So the other day, we had a middle aged, respectable looking man come into the hospital ward. Like a peacock whose entrance could never go unnoticed, he did command an air about him. And his convoy of followers didn’t make him look any less intimidating.
And then he announced himself as a Dr. somebody.
His presence brought a noticeable silence amongst our group of doctors and nurses, halting our discussion.
While the nurse attended to him, to get him details for a patient he wanted to see, our rounds were halted. We were much younger and didn’t know what he would need or not.
He was given the details he needed and left for another unit.
A few minutes later, a more senior colleague, a consultant, comes in to ask us if we had met with the middle aged doctor from before and we all say, oh yeah.
She chuckles lightly and asks if we knew his specialization. We all look at each other abtrusely as the obvious answer is No.
Long and short story, after all this pomp and show, we hear that the gentlemen had a PhD in a discipline far flung from medicine. I was particularly taken aback cause I had seen the patient he was looking for and I knew he was to be referred to another specialist , so I let my presumptions get the best of me.
So anyway, if you’re in a hospital setting, you might want to tuck your PhD somewhere so you don’t get people confused about what you can do.
Recently I’ve lost count of how many times I removed and added back the Dr. to my profile name.
I come from a culture where titles are highly regarded and overrated if you ask me. For the elderly people you might get their interest but for those my age and much younger, they don’t give a care.
Almost everyone wears their title on their sleeve.
Heck my grandma doesn’t have any educational qualifications but she has a JP at the end of her name.
JP for Jerusalem pilgrim. It’s funny as fudge but we all call her that and we’re proud of her for having travelled sometime in her life.
Well, back to the Title of our post. Really, why do you use a title?
I left that title there for prospective employers looking for freelance writers to know that I’m a doctor. I’m not sure how that could come in handy, as I’m aware that anyone could actually write about medical or health related issues. One only needs to understand their topic and be able to weave words that engage readers.
So you see, one might have the qualification and may be able to strut it around but it’s the experience that matters.
My qualification might get your attention, I do hope to do that.
However if my experience does not deliver what is needed, you wont be needing me for long.
So a title is what it is, it describes one’s post or position. It leaves nothing to say about how good one is at what they do.
The age of information has made it so that most people are no longer easily interested in what a person calls themselves. I think that might be a positive.
I am yet to decide if to leave my title there or remove it.
Still I really want some other answers. Please leave a comment below.
What’s a title to you?
