Who Should Be Called a 'Doctor'?

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Abstraction: Legal and professional debate over healthcare practitioner use of doctor title

Key points:

Georgia's "Health Care Practitioners Truth and Transparency Act" (effective May 2023) prohibits non-MD/DO healthcare providers from using the title "doctor" or "Dr." in advertising, with license revocation as the penalty
DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice) enrollment grew from 70 students in 2003 to over 41,000 in 2022; many specialties (pharmacy, physical therapy) now require a doctorate
AMA surveys (2008–2018) found 61% of patients falsely believed a Doctor of Medical Science (physician assistant degree) was equivalent to an MD; ~40% believed the same for a DNP
Physicians argue MDs require 4 years of medical school plus minimum 3 years of residency, far exceeding the 2–4 years of postgraduate study for DNP or DMS degrees
At least 8 states are simultaneously considering legislation to expand the scope of practice for non-physician clinicians to address primary care shortages — directly at odds with title-restriction efforts
Legal commentator Jon Porter argues the dispute is fundamentally competitive: the doctor title "has cachet" and functions as a powerful advertising tool, with complaints typically originating from competing practitioners

Connections: American Nurses Association · American Medical Association · Healthcare Policy · Scope Of Practice · Professional Licensing