Quote:
Originally posted by ThrashersFan
Almost every state has a law stating that only licensed physicians can use terms like "Dr.," "M.D." "Doctor" etc. It has often pissed me off when people who are not physicians use it -- I work in the healthcare industry and I need to find out if they really are or not and have, on more than one occasion, had to chastise a non-licensed individual for using "Dr." on em's business cards, etc.
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I thought most of those regs were limited to the actual practice of medicine (health advertising-related, or related to actually practicing medicine (which could muck you up if you are a physical therapist with a PhD in divinity but not an MD, I guess). Probably depends on local regs, but I'd imagine a hospital administrator with a doctorate in hospital administration might well have the right (legal and customary) to use "Dr." for their business.
Random statute examples:
NY: "any person who uses the title "doctor" in making representations for the purpose of inducing...the purchase of drugs, devices or cosmetic...or other goods or services intended to diagnose, treat, mitigate, prevent or cure any human disease, pain, injury, deformity, nutritional deficiency or physical condition ...shall conspicuously disclose the profession in which he or she is licensed ...where no license is required ...such persons shall conspicuously disclose the major subject in which the degree was earned and the name of the institution that issued the degree." New York State General Business Law ("Advertising--Use of Title 'Doctor'," Chapter 65, S.3440, A.5376)
Maine: Unless licensed by the board, an individual may not practice medicine or surgery or a branch of medicine or surgery or claim to be legally licensed to practice medicine or surgery or a branch of medicine or surgery within the State by diagnosing, relieving in any degree or curing, or professing or attempting to diagnose, relieve or cure a human disease, ailment, defect or complaint, whether physical or mental, or of physical and mental origin, by attendance or by advice, or by prescribing or furnishing a drug, medicine, appliance, manipulation, method or a therapeutic agent whatsoever or in any other manner unless otherwise provided by statutes of this State. An individual licensed under chapter 36 may prefix the title "Doctor" or the letters "Dr." to that individual's name, as provided in section 2581, or a chiropractor licensed by this State may prefix the title "Doctor" or the letters "Dr." to that individual's name when accompanied by the word "Chiropractor," or a dentist duly licensed by this State may prefix the title "Doctor" or the letters "Dr." to that individual's name or a naturopathic doctor licensed by this State may prefix the title "Doctor" or the letters "Dr." to that individual's name when accompanied by the word "Naturopathy" or the words "Naturopathic Medicine" or an optometrist duly licensed under the laws of this State may prefix the title "Doctor" or the letters "Dr." to that individual's name when accompanied by the word "Optometrist" or a podiatrist licensed under the laws of this State may prefix the title "Doctor" or the letters "Dr." to that individual's name when accompanied by the word "Podiatrist" or "Chiropodist."
Standard practice (in the US at least) has long been that (i) real doctorate holders use the title professionally but not socially, (ii) MDs and doctors of divinity use the title both professionally and socially, and (iii) other "profesional" doctoral degree holders (e.g.: JDs) never use the title. There are a couple of other people who get a courtesy title of Dr. (ships doctors, for instance, whether or not they have an MD, and dentists ususally by statute get to use it based on a DDS). European practice varies widely - in a number of countries you can only use the title "Dr." if the country in question has passed a law recognizing the sort of degree you received from the specific institution you received it as being the equivalent of a local doctorate.
edited to add: of course, best practice (as opposed to traditional practice) in the US since its inception has been for no one to insist on any title in any setting other than "Mr." and applicable variants. Snootier universities seem to be about the only place this has any hope of sticking, though.
