Does DCLS qualify as "Dr."

"What do we call academic doctors in clinical settings" is a well traveled topic of conversation.

In the halls of academia, yes you would say Doctor always.

In a hospital, it depends. Generally, no, that is reserved for medical doctors, but also it depends on practice, since doctors of specialities are not Medical Doctors but seem to enjoy the title as well (Podiatry, Dentistry, Optometry maybe, etc). That said, I would probably not call a doctor of nursing or psychology "Doctor" in a clinical setting. I think the common denomenator is proximity to an MD/DO. Dentists and Podiatrists more frequently are known to operate independently without docs. Nurses and clinical psychologists are more typically on units overseen by or working with docs, and the so the seperate titles are retained. I would place DCLS in that category, and not greet them as Doctor.

In formal written correspondence with an academic doctor with whom I have no familiarity, I might use their title at first.

/r/medlabprofessionals Thread