Whom Do We Call “Doctor”?

By Angela Anand, BSN, RN, PEL-CSN 

A Shortage of Doctors 

There is a trending shortage of Medical Doctors. The World Health Organization estimated a  shortfall of up to 12.9 million healthcare workers by 2035 (1). Due to this shortage, advanced  nursing programs have been created to help fill the gap in some countries. As some nurses with  advanced degrees begin to call themselves “Doctor,” confusion is created for people who are  unaware of the significant differences between the medically trained Doctor and the  academically trained Nurse with an advanced degree. Nurses with advanced degrees can call  themselves Doctor in academic settings; but to call themselves “Doctor” in a clinical setting misleads the patient and perpetrates a fraud (2). 

What is a Medical Doctor? 

A traditional Doctor is someone who has gone to medical school and completed a minimum of  11 years of rigorous academic and clinical hands-on education under the guidance of  experienced Medical Doctors. A Medical Doctor can be an MD (Doctor of Medicine) or a DO (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine).

A DO receives about 200 hours of extra training and practices holistic medicine. Holistic  medicine means taking a person’s physical, mental, and spiritual needs into consideration, not  just treating a specific, problem a person is complaining about. 

If a doctor choses to go into a specialty or to sub-specialize in a specific area, such as heart  surgery, their clinical education can last up to an extra 7 years. 

What is an Advanced Practice Nurse? 

In the past couple of decades, a new type of academic “Doctor” has emerged in the field of  Nursing, which has blurred the lines for patients. Nurses have been able to become Nurse  Practitioners (NP) or Doctors of Nursing Practice (DNP), which allows nurses to work with  patients in a similar capacity as a Medical Doctor. Getting a degree to be a NP takes  approximately 6 years to complete. Getting a DNP degree can take about 7 years to complete.  To earn a DNP, nurses can take different routes. Whichever path the nurse takes, the maximum  years of education required is 9. 

Nurses with advanced degrees can be a benefit during various circumstances, such as a  shortage of doctors in specific areas. In different cultures, nurses may be called “Doctor” as  standard language.  

What Do I Ask when Picking a Healthcare Provider? 

• If the healthcare provider is a medical doctor, ask them about their schooling, training,  and work background.  

• If the healthcare provider is a nurse with an advanced degree, ask them about their  previous work experience and if they work with or consult with a medical doctor. • You can look up a healthcare provider’s licensing and any disciplinary actions through  registers managed by local, state, or national health departments or councils. 

Whether you see a medical doctor or a nurse with an advanced degree, always ensure you  are able to advocate for you and your loved one’s overall well-being.  

References 

1. Wang J., Lv H., Qin Q., Jiang H., Ren W., Mohd Shariff N. A global prevalence of turnover  intention among doctors: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Scientific Reports  [Internet]. 2025 Jul 2;15(1). Available from: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598- 025-07019-0 

2. Gaddis G. (2022). Nurses With a Doctorate in Nursing Practice (DNP) Should Not Call  Themselves "Doctor" in a Clinical Setting. Missouri medicine [Internet]. 2022 Jul; 119(4),  314. Available from https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9462903

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