Thread: Windsor Graduate success

Unfortunately, I cant change the title to this post but I have decided to delete the post.

The consequences of someone being mistaken for a physician (whether there is intent on the part of the person with the MD degree, or not) can be dire. This is why there are such protective measures surrounding the use of the title... especially within the health care sector. A person walking around the hospital, like a Surgical Assistant, with "MD" plastered everywhere is just asking for trouble. Patients used to mistake me for a doctor when I was working as a hospital phleb tech all the time, especially on the overnight shifts for some reason, and I didn't have "MD" posted anywhere!

Outside of the health care field, it probably doesn't matter as much (although I believe that there are still some states that could give someone legal trouble). If someone is running a successful chain of fast food restaurants and feels comfortable with putting "MD" on his/her business cards -- and is comfortable dealing with the unending stream of "What the hell are you doing in the restaurant business with a medical degree?" questions -- then I think the risk is pretty low.

Originally Posted by PnS11

But is having "MD" after your name referring to yourself as a "doctor?" You could just have your name with "MD" at the end of it, and so long as you have earned the MD in question, you should be able to keep the "MD" without having an asterisk to "taint" it.

You don't necessarily have to refer to yourself as "doctor" and you can still correct others if they assume you are a practicing physician when referring to you as "doctor."

I feel like this is the DNP argument all over again

Originally Posted by houmd

I feel like this is the DNP argument all over again

not really. this isn't about having a doctorate. this is about having an MD. its not even about being called "doctor." it's about having an asterisk next to your "MD" in your title like that guy has. if someone with a "doctorate" in psychology is still referred to as "dr. so-and-so," then having an asterisk next to your Md title shouldn't even be an argument. you are an MD. if it causes legal troubles and confusion at the hospital, fine, don't run around calling yourself a doctor. but what about a PsyD in the psych unit? do we stop calling them "doctor" to avoid the confusion?

but my main issue was with the asterisk. asterisks go on tainted statistics (see: barry bonds), not on someone's title. that's all i'm saying.

So, looking at the website in question... how would you distinguish the surgeons on the Medical Advisory Board from the Surgical Assistants with dormant MD degrees, then? I dare say that "Fred McFredlington, MD-completed-but-never-passed-the-boards-and-can't-practice-in-the-United-States" is a bit unwieldy to fit on business cards.

I think it's probably about patient protection taking precedent over the ego of someone who earned a medical degree and can't or won't complete the steps to be able to legally use it.

Oh, and equating a PsyD with an MD in terms of immediate patient safety is a bit of a stretch. PsyD/PhD types don't wear steths or operate in the same capacity as physicians, and they ARE working within the scope of their completed academic and professional credential. No problem there, at all. Just like the estimable Bill Cosby can legitimately be called "Dr Cosby" on the strength of his doctorate in education, etc. But Bill Cosby would not likely walk around the hospital in a white coat demanding to be called "Dr Cosby." That would be silly.

Originally Posted by devildoc8404

But Bill Cosby would not likely walk around the hospital in a white coat demanding to be called "Dr Cosby." That would be silly.

I'd imagine that if Bill Cosby were to walk around a hospital, he would demand to be addressed as Dr. Huxtable (jk).

@PnS11 - I understand your gripe with the asterisk, but my assumption is they placed it for two reasons, to legally protect the organization of surgical assistants and/or to please the other MD's on the advisory committee who completed a residency. I don't think they have those asterisks on their business cards or introduce themselves as MD-asterisk, but when the company you work for or the people you work with demand there be something to differentiate you from a board certified physician, what can you do?

then why not remove the "MD" completely? if i were in that situation, might as well do that and have patients and colleagues refer to you as a surgical assistant instead of having that asterisk.

whatever it is, i just hope im not in that situation where i'd have to deal with this.

I could not agree more, on both counts.

I think it's great for the retired Navy Master Chief Hospital Corpsman, who finds himself on the national board for Surgical Assistants and has pretty much maxed out his career path at this point. One of my former Senior Chiefs does something similar, and does a great job for his hospital, and he's well-respected within his field. Unfortunately, those national board members with asterisked medical degrees apparently never even approached the potential trajectory for their career paths.

So, perhaps the title of this thread should not be "Windsor graduate success."