Not everyone who calls themselves a doctor has an
M.D. or D.O. after their name. With the ever
increasing number of nurses obtaining advanced
doctorate degrees, the question of whether or not a
nurse can introduce themselves as “doctor” to their
patients has sparked a heated debate in the
healthcare industry. While patients who are
treated by these nurse-doctors may be none the
wiser, physicians are fighting to keep the doctor
title restricted, especially since there is great power
and responsibility that come with it.
Due to fear of losing authority over the profession,
physicians have pushed legislative measures to ban
nurses from misrepresenting their license by using
the doctor title. Arizona and Delaware have
already adopted laws that prohibit nurses from
using the term “doctor” unless they immediately
follow it by their true profession. Other states,
such as New York, are considering a bill that
would forbid nurses from using the title of doctor
altogether, regardless of their advanced degree.
Nurses, on the other hand, feel that physicians
should not have a monopoly over the title and that
anyone who has achieved a doctorate degree
should be permitted to using it.
Is this legislation really warranted? Here are three
reasons why physicians believe that nurses with
doctorate degrees should not represent themselves
as “doctor” to their patients:
Confusing for patients
Though it may seem like a simple issue of
semantics, when an average patient seeks the
consultation of a doctor in a hospital setting, they
are expecting that the clinician who introduces
themselves as “doctor” is in fact a medical doctor
and not a nurse who has achieved a doctorate
degree in nursing. Otherwise, a patient may feel
resentful that they were treated by someone whom
they believe to be unlicensed or under-qualified. A
patient always wants the best possible care from
someone whom they trust has advanced training
and experience in diagnosis and treatment.
Physicians possess more medical science
knowledge and extensive training
Though nurse practitioners are capable of handling
a range of medical problems that patients present
to them, nurses do not have the length or depth of
education that a physician earns after formally
completing medical school, internship and
residency. A nurse possessing a doctorate degree
can indentify that a patient has high blood
pressure and prescribe medication accordingly, but
a physician has the experiential knowledge needed
to understand all the reasons why the patient is
diagnosed with high blood pressure. Additionally,
years of medical training make physicians better
equipped at recognizing rare illnesses.
Blurring of roles and identification between
medical doctors, nurse practitioners and nurses
By calling a nurse a “doctor,” it might suggest that
nurses without advanced degrees are somehow not
as significant or responsible to the patient’s care,
when in fact the opposite is true in many cases. In
trauma and critical care units for example, nurses
are not only important healthcare providers, but
they have had just as much training and
experience, and deserve the same amount of
respect as NPs (Nurse Practitioners) and DNPs
(Doctors of Nursing Practice).
Ultimately, the battle still continues, and physicians
are encouraging nurses who want to be called
“doctors” in a clinical environment to pay their
dues and go to medical school. However, as the
health care community continues to evolve, it is
important to remember that the patient’s well-
being comes first, and as healthcare professionals,
doctors and nurses should stop fighting this turf-
war and work as a team. Let them get this into their thick skulls.

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