctor of Dentistry (DDS), Doctor of Music (DM) or Doctor of Medicine (MD).
Recently, I read a New York Times article titled “Calling the nurse ‘doctor,’ a title physicians oppose.” This article reveals physicians’ concerns that patients will become confused if nurses with doctoral degrees begin to identify themselves with the title “doctor.” According to the writer, physicians in the State of New York have even gone to the state legislature to enact a law that forbids nurses to use the term “doctor,” regardless of the type of doctoral degree they have earned. This to me is ludicrous.
I believe that a nurse who greets her patients by saying, “Hello, my name is Dr. Tiffany, and I am your nurse practitioner,” is not causing any confusion. If a short discussion regarding the nurse’s level of education ensues, this type of introduction may actually make the patient more comfortable. Nurses who have attained doctoral degrees, but remain practitioners at the bedside, should be proud of their accomplishments. By all means, if you have earned a doctoral degree, introduce yourself with the appropriate title!
Physicians do not own the rights to the title “doctor.” Anyone with a doctoral degree, whether a practice degree (i.e., MD or DDS) or a terminal degree (i.e., PhD), has the authority to use the title “doctor.” Nurses with doctoral degrees have long been referred to by their professional title in the academic setting. It is obvious that the recent introduction of the nursing practice degree (Doctor of Nursing Practice, or DNP) and its attainment by nurses who wish to remain in direct patient care has ruffled a few feathers. For this reason, it is the responsibility of every nurse to help patients understand the difference between a doctor and a physician.
When people ask if I’m in school to become a doctor, I let them know that, once I earn my PhD, I will be a doctor, but not a physician. I am quick to inform my friends and family that I am a nurse and will always be a nurse. Nursing, for me, is not a steppingstone to medical school; nor am I abandoning the profession in pursuit of a doctoral degree. The reason nurses become doctors is to become better researchers, teacher, and clinicians. Those of us pursuing PhDs in nursing want to understand the philosophical underpinnings and framework of the nursing profession and add to the state of nursing science. We have no intention of practicing medicine or posing as physicians. We desire to be learned and authoritative teachers of nursing. We desire to be doctor nurses.
Reference:
Harris, G. (2011, October 1). Calling the nurse ‘doctor,’ a title physicians oppose. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/02/health/policy/02docs.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all/
For Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL), published by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.
