Are you a "doc"?

[potato cod]

My husband and I both have our Ph.D.s (Piled higher and Deeper, no?) and are college science professors.

We adopted an orange and white cat from the pound that came with the name "Doc" and we didn't change it. We like to quote from Spies Like Us: "Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor...." Other than that, I don't use my title much.

 

[SelkieDVM]

My dad (a PhD) was at a social gathering once when he met someone (an MD) who introduced himself as Dr Whatever. My dad's response: "That's a funny first name." I think PhDs have been referred to as doctor for far longer than physicians, or veterinarians for that matter.

 

[lulubelle]

What a bizarre thread.

Here on Scubaboard, I can't imagine why anyone would care unless someone identifies their credentials in order to support their opinion on a subject in their field so that it is perceived as being a more informed one.

In Italy, people with undergraduate university degrees will often use Dotor or Dotoressa on their business cards. I find that to be overkill.

It is a US custom to reserve the title for those who have PhDs, MDs, etc. But certainly it can be confusing. One of my close friends is a PhD in Nursing. So a bonified Dr. Nurse.

Here, I am only a diver.No titles needed.

 

[lulubelle]

Selkie, just WHAT IS UP with our team lately? Ugh.

 

[SelkieDVM]

Selkie, just WHAT IS UP with our team lately? Ugh.

Repeat after me: "It's a rebuilding year, it's a rebuilding year, it's a rebuilding year..." At least Duke lost again the other night, too. But Virginia on top of the ACC, what's up with that?!?! (I live with a Cavalier.) Regardless... Go Heels!

 

[Crush]

Thanks for all the posts so far.

I am glad to see the poll results - I am happy to admit that my preconceptions were incorrect.

BTW, there are a lot of PhDs on SB - neat. I have always been amused when people comment that PhDs are trying to "copy" physicians or surgeons by calling themselves "doctor." In fact, at conferences, most scientists with PhDs have their name tags made up with only their first and last name, plus affiliation. Only the rare individual has their name tag made up as Dr. Soandso.

 

[piikki]

My dad (a PhD) was at a social gathering once when he met someone (an MD) who introduced himself as Dr Whatever.

That's definitely a chuckler in my circles (and not to make it sound like it's sour grapes, many of the chucklers that I regularly work with are either PhD:s or MD:s or some even both or double PhD:s).

Also, I find it weird practice that in many most unlikely places, starting from booking plane tickets, your options of 'prefixing' yourself are Mr/Ms/Dr. This is not only American way but certainly not global practice either. Who ticks a doc there?? I was reading a members' list for one scuba organizations one day. Everyone else had only their first+last name, then... Dr this&that, MD... Why? Ok, maybe if you are 104 years old, I can understand but in 2010...

 

[Trace Malinowski]

In college, I learned that the medical community adopted the term, "doctor," for the prestige, but that the term came from the Latin docere meaning "to teach." Educators had it first. It was a philosophy professor who taught us that. It was an interesting lecture explaining the validity of professors being called "doctor," but it was okay to call the prof by his first name. However, we learned that to insult a philosophy professor is best done by the accusing that professor of not being a philosopher.

When researching possible top surgeons worldwide for an FOV (floater only vitrectomy) I had in July, I discovered that, in England, many surgeons drop the title, Dr., for the titles of Mr., Mrs., Miss, etc., as a homage to the fact that the occupation of surgeon grew out of the occupation of barber. Teaching surgeons often choose to be called, "Professor." I had the surgery in New York City with a top cataract surgeon with excellent results.

In college, my first lacrosse coach had the name of Jeffery Scott Dougherty Thorud III. The Dougherty was pronounced Doc-er-tee, so he went by "Doc" rather than Jeff or Scott, but it always brought the question as to whether or not he was in medicine. He has a juris doctorate now so it's all good.

I really appreciate many of the physicians, nurses, EMT's and others who work professionally in the field of medicine and are divers. In my experience, they are equally interested in hyperbaric and diving-related medicine as a hobby as they are in diving and are always willing to provide medical insight for both diving and other matters - freely - when around divers.

A doctor taught me to self-doppler for DCS and another caught the signs of a friend's cancer while cave diving. He's alive today.

As divers, we all bring the strengths gained from our occupations, hobbies, and life-experience into the water to benefit our teams and the diving population in general. I think it's great when people go by "doctor" because they've earned it. Even primitive humans found ways of displaying accomplishment. As we "count coup" in life, we give others stars for which to reach because they see accomplishment as attainable with hard work and dedication.

 

[idocsteve]

When researching possible top surgeons worldwide for an FOV (floater only vitrectomy) I had in July

You had a vitrectomy for a floater??

That must have been one heck of a floater

 

[StreetDoctor]

I'm a union firefighter/paramedic. I use streetdoctor on about a dozen forums not because I think I'm a doctor or would like to be a doctor. They work way too much (although TS&M does spend a ridiculous amount of time on the forums ) Streetdoctor aka street pharmacist aka drug dealer is more of a joke.