using your PhD title

CosmoCramer

I gather there are quite a few PhD graduates on boards. I wanted to ask what do people think about using the title 'Dr' before their name outside the professional sphere. To put this question in context, I'm NOT a Phd grad, but know lots of people who are.

Some of these people use the 'Dr;' title outside of the professional sphere, in social contexts, and for general purposes. Is this socially acceptable? For example, using the Dr title in mail correspondence, on bank/credit cards, etc.

What do you guys think? My own personal viewpoint is that such usage should be confined to professional purposes, and not beyond that!

I don't have one but if you're filling out forms that have a dr/ms/mr/whatever I suppose it's most accurate to pick the Dr

Ste-

Dr. Dre doesn't have one either but he calls himself a doctor.

The Backwards Man

I don't even call my doctors Dr. I call them John, Emer and Ken.

blindside88

If I had a PhD I'd be using dr. Everywhere, even when booking a hotel

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

I only use mine on official reports and the likes. A couple of friends call me Dr for a laugh and it confused the postman once when one sent a card to Dr Srameen.

I can't stand people who sign themselves BA, FRCS, MPSI, MA (hons) Eng, etc on day to day emails or letters.

blindside88

blindside88 wrote: »

If I had a PhD I'd be using dr. Everywhere, even when booking a hotel

Big mistake , same for flights etc , someone gets sick and your fecked.

CosmoCramer

jh79 wrote: »

Big mistake , same for flights etc , someone gets sick and your fecked.

Yes, I definitely think only real doctors should be allowed to use the title.

riaganach

I have one and I'm allergic to using any title, even professionally. Plenty of smarter people than me don't have PhDs. The only thing a PhD title tells me is that you've worked your ass off for a couple of years.

CosmoCramer

CosmoCramer wrote: »

Yes, I definitely think only real doctors should be allowed to use the title.

MD is for real docs . Doctor is the correct term for anyone with a PhD.

UpCork

I'm a PhD, but I only use it if dealing with academic things. I don't work in academia at he moment so I don't use it in a work capacity - although boss likes us to write our qualifications after our name in our signature - I've resisted so far as it makes me cringe a little.

o1s1n

If you can't write me a cert to get a day off work you're not a real doctor.

RDM_83 again

Personally if I was going to down that route I would move to germany and become massively overqualified and chain them together.
Herr Professor Doktor RDM has a certain ring too it

CosmoCramer

jh79 wrote: »

MD is for real docs . Doctor is the correct term for anyone with a PhD.

Even though they are not real docs?

CosmoCramer

CosmoCramer wrote: »

Even though they are not real docs?

They are MD's that people mistakenly refer to as "Doctor".

RDM_83 again

jh79 wrote: »

MD is for real docs . Doctor is the correct term for anyone with a PhD.

And surgeons are called MR or Mrs/Ms

Witcher

There was a trend of people putting their qualifications in their name on FB a few years back. Still on the go apparently:

www.facebook.com/help/community/question/10151594225367469/

evolving_doors

Using it outside professional capacity is just being a pretentious git as it serves nooooo propose whatsoever.

Signed: Armelodie (Grade 5 Pianoforte ABRSM (Pass)), ECDL, Water Charges Applicant (Payment Pending).

Wabbit Ears

meh, whatever makes them happy, Hows about you study for a búttload of years to achieve a title and then judge?

Ice Storm

A teacher in my secondary school had a PhD and insisted on being called Dr.

Fair enough, it was in a professional capacity but he got some amount of stick off the students for it. It must have been more hassle than it was worth having to correct people all the time and explain to the fresh crop of first years each September that he wasn't a medical doctor.

Gongoozler

At work one of the ways of knowing a crazy is someone who has the little letters after their full name. Those who aren't doctors.

ted1

CosmoCramer wrote: »

Even though they are not real docs?

They are real doctors, just not medical ones

efb

In a professional capacity only

ghostchant

For the first year after I got my PhD my gran addressed my birthday/Christmas cards with 'Dr.'. As far as I remember it's the only time I've used it (or, more accurately, had it used for me). Even she's not arsed now

Tarzana2

On your correspondence is grand. I know a guy who uses it on his Twitter page even though he now works in a field completely different to his PhD subject. As in, a different industry entirely. That strikes me as very pompous.

mickstupp

Not sure if true, but my friend works with a bunch of Germans and says they like to stick down whatever qualifications they've got all the time, even just in simple office emails. One even insists on Dr. Dr. Whatever as she has two PhDs.

Again... not sure if true.

Baggy Trousers

Anyone with a PhD that calls themselves "doctor" is a complete ponce.
It usually means they were too afraid of the big bad world to leave college

ted1

It comes in handy in engineering as there's plenty of people out there who call themselves engineers but have no qualifcation.

dlouth15

jh79 wrote: »

They are MD's that people mistakenly refer to as "Doctor".

Well they do have a doctorate, though most medical practitioners in Ireland don't have MDs.

Baggy Trousers

Baggy Trousers wrote: »

Anyone with a PhD that calls themselves "doctor" is a complete ponce.
It usually means they were too afraid of the big bad world to leave college

Some jobs in the big bad role require a PhD just to be considered for an interview.

Woshy

My husband uses his with the bank as we thought it would help make us look better on our mortgage application! Otherwise he doesn't use it outside of work.

He'd like to but he knows it would make him look like a knobhead!