Do teaching hospitals tell medical students to lie and introduce themselves as

[WuzUp?]

"Doctor" to patients? Whenever I am in a teaching hospital (a University hospital), medical students dressed in a white uniform will walk in the examining room and introduce themselves as "Doctor". Yet, they are not yet a doctor and it is a form of fraud. Is lying like this the only way hospitals think they can get patients to respect the students?

 

[Beh_Smeh]

Medical students absolutely should NOT be introducing themselves as "doctor". That is almost one of the first things we are taught in our clinical skills course. At my school, we are told to introduce ourselves as a medical student.

Are you sure these are medical students and not residents that are introducing themselves as a doctor? Residents HAVE graduated from medical school and have their MD, so they are in fact doctors. They are getting further training, though, in order to be able to practice alone and learn their specialty practice. So a person may still be learning and not be a medical student.

If these really are students, you should talk to the person introducing themselves as a doctor and see what they say. Otherwise you can talk to their attending/preceptor and tell them your feelings, because you are correct that this is not good practice.

 

[aneurodoc125]

Not true in any teaching hospital I have been in. I think you may be confusing Med Students with Interns , if they have them or Residents. They HAVE earned the MD, and are entitled to be called doctor.

Did you know that doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is a form of insanity? How many times are you going to ask this question?

 

[chafarm123]

No, medical students are specifically prohibited from calling themselves "doctor" prior to the MD degree having been conferred upon them. They are to correct patients and tell them they are a "Third Year Medical Student" etc.
Interns and residents do hold an MD degree, and although they are stipend payed professionals in a medical post graduate program, THEY are called doctor.
Attending physicians, specialists and professors of medicine are also called "doctor".
There is a trend in the past ten years for physicians to introduce themselves by first and last name. "Hello Mr. Stone, I am Christine Peyton, the endocrinologist." The thought is that this may be less intimidating for some patients.