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Hello April!
Thank you for your take on the title of the Doctor for the role of the Nurse Practitioner. I agree with you that like many other professionals who have earned their Doctorate degree, NPs should also be able to utilize this title. The word Dr in context of title refers more to the education degree as you have mentioned. I understand that patients may get confused in a clinical setting but there are times when I feel this negative perspective seems targets towards the NP. As you have mentioned above, there are other healthcare professionals that utilize the term Doctor in a clinical setting but face less backlash. I think the term Dr should be up to each NP/ healthcare professional on what they prefer to be called. As long as it is clarified that the NP is not a Medical Doctor or MD and explains to the patient that they are a Nurse Practitioner I do not see a major issue. Outside of the healthcare field I have seen this debate as well. Recently First Lady Jill Biden or Doctor Biden was also the subject of scrutiny for utilizing the title Doctor. She has a Doctorate in education and has never stated that she was a medical doctor but was still under fire for referring to herself as doctor. Even within the educational community it is understood that term Doctor refers to the education of the individual not that they are a medical doctor. I agree with you that as long as an individual is not misrepresenting their occupation or level of practice that the title doctor should be up to the individual who has the Doctorate degree.
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