Morning Headlines 10/29/25

That argument is outdated. “Doctor” isn’t a trademark owned by physicians — it’s an academic title earned through the highest level of education in any discipline. Calling it “vanity” outside medicine ignores the rigor, research, and leadership that doctoral-prepared nurses, pharmacists, and others bring to patient care.
I rarely use “Dr.” myself, except when teaching nursing students in clinicals — my university requires it for clarity and professionalism. As an autonomous primary care nurse practitioner, I choose not to use the title in daily practice. But if I introduced myself as “Dr. XX, your nurse practitioner,” it would be no different from “I’m Dr. Smith, the cardiologist” or “Dr. Jones, the anesthesiologist.” The distinction is in role, not ego.
Frankly, we underestimate patients when we assume they can’t understand the difference. They’re capable of knowing who’s providing their care — what they need from us is competence, respect, and transparency, not title policing.