Calling someone "Dr." outside of medical setting

[sasywtch]

I definitely think that people who point it out can be seen as obnoxious, but I also think that refusing to use someone's correct title is rude and smacks of reverse-elitism.

For my medical doctor, if I ever saw him out in a personal setting, yes I would call him doctor. However, I have always reserved the term dr for medical personnel and not someone who earned a PhD. My coworker has a PhD from an online university in art lit. I'm not calling him Dr. X. Maybe it's where I'm from but to us here, the term dr is for medical doctors.

 

[Burnedout]

If I would call them mr, mrs., etc absuteley. Of it is a professional situation absolutely. For do's, md's, phd's and Edd's. I don't care if people call dr burned ok not and introduce myself by my first name always.

As far as turnabout, if it is standard in an ofc for the receptionist to be referred to by their first name then it isn't in appreciate for everyone use their name regardless of what the customer or client prefers to be called.

My reg doc is called doc g by my kids so I tended to refer to him by that too. We cross paths socially and I don't think I've bothered saying name or title. Out of habit would probably call him doc g and laugh at myself.

My rheumatologist scares me. I call him dr. Lol, he is the best around so I put up with it.

I work in a college setting and some of the profs prefer dr, some prof, and some prefer their first name. Getting that degree demands a certain amt of respect, getting tenured in a good school even more.

 

[Jaya]

Back in the late 1960's, I worked with a British surgeon who was teaching at our medical school here in the US. In Britain, at least at that time, surgeons were referred to as "Mister" ______ instead of Doctor ______. The title "Doctor" was reserved for medical doctors and not surgical doctors. He had to correct me several times before I stopped calling him Doctor.

 

[Sadie22]

Some older people are turned off by young people calling them by their first name rather than Mr., Mrs., or Dr.

I usually tell people at medical offices to call me by my first name. I have noticed a trend, since the advent of HIPAA privacy rules, for no one to blurt out my surname in the waiting room. That might be a violation if they did.

 

[minnie mum]

If you're not on a first name basis with someone, do you address physicians as "Dr." outside of medical situations?

Of course. That is their proper title. Would you call your spiritual advisor Mr. instead of Reverend, or Father? Would you call your state representative Mr. (or Mrs.) instead of Senator or Congressman? In our family, we would never dream of calling a fellow serviceman or woman Mr or Mrs- we taught our children to address them by their rank. It is simply good manners.

 

[superme80]

If I see my doctor or my kid's doctor in an outside situation I address them as Doctor so and so. Now the only doctor I associate with is my cousin. I love her to death but I am not calling her Doctor so and so.

 

[Ceila]

For my medical doctor, if I ever saw him out in a personal setting, yes I would call him doctor. However, I have always reserved the term dr for medical personnel and not someone who earned a PhD. My coworker has a PhD from an online university in art lit. I'm not calling him Dr. X. Maybe it's where I'm from but to us here, the term dr is for medical doctors.

Ph.D. stands for Doctor of Philosophy. While in your circle it's may not be common to call someone with a Ph.D. "Doctor," it is absolutely correct and certainly not a "regional thing." I can guarantee that there are many people in Sacramento who use the term.

FTR, no, I don't have a Ph.D.

 

[WDWJDS]

Of course. That is their proper title. Would you call your spiritual advisor Mr. instead of Reverend, or Father? Would you call your state representative Mr. (or Mrs.) instead of Senator or Congressman? In our family, we would never dream of calling a fellow serviceman or woman Mr or Mrs- we taught our children to address them by their rank. It is simply good manners.

I hear what you're saying, but if I met your pastor or physician outside of their professional settings, I really wouldn't think about that, just like if I were taking their dinner reservations at a restaurant, I would think to just call them Mr or Mrs, even if I knew their professions.

 

[Imzadi]

I would not likely call someone dr outside a medical setting and there's little chance I would call someone by their military rank either. I get that they've earned it, but if you aren't my dr or officer, then your rank is irrelevant to me. I've met a few ppl who've insisted they should be referred to as dr, and I think it's really pretentious to point it out. I guess it might sound disrespectful to some ppl, but referring to someone as mr or mrs should be considered polite enough to me. And if I know them enough to be on a first-name basis, then I will definitely refer to them by their first name. Just my opinion though.

The Queen of England is still a Queen, even if she is not your Queen, or is traveling out of her country. She deserves the respect of the title.

This.

I definitely think that people who point it out can be seen as obnoxious, but I also think that refusing to use someone's correct title is rude and smacks of reverse-elitism.

Winning post of the thread.

I would also surmise that these reverse elitists probably do not have a Doctor or military title themselves, nor have worked to an equivalent level in any other endeavor, and knows how much time, work and dedication goes into it. It's easy to put down others when one has never succeeded oneself, and try to pull them down to one's own level, rather than truthfully acknowledge that person did something that they didn't/couldn't do. I had a teacher call that kind of attitude, "the arrogance of a loser."

 

[jewood1234]

Being in healthcare for the last 30 years this topic has really changed. From the time that nurses used to stand up and offer the doctor the chair to now......

Respect is a given and should be reciprocated. The title issue really seems to be a matter of generation and of personal preference now.

I've often heard from peers that they prefer NOT to be called doctor away from the healthcare setting as it decreases some of the "can you take a look at my rash doc" situations at parties!

 

[ajlsjl]

It depends on how well I know the person. My family doctor and I shop at the same grocery store, so on the occassional Sunday, I will run in to her and her family there. I always greet her as "Hi, Dr. Lastname, how are you?" However, I do have some neighbors that are doctors. When seeing them out and about in the neighborhood, I would address them as Dr. Lastname. After living in the same neighborhood for so long, they did ask that we call them by first name. So, it depends on the type of relationship you have with the person.

 

[SydSim]

I would also surmise that these reverse elitists probably do not have a Doctor or military title themselves, nor have worked to an equivalent level in any other endeavor, and knows how much time, work and dedication goes into it. It's easy to put down others when one has never succeeded oneself, and try to pull them down to one's own level, rather than truthfully acknowledge that person did something that they didn't/couldn't do. I had a teacher call that kind of attitude, "the arrogance of a loser."

 

[DisneyDreamer2504]

The Queen of England is still a Queen, even if she is not your Queen, or is traveling out of her country. She deserves the respect of the title. Winning post of the thread. I would also surmise that these reverse elitists probably do not have a Doctor or military title themselves, nor have worked to an equivalent level in any other endeavor, and knows how much time, work and dedication goes into it. It's easy to put down others when one has never succeeded oneself, and try to pull them down to one's own level, rather than truthfully acknowledge that person did something that they didn't/couldn't do. I had a teacher call that kind of attitude, "the arrogance of a loser."

I'm sorry you think that any of us are horrible people trying to bring others down. I never said 'I hate titles and refuse to use them' bc I would never intentionally insult someone by going against their wishes. Obviously there are many situations that require different considerations. My point was anyone that insists on their title, especially in a social interaction, is pretentious.

To update my opinion, if I were to see my own dr outside the office, I would prob refer to them as dr. But if I were to see someone else's dr or someone I may or may not know as such, then prob not. Military titles are I stand by that I would likely never use. Religious figures, politicians, and yes even the queen.....it's a moot point as I would likely never be speaking with any such person. If that were to come up, we'll see how I feel at the time, though most likely I'd call them sir or ma'am.

Again, I would never intentionally disrespect someone or their achievements.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I would also surmise that these reverse elitists probably do not have a Doctor or military title themselves, nor have worked to an equivalent level in any other endeavor, and knows how much time, work and dedication goes into it. It's easy to put down others when one has never succeeded oneself, and try to pull them down to one's own level, rather than truthfully acknowledge that person did something that they didn't/couldn't do. I had a teacher call that kind of attitude, "the arrogance of a loser."

Actually, it's precisely this kind of attitude that make people snicker at those who insist on others using titles when referring to them.

If you are not MY doctor, or MY officer, or MY professor, or MY coworker within any of those realms, what you've learned and how hard it was for you (general "you") to learn it is of ZERO importance to me. Every second you spent in training or schooling is a second you spent NOT learning some other thing that may be of equal or greater significance at some point in your life. And that "lowly" receptionist may very well be better at her job than the doctor is at his. If you're coming to me for services, it's because I know how to do something you do not. And you have NO idea what I may or may not have had to experience in order to learn that something that you suddenly find valuable.

Thankfully, most of the professional people I know are smart enough to realize the above, and are not so full of themselves as to force their title on others in situations where it is not appropriate.

 

[Poohforyou]

It depends on how well I know the person. My family doctor and I shop at the same grocery store, so on the occassional Sunday, I will run in to her and her family there. I always greet her as "Hi, Dr. Lastname, how are you?" However, I do have some neighbors that are doctors. When seeing them out and about in the neighborhood, I would address them as Dr. Lastname. After living in the same neighborhood for so long, they did ask that we call them by first name. So, it depends on the type of relationship you have with the person.

I don't get calling a neighbor who happens to be a doctor by his title unless I am formally addressing all my neighbors. I think using Dr, reverend, captain, etc would be in place of Mr, Mrs or miss/ ms.

If I met the president I'd address him as such and not as Mr Obama.

 

[mrsklamc]

I usually refer to the person by their title, and find that most people will say, "Call me (first name.)"

 

[minkydog]

It depends. I call my doctor "Will" because we are I'm the se Sunday school class and that's how he introduced himself. I call the two psychologists at work Anisha" and " Dr. Simon" because that's what they prefer.

 

[LSmith]

Of course. That is their proper title. Would you call your spiritual advisor Mr. instead of Reverend, or Father? Would you call your state representative Mr. (or Mrs.) instead of Senator or Congressman? In our family, we would never dream of calling a fellow serviceman or woman Mr or Mrs- we taught our children to address them by their rank. It is simply good manners.

Of all my family and friends in the military, not one person is addressed by their rank outside of work. Never heard of it.

 

[disykat]

Yes, if I am calling someone by their title I try to use their correct one.

My Dad was a Dr. and was usually called Dr. Last Name unless he was being called his first name. If people called him Mr. last name he didn't care. He introduced himself as first name, last name, so people who were new to him wouldn't have a way of knowing anyway.

That said, I remember a few incidences where, even as a child, I recognized that there were people who specifically called him "Mr." because they were making an "I refuse to acknowledge that you have a different title than me" statement. I just thought it was a weird "hang up" they had.

While I've never met anyone who never goes by their first name, I still generally call adults in professional situations by their titles unless invited to do otherwise. If I know their correct title, I use it. I don't know why I wouldn't?

I actually used to teach on duty soldiers. In the classroom, the policy was that they were all "Mr." but if I ran into them in uniform anywhere else on base, I referred to them by their correct rank.

 

[cjbcam]

Actually, it's precisely this kind of attitude that make people snicker at those who insist on others using titles when referring to them.

If you are not MY doctor, or MY officer, or MY professor, or MY coworker within any of those realms, what you've learned and how hard it was for you (general "you") to learn it is of ZERO importance to me. Every second you spent in training or schooling is a second you spent NOT learning some other thing that may be of equal or greater significance at some point in your life. And that "lowly" receptionist may very well be better at her job than the doctor is at his. If you're coming to me for services, it's because I know how to do something you do not. And you have NO idea what I may or may not have had to experience in order to learn that something that you suddenly find valuable.

Thankfully, most of the professional people I know are smart enough to realize the above, and are not so full of themselves as to force their title on others in situations where it is not appropriate.

I totally agree. For people to say doctors are the only ones that worked hard to get where they are, are very ignorant. Thankfully all the doctors I know do not have this attitude.