Call your GP by their first name?

Dr Smith, I’d call the GP if he was not a close friend, but my pets vet I call Paul and really he’s got as much education as the Dr. - even probably more I’d say.

So basically, the bigger the arsehole the more prone to cancer.

Sounds fair.

For me, I'll ask to see Dr x when making the appointment, but one on one if they use my first name I'll reciprocate, it's nice to be personable.

Would people be impressed if their GP constantly referred to them as Mr/Mrs surname? Inherent deference is and should be a thing of the past.

I split the difference. Dr John. Good piano player!

He treats chronic illness 😁

They're not real doctors anyway.

And people with ringing in their heads.

Its not much of an achievement being smarter than your doctor in my experience. You know what "Study Medicine Europe" is? You get yourself a home study pack over three years and you are a qualified GP, hey presto.

Mind you when you are done you wont be able to tell the difference between an x-ray of an ankle and an elbow. Other graduates at senior house officer level have not done a female pelvic examination. What not even an amature interest?

Having attended the cancer section in Waterford Clinic for radiation treatment a few years ago , It was an eye opening experience . Every member of staff , Cleaners , Nurses and Consultants , wear Name Badges with their Christian Names displayed . Fabulous place and a great idea .

Is the reverence for the title "doctor" eminating from the patients or the medical establishment.

Seems titles are redundant everywhere else nowadays

My doctor's first name is Martin.

I stumble over what to call him at times, mostly doc.

Know him years, he's about same age as I.

The reverence shown to doctors (physicians) and the worry about how to refer to them is bizarre. The older I get and the more interaction I have with physicians, the less impressed I am by their problem solving and diagnostic skills. They are very far from being "all knowing" and to be fair to them the good ones realise how little they know and how even their educated guesses are often going to be wrong. But there are still plenty of arrogant hotshots out there who don't seem to get this.

I'm a scientist and I've worked closely with other scientists, physicians and engineers during my career. IME nobody agonises about how to refer to a PhD scientist in a professional or personal setting. They get called by their first name whereas the physicians often get called get called Dr (Surname). Even the PhDs were prone to referring to the physicians as Dr. while feeling uncomfortable about anyone referring to them as Dr.