Do airline crews use the passenger manifest to identify doctors?
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Do airline crews use the passenger manifest to identify doctors?
A quick question.
Do airline crews normally use passenger manifests to identify medical doctors if they have an in-flight medical emergency or do they make a PA requesting assistance?
If they do use the passenger manifest, do they get annoyed if they find that the person with "Dr" in front of their name is actually a PhD rather than a medical doctor?
Do airline crews normally use passenger manifests to identify medical doctors if they have an in-flight medical emergency or do they make a PA requesting assistance?
If they do use the passenger manifest, do they get annoyed if they find that the person with "Dr" in front of their name is actually a PhD rather than a medical doctor?
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Apologies to any doctors reading this, but a nurse is usually of more help to us anyway. The PA goes something like this:
Ladies and Gentlemen, your attention, please. If there is a doctor of medicine, nurse, paramedic or midwife on board, please make yourself known to a member of the cabin crew, thank you.
Then, if someone says, "Yes, I'm a doctor," we would still clarify, 'of medicine?' The cabin crew usually have pretty good aviation specific first-aid training, and therefore know how to work with the limited space and limited resources we have on-board.
If it is a life-threatening emergency we will divert as soon as possible.
Ladies and Gentlemen, your attention, please. If there is a doctor of medicine, nurse, paramedic or midwife on board, please make yourself known to a member of the cabin crew, thank you.
Then, if someone says, "Yes, I'm a doctor," we would still clarify, 'of medicine?' The cabin crew usually have pretty good aviation specific first-aid training, and therefore know how to work with the limited space and limited resources we have on-board.
If it is a life-threatening emergency we will divert as soon as possible.
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No! Never I think! There are too many people calling themselves 'Doctor'. All you need is a heart attack victim and you are begging a 'Doctor' to come and help and find he's a Doctor of Philosophy! Great. To me, only one person should ever be able to call themselves 'Doctor', and that is someone who specialises in heart attacks, strokes, athletes foot and veruccas. The rest are just phonies!
A few years back, when the UK Labour Government was still (relatively) fresh (if you can use such a word for that bunch of scoundrels), UK universities were awarding them honorary qualifications (considering they can hardly read, that is all they'll ever get, except perhaps for a guillotining eventually). The cabinet were all going around calling themselves 'Dr. XXXX' which was totally insulting and disgraceful. Thankfully they dropped such daft titles. Can you imagine asking 'Dr. Prescott' to help a heart attack victim?
A few years back, when the UK Labour Government was still (relatively) fresh (if you can use such a word for that bunch of scoundrels), UK universities were awarding them honorary qualifications (considering they can hardly read, that is all they'll ever get, except perhaps for a guillotining eventually). The cabinet were all going around calling themselves 'Dr. XXXX' which was totally insulting and disgraceful. Thankfully they dropped such daft titles. Can you imagine asking 'Dr. Prescott' to help a heart attack victim?
Thread Starter
No! Never I think! There are too many people calling themselves 'Doctor'. All you need is a heart attack victim and you are begging a 'Doctor' to come and help and find he's a Doctor of Philosophy! Great. To me, only one person should ever be able to call themselves 'Doctor', and that is someone who specialises in heart attacks, strokes, athletes foot and veruccas. The rest are just phonies!
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Many travel firms now do not allow customers to book a flight ticket with DR as a title
Forget the example, I found one myself, I'm more interested in why they do it.
Last edited by AerocatS2A; 16th Oct 2008 at 14:36.
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The Airline I fly for,the flight manifest doesnt have any title applied to any passenger in particular(had the odd "Professor" sometimes tough). We do in case of serious medical emergency make the usual PA adress as stated before.
As for the "Doctors",it is common specially in southern Europe for people to be adressed as such(I must say I also prefer the Anglo-Saxon approach),even if they'r not "Doctors" of Medicine.
here everyone is either Doctor(DR.) or Engineer(Engº)..allways with a title..its a "social" "thingy"!!
Ex- Me-Would you care for something to drink sir??
His Wife- Excuse me,my Husband is a Doctor!!!(lawyer in that particular case)
Me- I appologise then..may I intruduce myself..."Doctor"/Steward so so...so,have you decided what you'd like to drink??
Him-
Some Pax dont know but quite alot of CC are "Doctors" aswell,and spent quite a few years studying something too.
As for the "Doctors",it is common specially in southern Europe for people to be adressed as such(I must say I also prefer the Anglo-Saxon approach),even if they'r not "Doctors" of Medicine.
here everyone is either Doctor(DR.) or Engineer(Engº)..allways with a title..its a "social" "thingy"!!
Ex- Me-Would you care for something to drink sir??
His Wife- Excuse me,my Husband is a Doctor!!!(lawyer in that particular case)
Me- I appologise then..may I intruduce myself..."Doctor"/Steward so so...so,have you decided what you'd like to drink??
Him-
Some Pax dont know but quite alot of CC are "Doctors" aswell,and spent quite a few years studying something too.
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A Doctor feels your forehead and slips a pill in. Any other 'Doctor' is a total fraud! If they are so highly qualified and want their professional title, why can't they call themselves 'Professor xxxx'? You wouldn't be dragging their sleeve to keep them to resuscitate someone or give them the kiss of life!
Sorry Rainboe but I think you being very unfair to a lot of perfectly legitimate Doctors who qualified as such well before New Labour and the trashing of the University system 
- certainly describing them as " a total fraud" is a more than a little strong, IMHO. In my University 
days there were plenty of perfectly legit Doctors and one Professor in the Physics Department- why shouldn't they use their professional title?
Having said that though they were all eminently qualified that I wouldn't want any of them treating me for any illness - life threatening or not
- certainly describing them as " a total fraud" is a more than a little strong, IMHO. In my University days there were plenty of perfectly legit Doctors and one Professor in the Physics Department- why shouldn't they use their professional title?Having said that though they were all eminently qualified that I wouldn't want any of them treating me for any illness - life threatening or not
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In the UK the title Dr. is recorded against your name in the House of Lords on completion of a Phd.
With family members and friends holding Phd's they all use the Dr. title when flying long haul but never short haul. They reckon it gives them more chance of a upgrade.
The battles with the medics at research hospitals come up every so often about removing the Dr. from the name badges. The usual retort is that the Phd is called Dr. as a title granted by the monach. The Medics are called Doctor like Postman Pat.
If you want it changed you will have to get in touch with the Queens Privy Council and get an act through parliament changing the honors system.
Anyway I have noticed Dentists are calling themselves Dr. these days. So it looks like the term is going down the pan like Engineer has.
Me I don't care either way, it seems to wind both sides up equally as much, with the medics holding Phd's doing most of the stirring.
Edited to add.
After doing an internet search for a reference for the House of lords bit it seems you can get a Phd for $199 from numerous establishments. And scary enough getting priority upgrades lounge access and other perks on the airlines is one of there selling points. So I have changed my mind and can see the reason why titles are not recorded by travel agents.
With family members and friends holding Phd's they all use the Dr. title when flying long haul but never short haul. They reckon it gives them more chance of a upgrade.
The battles with the medics at research hospitals come up every so often about removing the Dr. from the name badges. The usual retort is that the Phd is called Dr. as a title granted by the monach. The Medics are called Doctor like Postman Pat.
If you want it changed you will have to get in touch with the Queens Privy Council and get an act through parliament changing the honors system.
Anyway I have noticed Dentists are calling themselves Dr. these days. So it looks like the term is going down the pan like Engineer has.
Me I don't care either way, it seems to wind both sides up equally as much, with the medics holding Phd's doing most of the stirring.
Edited to add.
After doing an internet search for a reference for the House of lords bit it seems you can get a Phd for $199 from numerous establishments. And scary enough getting priority upgrades lounge access and other perks on the airlines is one of there selling points. So I have changed my mind and can see the reason why titles are not recorded by travel agents.
Last edited by mad_jock; 16th Oct 2008 at 19:42.
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A point to note, Consultant Surgeons are addressed as Mr, whereas a Consultant of Medicine(eg Nephrologist, Gastro-enterologist, Geriatricians, cardiologists) is addressed as Dr.
The other night when the sh1t hit the fan, the CSD just made a PA for a medical Dr
The other night when the sh1t hit the fan, the CSD just made a PA for a medical Dr
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Philosophy
Doesn't it depend upon the nature of the crisis?
I routinely experience philosophical crises on night transatlantic sectors - "Why am I here?" "What is the meaning of it all?" and occasionally "If I fell in the galley, would anyone know, and if so, how?". I'd be jolly grateful if the occasional Ph.D. could assist on these occasions...
I can imagine that for somebody of a philosophical leaning, such as the average Air France crew member, these crises would be easily resolved by the application of logique?
I routinely experience philosophical crises on night transatlantic sectors - "Why am I here?" "What is the meaning of it all?" and occasionally "If I fell in the galley, would anyone know, and if so, how?". I'd be jolly grateful if the occasional Ph.D. could assist on these occasions...
I can imagine that for somebody of a philosophical leaning, such as the average Air France crew member, these crises would be easily resolved by the application of logique?
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Dr or Phd
May I politely point out that people with a PhD are qualified to call themselves Dr.
A medical doctor has the equivalent of a first degree whereas a PhD has a higher degree. A medical doctor is called Dr as a courtesy, they have not earnt a doctorate. There are of course some medical doctors who also have a Phd but that is not common.
I do not have a PhD and am not a medic.
A medical doctor has the equivalent of a first degree whereas a PhD has a higher degree. A medical doctor is called Dr as a courtesy, they have not earnt a doctorate. There are of course some medical doctors who also have a Phd but that is not common.
I do not have a PhD and am not a medic.
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Hi Guys
Just thought I'd put my pennies worth in here with this too - another reason for not using the manifest is that any "Doctor" onboard would need to be assisting with any issues willingly and by approaching them is putting an unnecessary pressure on them to assist when they may not want to. (I'm sure any Dr would want to help but you never know!)
You also have to take alcohol consumption into account too!
Just thought I'd put my pennies worth in here with this too - another reason for not using the manifest is that any "Doctor" onboard would need to be assisting with any issues willingly and by approaching them is putting an unnecessary pressure on them to assist when they may not want to. (I'm sure any Dr would want to help but you never know!)
You also have to take alcohol consumption into account too!
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A medical doctor is called Dr as a courtesy
Its a bit of a downer spending 6 years at medical school so I can only be called Dr as a courtesy though... but not many people know that as evidenced on this forum!
To boardingpass who said that nurses are more help than doctors...why is that? To be honest, most of the time, I think both would be about as good as each other considering the limited resources up there. There are, however, situations where I reckon a Dr's knowledge and skills would out-trump a nurses: S depressuried cabin (lots of gas physics involved), woman in labour, or in a trauma situation for example. A simple heart attack could (theoretically) be handled in a just as effective way by a Dr, nurse or someone with a first aid qualification - ie the cabin crew. (Although if I were to have a heart attack I know exactly who and what I'd want aboard that a/c.
Here's another one... Only doctors are qualified to pronounce people dead on the ground (CPR MUST be continued until a Dr has pronounced the patient dead). Is the same doctor allowed to pronounce someone dead on an aircraft?
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Well, I'm amazed. There are all these frauds going around! When a bus runs over my foot and I scream 'get me a Doctor!', and a Doctor of Business Administration or Doctor of Philosophy pops up to help, am I going to want to have a discussion about Nietsche? It won't be pretty. To 95% of the people out there, a 'Doctor' lances boils on your ass. I have to say I think it is sick and it is a practise that should be stopped to prevent this confusion. Can you remember the absurdity of having the Labour Cabinet calling themselves 'Dr. Mowlam' etc? An Honorary title too?
That's why nobody takes any notices of titles on a passenger list!
BTW, it wasn't thread drift- it is very relevant!
That's why nobody takes any notices of titles on a passenger list!
BTW, it wasn't thread drift- it is very relevant!