• Question: Could you be a doctor? w/ your qualifications

    Asked by anon-176195 to Ali, Jenny, Mark, Paul, Simran, Stephen on 13 Jun 2018.
    • Photo: Jenny Shepperson

      Jenny Shepperson answered on 13 Jun 2018:

      Technically I am a Dr! If you study for a PhD (doing research on something noone else has, for about 3.5 years), then you become a Dr – but a Dr of science, not of medicine!
      If I wanted to be a medical doctor, I would have to go back to University and study medicine – I’m sure I could do it with my qualifications now, but getting into medicine is very competitive, and not only about good grades!

    • Photo: Ali Hill

      Ali Hill answered on 13 Jun 2018:

      Hey marsbar (still lovin’ your name!…. And now I want a marsbar)

      There’s two different types of doctors. You can be a doctor in science (or arts or lots of other things) by doing a PhD, which is where you’ve spent 3 to 6 years researching one specific thing that no-one else has looked at. I spent 5 years looking at whether if your mum (or anyone’s mum!) ate fish in pregnancy would it mean you were less likely to get asthma or hayfever or other allergies. It was brilliant for advancing scientific knowledge, but less good if you wanted me to remove your appendix.

      A medical doctor (the one you go to see when you’re ill) would be great at making you feel better, but less good at knowing random facts about fish in pregnancy (like me).

      So no, although I use the title “Dr.” like doctors do, I couldn’t give any medical advice. However, I’d like to think that my knowledge on random scientific facts and extensive list of food puns means I’d be a better choice for a pub quiz team…..

    • Photo: Mark Kirkwood

      Mark Kirkwood answered on 15 Jun 2018:

      Yup, I’m a Dr too, but not of medicine, and I wouldn’t like to let me near a scalpel!

      I studied microbiology for 3 years at uni, then 4 years as a PhD, before becoming a doctor.

      My partner studied medicine for 5 years before becoming a “real” doctor 😛
      Although, interesting fact, she did biology for 3 years first, then changed her mind and went into medicine.
      So don’t worry about which direction you’re going in, there’s always a way to turn around if you want!

    • Photo: Paul Newell Price

      Paul Newell Price answered on 22 Jun 2018:

      I am a doctor; a doctor of science, or strictly speaking a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).
      Do you mean, could I have been a medical doctor, in other words a doctor working in a hospital or general practice (GP)?
      The short answer is yes. I come from a family of medical doctors and I’m pretty sure I would’ve enjoyed that career as well, but I wanted to do my own thing and have no regrets. 🙂

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