Should DPTs call themselves “Dr.”? I’ve seen some heated debates about this on social media and several discussion forums. Honestly in the first couple years of my career I wasn’t sure how I wanted to introduce myself.
“Dr.” seemed a little stuffy to use with patients and I was worried about sounding like a big-headed, know-it-all new grad. At the same time I felt it was a small way of advocating for our profession and might actually have a positive effect on my patients’ trust in me.
I had an internal argument with myself for a while there, but I finally landed on an intro. (I’ll tell you what it is later). My internal argument is over, but there’s still a lot of debate going on in regards to PTs using the “Dr. ” title. Some arguments for and against come within our own profession and some not. I wanna explore both sides, chat about what really matters when it comes to what we call ourselves, and finally I’ll tell you how I’m introducing myself these days and why.
All Those in Favor
Both PTs and non-PTs point out that we’ve earned the doctor title as we did complete a doctorate program. This is the number one argument I see in support of PT’s using a “Dr.” title. Closely related to this is the fact other medical professions frequently refer to themselves as doctor even though they didn’t go to medical school and do so without much scrutiny. For example, chiropractors almost always call themselves “Dr.” even though they didn’t complete an MD or DO program. Similar to us, they completed a doctorate program in their one specific area. So if they’re using it why not us?
Awareness and advocacy for the profession is probably the second most common reason for those in favor of calling ourselves doctors. I mentioned in the beginning I like the idea of using “Dr.” to introduce myself as a way to advocate for the profession. I know many other PTs feel the same. Most of us would agree we feel we rank low on the healthcare totem pole in terms of pay and people overall giving a shit what we think.
The doctor title does give an indication to patients and other healthcare providers that our knowledge and expertise shouldn’t be underestimated. Some people might say this is egotistical or vapid of me to try to prove where we stand by just introducing ourselves as “Dr.”. Obviously more goes into it than that, but it’s a small thing that can help.
I mean things have gotten better, but we still have a LONG way to go when it comes to advocating for ourselves and getting some recognition. I’ve had patients who think the referring doctor sends me the exercises and I just teach them to the patient. Lots of my patients also think their primary care physician is the one who determines when it’s time to discharge with little to no input from me.
Misconceptions like these are prime arguments for denying better PT legislation like direct access or imaging referral. Using the doctor title can help squash some of these misconceptions to advance the profession and increase access of care to patients.
Not to mention we’re probably one of the lowest (if not lowest) paid doctorate degrees out there. If we wanna be paid like the rest of them, wouldn’t calling ourselves “Dr.” be a good idea? If we’re not even going to call ourselves “Dr.” then why would anyone else? Much less pay us like one.
Those Against
The #1 argument against PTs using the doctor title? … We didn’t go to medical school. Which no, we didn’t, that’s why I have DPT behind my name, not MD. However, if people are going to argue against PTs calling themselves a doctor it needs to be the same for all the other non-MD medical professionals. I don’t want to hear someone saying it’s okay for chiros or PAs to use “Dr.” but not okay for PTs.
If someone is arguing PTs shouldn’t call themselves a doctor because they didn’t go to medical school but aren’t bringing the same energy for other professions in similar situations – there’s a vendetta there or they feel threatened by it for some reason. Either everyone who completed a doctorate level program has the right to use that title to some extent or we’re reserving it solely for MD/DOs who completed medical school
The second biggest argument against PT’s using the “Dr.” title is that it’s confusing for patients. Which honestly has some truth to it. The misconceptions I mentioned earlier might cause a patient to be a little confused if we say we’re “Dr. so and so”. BUT I do think we have the right and maybe even a responsibility to deconstruct these misconceptions. Also, I have a suggestion for this to help decrease the confusion that involves many healthcare professionals. I’ll talk about this a little later.
Some might say the confusion isn’t worth it and wonder if it’s really necessary. I mean then our patients will call us “Dr.” and that just seems SO formal. What are the repercussions of that? There have been studies that show patients feel more comfortable when they’re able to call their healthcare provider by their first name. If they feel more comfortable they’re likely to give more info, be more honest, and more open to our plan of care. Sounds like a first name basis may lead to better outcomes instead of keeping it formal and getting all caught up in titles.
Why vs What
When it comes down to it, maybe it’s not WHAT we call ourselves but WHY. For those using the doctor title, do you use it out of pride and advocacy for your profession? Or to keep yourself from feeling “less than”? Having an inferiority-complex is just as bad as having a god-complex.
If you’re calling yourself a doctor with the hopes of keeping MD egos down or pegging yourself up above MDs for patients, I’d say it’s time to reevaluate. This just fosters a feeling of animosity in the healthcare system we don’t need. Working in healthcare is already hard enough. We don’t need to make it harder by cutting each other down.
On the opposite side of that, if you’re a PT not using the doctor title or if you disagree with those that do, I’d ask you to do some soul searching. Why do you feel this way? Do you simply think it’s too formal or egotistical as discussed before? Or do you feel there’s something lacking in the profession or yourself that we don’t deserve to use that title?
If you truly feel there’s something lacking in the profession what is it? Also, be vocal and try to the be one to change it! If you find it’s more something within yourself, whether it be insecurities or just personal preference, that’s fine. Journal, meditate, go to therapy finally, do whatever you need to do. But I’d say that’s not a big enough reason to actively demonize your peers who do call themselves doctors.
Hi, My Name is Paige . . .
So given all this, what IS the best way to introduce ourselves? I’m not sure there’s one right way, but I will share what I do. When first meeting a patient, this is what I say.
“Hi, my name is Paige. I’m a doctor of physical therapy and I’ll be working with you today”
Two reasons I landed on this introduction:
One, It keeps things on a first name basis. As discussed before, it’s better for the patients. If something as easy as letting them use my first name will help get them better I’m all for it.
Two, it still uses a doctor title AND clearly states what my expertise is. I don’t want the patient to think I’m an MD. Hear me out.
Why would I want the patient to think I’m an MD? The MD couldn’t fix their problem. That’s why they’re coming to me. If they think I’m an MD they’re just going to be thinking “Here we go again. How is this going to be any different?” This introduction tells them what sets me apart and also advocates for my level of knowledge.
To me this intro sets the perfect stage to build a rapport with the patient. Honestly, part of me wonders if this wouldn’t be a bad way for all healthcare professionals to introduce themselves?
I have so many patients who talk about doctors appointments but are unsure if they saw a MD, a DO, a PA, or a NP. Sometimes they don’t even know exactly what one specialist does versus another. The patients I see in the hospital often say things like “A doctor of some sort was just by.” Wouldn’t it be easier for patients to understand and take active roles in their healthcare if they first knew who it was they were talking to and why?
How do you introduce yourself and why? Did anything you read in this post make you change your mind how you previously thought? No matter what you do, my advice is this. Take pride in your profession and what you know, but don’t feel the need to down play anyone else. Patients come to us for our specific skill set, just like they do for other healthcare professionals. There’s so much info out there now it really does take all of us. Imagine if you had no one to refer your struggling patients to? That would make this job even harder.
I hope this post made you think and maybe even do some soul searching. Drop your thoughts in the comments section and share with your friends to get the convo going! Follow @the_pt_page on Instagram and Threads to connect there as well! If you missed the last post and need to catch up, here it is! Lastly, subscribe using the button below to get all PT Page posts directly to your inbox!
Leave a Reply