OSUdoc08 said:
Do you call lawyers "doctor?" --> They have a Doctorate!
Why not?
Pharmacists aren't formally considered to be Doctors by the general public.
As an MD and JD (lawyer/doctor of jurisprudence) who is engaged to a PharmD, I feel am qualified to make a few comments about this topic. First, PharmDs are often referred to as "doctor" if they are practicing in a clinical or academic setting (i.e., hospital, practice clinic, academia). Retail pharmacists probably wouldn't use their title much given the nature of their jobs and the setting. However, the PharmDs I have known use the title and are referred to as "doctor".
Most people who are comfortable with themselves and their lot in life do not over-emphasize their professional titles. Most physicians are comfortable with omitting the title in non clinical settings. I have found that the chiropractors, optometrists, and podiatrists (and sometimes dentists) are the ones who insist on always being called "doctor". I still chuckle when I go in for my eye exam and the receptionist tells me that the "doctor will see me now", when it's just an optometrist, who is, IMO, an inflated optician.
Law and pharmacy have some similarities. Historically, in the US, a law degree was called an LLB (Bachelor of Laws). Although it was titled at the undergraduate level, it was a post-bachelor's degree. In other words, prior to the 1960s, lawyers had to earn a BA/BS and then go on for 3-4 years for an LLB. They had two bachelor's degrees. The ABA decided this was decidedly unfair and ridiculous (a vestige of the old British custom where professionals earn a bachelor's, including medicine (all physicians and dentists and other professionals in the UK earn a professional bachelor's -- MBBS, BDS, BVsc, BPharm, LLB, etc.)) so they changed the name of the degree to Juris Doctor or Doctor of Jurisprudence/Doctor of Law. Today, all law schools grant the JD degree, which is usually 3.5 years of full-time study after the BA/BS. To get into a JD program, you must have a BA/BS, not just 2-3 years of college credit. So, all US trained lawyers have about 7-8 years of schooling. A law clerkship is analogous to a residency and can tack on another 1-4 years of training post JD.
Unfortunately, there were many LLBs out there who felt the use of the title "doctor" would be misleading to the general population. I mean, Lord knows, if you're coming to me for a divorce, and I introduce myself as Dr. Smith, you might think I'm going to remove your appendix even though you came to me knowing I'm an attorney, right? The truth of the matter is that the old school lawyers club felt jealous of the new upstarts having a doctorate when they had a second bachelor's (which, in reality, they did not since their LLB was post graduate) so they enacted a special canon of professional ethics forbidding the use of the title except in academic settings.
In Europe, attorneys are addressed as "doctor". In fact, go to Germany, the Scandinavian countries, or most Slavic countries, and say you're "doctor" so-and-so, and they will assume you're a PhD or JD, not an MD (a mere body mechanic).
Today, you see more lawyers in the US append the JD after their names, but few use "Dr." However, most bar associations no longer forbid the use of the title. Upon graduation from law school, I had a full doctoral gown, cap, and tassel. My gown had three doctoral stripes and the purple hood, just like the MDs and PhDs. My JD diploma is just as large as the PhD, EdD, DVM, DO, and MD diplomas. A JD is considered equivalent to the PhD in academic settings (e.g., a JD can teach at undergrad, grad, and professional schools just like a PhD). The reason you don't see most JDs using "doctor" as a form of address is due to the public reaction. Lawyers did it to themselves by not using their title right away. Now, some 40 years later, the public would say, "Hey, what the hell? Now you're doctors?" Lawyers already get maligned as it is, can you imagine how the public would react if all of a sudden, lawyers insisted on a professional title like dentists and physicians?
Pharmacy, like law, started off with a lower degree and moved to a higher degree. Most people, young and old, think of the pharmacist as that guy behind the counter at Rite Aid or CVS or the supermarket, not a "real medical" professional. Most people are not used to pharmacists having doctoral degrees. Like law, most people think pharmacy is something you can earn after a year of college. How many folks out there really know law is 3-4 years post bachelor's?
I hope you guys don't make the same mistake that lawyers did. Use your title when appropriate and use the PharmD after your names often. Make the public aware. It's nice to see more younger lawyers append JD after their names; it makes them appear on par with dentists, optometrists, vets, psychologists, etc.!
