Are you really Doctors?

[Sky04]

Why is a person who graduates from medical school referred to as "Doctor"?
If the dictionary describes a doctor as a person who is awarded the highest degree in an academic discipline, then one is not really a doctor unless they have a Phd in medicine. Is it not true that an MD is the equivalent of a masters degree?

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[DW3843]

wtf

 

[sophiejane]

Lame

 

[usnavdoc]

Why is a person who graduates from medical school referred to as "Doctor"?
If the dictionary describes a doctor as a person who is awarded the highest degree in an academic discipline, then one is not really a doctor unless they have a Phd in medicine. Is it not true that an MD is the equivalent of a masters degree?

LOL MD equivalent to a masters degree?

Do you know what MD stands for? Do you know what JD stands for?

Medicinæ Doctor. In english Doctor of Medicine. The M does not stand for Masters. And since you like encyclopedia references. Here is one for you.


In Canada and the United States, the M.D. is a doctorate-level professional degree, equivalent to the Juris Doctor law degree for attorneys and the Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) for dentists. It is distinct from a research doctorate (Doctor of Philosophy, or Ph.D.), which requires a graduate thesis (doctoral dissertation) – the M.D. and Ph.D. in medicine are entirely separate

 

[wook]

Why is a person who graduates from medical school referred to as "Doctor"?
If the dictionary describes a doctor as a person who is awarded the highest degree in an academic discipline, then one is not really a doctor unless they have a Phd in medicine. Is it not true that an MD is the equivalent of a masters degree?

 

[GoPistons]

sounds like a MD/PhD that is trying to justify the extra 5 years of WASTED research time...

 

[cdql]

The dictionary describes cows as creatures who say moo. I moo sometime. Am I a cow? Can I aspire to be a cow? Must I lactate? Would I have to walk on all 4's? Do I have to pursue the highest level of cowly training in order to recognize myself as the full master of the cow?

On a more serious note, am I doing this correctly? Is this a contest to see who can put up the dumbest post? Perhaps I can do better after I kill some more brain cells...

 

[PublicHealth]

sounds like a MD/PhD that is trying to justify the extra 5 years of WASTED research time...

Research is the foundation of everything you do clinically.

 

[Leukocyte]

When a passenger collapses on a trans-atlantic flight, and the flight attendant yells; "is there a doctor in the house", I dare the PhD to respond....

"Stop, move over, I am a PhD in biochemistry!"

The term "doctor" sould be reserved for MDs/DOs

PhDs should be called "professor".

 

[Mumpu]

Stupid doctor thing. I much prefer "physician." No confusion there.

 

[mysophobe]

Unless they think you're a chiropractor.

 

[Leukocyte]

Stupid doctor thing. I much prefer "physician." No confusion there.

Too many sylibuls:

In an emergency, I would rather say "DOC-TOR", instead of "PHY-SI-CI-AN"

This one second deference could be a life-saver

Plus..."Doctor" is sexier....When a hot nurse calls me "doctor", my hair and xxxx stand up.

 

[mysophobe]

When people call me "doctor", I cringe. I don't think I'll ever get used to that title.

 

[dobonedoc]

We all know 'that person' who has their Ph.D., and makes it known to everyone around that they are "a doctor..."

The title of doctor for a person who has their Ph.D. is to be reserved for use in an academic setting, where it is clear to everyone involved what this honor implies. The top of a Ph.D's personal check should not read "Dr. Jack Smith."

Very lame thought, Sky04.

 

[Mumpu]

Like I said, "physician" is unambiguous. We don't need Dr Phils running around ruining everyone's cred.

 

[mysophobe]

Word. I think the proper thing that most of them adhere to is the placement of PhD after the name if they wish, but not the Dr. in front, which is reserved for physicians. Most PhDs I know follow that rule and usually refer to themselves as "Mister".

 

[glorytaker]

It's funny, one of my instructors said that each semester of medical school during the first two years is equivilient to the course work of a master's. Also, the definition of a doctor is more along the lines of "one who teaches."

Don't forget veterinarians, optometrists and DMD's (do naturopaths i.e ND's count?) are doctors.

 

[mysophobe]

There is an ND at the chiropractor's office in my town, and he is listed on the plaque or whatever as Dr. Blah Blah, so I guess so. At least veterinarians are like the equivalent of the MD for animals, lol.

 

[KluverBucy]

There is an ND at the chiropractor's office in my town, and he is listed on the plaque or whatever as Dr. Blah Blah, so I guess so. At least veterinarians are like the equivalent of the MD for animals, lol.

this thread needs to end before i do something i may regret....like going back to school in order to get a 'real' doctorate degree (i.e. a PhD). fu*k, who am i kidding...i'd never do that!

 

[DOCTORSAIB]

Like I said, "physician" is unambiguous. We don't need Dr Phils running around ruining everyone's cred.

The only problem is nowadays there are:

Optometric Physicians
Chiropractic Physicians
Naturopathic Physicians
Fill-in-the-blank Physicians

 

[8744]

Why is a person who graduates from medical school referred to as "Doctor"?
If the dictionary describes a doctor as a person who is awarded the highest degree in an academic discipline, then one is not really a doctor unless they have a Phd in medicine. Is it not true that an MD is the equivalent of a masters degree?

Dude....

 

[mig26x]

dont worry people, at the end of the day we still be M.D's

they might call us doctors or physicians, but we know what we are!!

 

[mysophobe]

this thread needs to end before i do something i may regret....like going back to school in order to get a 'real' doctorate degree (i.e. a PhD). fu*k, who am i kidding...i'd never do that!

If someone hears you called Dr. KluverBucy, and they ask what you teach, tell them you're a real doctor, not one of those MD-wanna-be PhDs.

 

[gregMD]

dont worry people, at the end of the day we still be M.D's

they might call us doctors or physicians, but we know what we are!!

oh and aren't we just so special........ MDs!!!!!!! is there any thing better?!?!?!

get over yourself.

jesus christ....

 

[OSUdoc08]

Why is a person who graduates from medical school referred to as "Doctor"?
If the dictionary describes a doctor as a person who is awarded the highest degree in an academic discipline, then one is not really a doctor unless they have a Phd in medicine. Is it not true that an MD is the equivalent of a masters degree?

You should stick the the Urban Dictionary, buddy.

Your dictionary is about as useful as a poopie-flavored lollipop!

 

[cchoukal]

When a passenger collapses on a trans-atlantic flight, and the flight attendant yells; "is there a doctor in the house", I dare the PhD to respond....

"Stop, move over, I am a PhD in biochemistry!"

The term "doctor" sould be reserved for MDs/DOs

PhDs should be called "professor".

My understanding is that the PhDs were referred to as "doctor" long before we were, and the physicians named the medical degree "doctor of medicine" and started calling themselves "doctors" to lend credibility to their profession (back when we were associated with barbers) by affiliating ourselves with the actual doctors (the PhDs). And, no; I don't have a PhD and don't have an ax to grind against the medical profession.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_(title)

 

[kbrown]

My understanding is that the PhDs were referred to as "doctor" long before we were, and the physicians named the medical degree "doctor of medicine" and started calling themselves "doctors" to lend credibility to their profession (back when we were associated with barbers) by affiliating ourselves with the actual doctors (the PhDs). And, no; I don't have a PhD and don't have an ax to grind against the medical profession.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_(title)

I appreciate your historical perspective on "doctor". I respectfully wish to say, "who cares?" You can stop any (ANY) person on the street. Tell them that you are a doctor, I want you to count the number of people who ask "oh do you teach at the university?" vs the number of people who ask, "oh what kind of doctor are you?" with the implication being what type of medicine do you practice? I bet that the latter wins hands down.

This is a truly ridiculous thread.

 

[8744]

oh and aren't we just so special........ MDs!!!!!!! is there any thing better?!?!?!

get over yourself.

jesus christ....

Now hang on. It is pretty cool to be called "Doctor Bear." There are very few other benefits to being an intern.

 

[Trisomy13]

Too many sylibuls:

In an emergency, I would rather say "DOC-TOR", instead of "PHY-SI-CI-AN"

This one second deference could be a life-saver

Plus..."Doctor" is sexier....When a hot nurse calls me "doctor", my hair and xxxx stand up.

i'd pay money to hear you pronounce "physician" with four sylibuls [sic]

thank god we aren't called to "grammar codes". the language would surely arrest and die.

 

[Leukocyte]

thank god we aren't called to "grammar codes". the language would surely arrest and die.

 

[mig26x]

sky04 where are you?? LOL.

 

[PatrickBateman]

My understanding is that the PhDs were referred to as "doctor" long before we were, and the physicians named the medical degree "doctor of medicine" and started calling themselves "doctors" to lend credibility to their profession (back when we were associated with barbers) by affiliating ourselves with the actual doctors (the PhDs). And, no; I don't have a PhD and don't have an ax to grind against the medical profession.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_(title)

The modern Doctorate dates back to the twelfth century were it was granted in by the first univesities, most notable amongst which being the University of Bologna. The doctorate was first granted in civil law (doctores legum), later in canon law (doctores decretorum), and, during the thirteenth century, in medicine, grammar, logic, and philosophy. The degree of "Doctor of Philosophy, or Doctor Philosophiae" was a doctorate degree that included the historical catagory of "Natural Philosophy" - what we call science today. The medical degree had been a doctorate ever since the universtiy system emerged from the pre-existing eclesiatic monopoly on learning.

It was surgeons who were once associated with barbers, not physicians. Physician-surgeons didn't come into existence until roughly the fourteenth century and didn't completely replace non-physician surgeons until the nineteenth century. Non-physician surgeons were never referred to as doctors.

 

[billydoc]

The only problem is nowadays there are:

Optometric Physicians
Chiropractic Physicians
Naturopathic Physicians
Fill-in-the-blank Physicians

How about "Acupuncture physician" the official title of a licensed acupuncturist in FL. Also in several Western states degrees OMD, and DOM are widely used, and recognized (Oriental Medicine Doctor/Doctorof Oriental Medicine). Yeap, it's F**ked up, but so is life in many regards

 

[mysophobe]

Everybody just wants to be able to say they are a doctor so more people will come to them and pay.

 

[Mumpu]

Physicians were never associated with barbers -- surgeons were.

 

[fishmonger69]

bleh, who cares. obviously a troll. truthfully, i never want to hear dr in front of my name, nor do i wish to wear the stupid white coat that everyone from fry cooks to lab techs to crack heads wear around the hospital.

treat the patient. live your life. if you need to wear scrubs outside the hospital and talk about the surgeries you did that day to feel good, you're likely a scrub tech.

 

[mysophobe]

Way to call somebody a troll and then bash a profession. Good job.

 

[ProZackMI]

Why is a person who graduates from medical school referred to as "Doctor"?
If the dictionary describes a doctor as a person who is awarded the highest degree in an academic discipline, then one is not really a doctor unless they have a Phd in medicine. Is it not true that an MD is the equivalent of a masters degree?

To get into MOST good medical schools (and even bad ones for that matter) in the United States and Canada, one needs:

1) A bachelor's degree in any subject matter, but with significant science, math, and other prerequisites;

2) A high GPA of at least 3.0, but usually higher; and,

3) Acceptable scores on all parts of the MCAT.

To earn an MD after acceptance into medical school, one must:

1) Complete four years of intense graduate-level schooling with acceptable grades; this includes didactic coursework, labs, and clinicals.

2) Successful completion and passage of the USMLE I and II

THEN, to become fully licensed...you need:

3) At least 3 years of post graduate residency training (sometimes as much as 7 years).

So, you tell me...is an MD more like a PhD or more like an MBA, MS, or MA?

I have a friend who is a school teacher with an MA degree in teaching or something like that. She went full-time after her BA and completed the degree in two years with no thesis and no entrance requirements other than her BA. So, you tell me...is an MD a doctorate?

 

[Solideliquid]

To get into MOST good medical schools (and even bad ones for that matter) in the United States and Canada, one needs:

1) A bachelor's degree in any subject matter, but with significant science, math, and other prerequisites;

2) A high GPA of at least 3.0, but usually higher; and,

3) Acceptable scores on all parts of the MCAT.

To earn an MD after acceptance into medical school, one must:

1) Complete four years of intense graduate-level schooling with acceptable grades; this includes didactic coursework, labs, and clinicals.

2) Successful completion and passage of the USMLE I and II

3) At least 3 years of post graduate residency training (sometimes as much as 7 years).

So, you tell me...is an MD more like a PhD or more like an MBA, MS, or MA?

I have a friend who is a school teacher with an MA degree in teaching or something like that. She went full-time after her BA and completed the degree in two years with no thesis and no entrance requirements other than her BA. So, you tell me...is an MD a doctorate?

Yeah...um you sort of need an MD to start Residency. So you get the degree when you graduate medical school. If you graduate medical school you are a doctor, even if you never complete a residency.

 

[Edison]

North American MD = doctorate? Yeah right....

British MD = doctorate? That's right!

MD in Canada is a professional UNDERGRADUATE degree. This is such a boring topic. People who want to argue against it should read up on the history of medicine and how the "MD" evolved from "MB" (Bachelor of Medicine) in Canada.

check out the following:

University of Toronto (Canada) MD Program:
http://www.facmed.utoronto.ca/English/Undergraduate-Medical-Program.html
where it says "undergraduate MD" everywhere.

LOL MD equivalent to a masters degree?

Do you know what MD stands for? Do you know what JD stands for?

Medicinæ Doctor. In english Doctor of Medicine. The M does not stand for Masters. And since you like encyclopedia references. Here is one for you.


In Canada and the United States, the M.D. is a doctorate-level professional degree, equivalent to the Juris Doctor law degree for attorneys and the Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) for dentists. It is distinct from a research doctorate (Doctor of Philosophy, or Ph.D.), which requires a graduate thesis (doctoral dissertation) – the M.D. and Ph.D. in medicine are entirely separate

 

[surgdia]

fascinating that this is the most active thread I've seen in a while...
Whatever. We're doctors, doctors-in-training, M.D.'s. - call it what you will, but in the modern era we're doctors. The historical stuff is trivia and has no practical application other than cocktail party small talk. thanks for listening.
sd

 

[mysophobe]

Um, in England they called it an undergraduate degree too.

 

[W06]

North American MD = doctorate? Yeah right....

British MD = doctorate? That's right!

MD in Canada is a professional UNDERGRADUATE degree. This is such a boring topic. People who want to argue against it should read up on the history of medicine and how the "MD" evolved from "MB" (Bachelor of Medicine) in Canada.

check out the following:

University of Toronto (Canada) MD Program:
http://www.facmed.utoronto.ca/English/Undergraduate-Medical-Program.html
where it says "undergraduate MD" everywhere.

Geez man, read the website you cite a little more carefully. Although it is called an "undergraduate medical degree," it still requires at least 3 years of traditional undergraduate training, read COLLEGE.

The term undergraduate medical education is used in the states too, simply to mean before you graduate medical school and start residency. It does not imply anything about being an equivalent educational level or difficulty to a bachelor's degree.

And as I write this, I think I've wasted time, because anyone who's been through the training sees this as self-evident, which you obviously have not.

 

[usnavdoc]

North American MD = doctorate? Yeah right....

British MD = doctorate? That's right!

MD in Canada is a professional UNDERGRADUATE degree. This is such a boring topic. People who want to argue against it should read up on the history of medicine and how the "MD" evolved from "MB" (Bachelor of Medicine) in Canada.

check out the following:

University of Toronto (Canada) MD Program:
http://www.facmed.utoronto.ca/English/Undergraduate-Medical-Program.html
where it says "undergraduate MD" everywhere.

Undergraduate medical education means medical school which is a doctorate degree program. Graduate medical Education means residency. These terms are not applicable to undergraduate education like a bachelors program.

 

[gregMD]

all of you need to get a life.

 

[masterMood]

and this is why we have history classes...for cocktail parties mwhua ha ha ha ha haa

 

[Hurricane]

fascinating that this is the most active thread I've seen in a while...

Most active threads on SDN =

-threads about the doctor title
-threads about who wears white coats

 

[tigershark]

Doctor (MD) = profession

PhD = title

If somebody asks a PhD what they do for a living they dont respond "I'm a doctor", which a reasonable person would interpret as them being a physician.

You cant compare an academic degree to a professional degree, it's apples and oranges.

Anyone who has an MD has basically learned the same material, passed the same standardized tests, is subjected to oversight by boards etc. An MD means something concrete and definable.

The same thing cannot be said for a PhD, people are awarded PhDs for ridiculous stuff, there are no universal standards. When someone tells you they have a PhD it realy doesnt tell you much at all.

An MD entitles the recipient to professional privileges, such as prescribing medications, treating patients, doing surgeries and so on. A PhD entitles you to nothing but putting PhD after your name.

The degrees are just not comparable.

 

[Solideliquid]

I have an MD, and sometimes I like to pretend I'm a doctor.

 

[bigfrank]

Why is a person who graduates from medical school referred to as "Doctor"?
If the dictionary describes a doctor as a person who is awarded the highest degree in an academic discipline, then one is not really a doctor unless they have a Phd in medicine. Is it not true that an MD is the equivalent of a masters degree?

Hard core tool with 1+ posts and a member for 2 years.