PhD = real doctor?

Shackley said:
PhD = real doctor?

Yup, just like a Sanitation Engineer is an Engineer.
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THe title Dr was awarded to people with Phd's long long before the term ever become a title for physicians. So no not just like a sanitation engineer and engineer.

I believe the motivation was that physicians believed they weren't respected highly enough in the community so adopted the term Dr to heighten themselves to a level they deemed necesary. Which is granted considering the work it takes to get an MD, but a "real" Dr is always one who holds a Phd.
 
jdickerson said:
Not to mention that the last 3 of those 6 is largely independant study....
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You seam to state that as something to be proud? Perhaps not.

To be completely honest this is my opinion, slate it as you feel fit:
Doctor to me means "healer" whether it be someone in a dessert somewhere that can help with certain problems or a surgeon who can cure a serious problem. A PhD means expert, your a leader in your field not a doctor but an expert. The titles should be split, I would rather she the title of "Master" be applied to PhD's and "Doctor" to MD's. I know that leaves the question of what to do with MSc's though!

I'm playing devils advocate here clearly!

DaveM
 
Raymond Lin said:
Actually, only 5 of those are academic. And I did 6 of those years thank you very much :p
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ha ha, my sister is on her second year at the moment, so no offense fella! :)

Good discussion though!


Davem
 
In the UK for example we do 5/6 years and become a doctor i.e. somebody who practises medicine. The fact (if we're a doctor and not a surgeon*) we have a "Dr." before our name is actually nothing more than a honorary title. American guys usually have to do a degree before hand, the fact that they have M.D. after their name reflects that medical sciences/Batchelor of medicine + surgery is their SECOND degree. If in England somebody does medicine and surgery as a second degree they're allowed to write M.D. after their name as opposed to most other people who'd write either MbChb/Mb.Bs. (Batchelors of medicine and surgery respectively), though for the sake of more titles at the end of their name - they usually don't ;)

"Phd doctors", since they've done a few years after their original degree of acadamic study are thus technically real doctors too, since their further study allows them to be a doctorate in a subject e.g. the history of cheeses. So aye, when you need a doctor and scream for one - you would rather somebody with these qualifications didn't turn up, you'd want a "medical doctor."

*Years ago surgery was practised by barbers and not by doctors thus if you needed surgery you wouldn't see the latter. It was then deemed that barbers didn't really have the acadamic knowledge to carry out these operations, and thus needed a medical degree. Thus all surgeons graduate from university as doctors - but e.g. when they become a consultant/ join the Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS**) their prefix by tradition reverts back to a "Mr".

**Memeber of the Royal College of Surgeons.
 
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I can accept that PhD are doctors too.

But when turns up in my face and says "Im a real doctor because I did 2 years of research" I would be extremely tempted to deck him.
 
M0KUJ1N said:
Fixed on account that a clinical Doctorate takes 5 years of study whilst a PhD takes at least 6 :-)
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Not necessarily, my friend Andrew is doing a PhD in lasers or something in ECS at Soton, and it only lasts 3 years. He will have the title or doctor at 25/26 I think. 6 years maybe if you include the first 3 undergrad years.

Engineering Doctorate, which I was being tempted into as well, is 4 years only - it is written in the prospectus in front of me. Gives you the title of doctor too.
 
A neighbour of mine at my old house is a doctor of psycology which I think is a load of crap as its not even a proper subject. Her husband wa sa Mr and earnt more than here lol.
A PHD does make you a doctor, a doctor doctor is just someone with a PHD in medicine ithink. Here at the univeristy ive met doctors of engineering and **** me they are clever they most definetely deserve to have Dr before their name!
 
mglover070588 said:
A PHD does make you a doctor, a doctor doctor is just someone with a PHD in medicine ithink.
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A Phd does make you a doctor, a "doctor doctor" doesn't have a Phd in Medicine, (in this country anyway MOST) will be a batchelor of medicine and surgery.
 
mglover070588 said:
A neighbour of mine at my old house is a doctor of psycology which I think is a load of crap as its not even a proper subject. Her husband wa sa Mr and earnt more than here lol.
A PHD does make you a doctor, a doctor doctor is just someone with a PHD in medicine ithink. Here at the univeristy ive met doctors of engineering and **** me they are clever they most definetely deserve to have Dr before their name!
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Not a real subject? Quite short-sighted and ignorant of you. Out of interest, what are you a doctor of, as you can judge other people?
 
mglover070588 said:
A neighbour of mine at my old house is a doctor of psycology which I think is a load of crap as its not even a proper subject. Her husband wa sa Mr and earnt more than here lol.
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Hilarious.
 
ramirez said:
is a DPhil along the same lines as PhD then? My pops' title is a "Dr" of mathematics but I think he did a DPhil.
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D.Phil is what the University of Oxford calls a Ph.D, because they can't stand to be the same as everyone else. ;)
 
Arcade Fire said:
D.Phil is what the University of Oxford calls a Ph.D, because they can't stand to be the same as everyone else. ;)
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I'm working on a DPhil... It adds an extra layer of confusion when attempting to explain to people that I'm going to be a Doctor, but not of Medicine.
 
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