A letter I just sent to Target

[sylvar]

My pharmacist's name tag only shows a first name [omitted in LJ]. This is unacceptable.

A pharmacist works for many long years and spends ludicrous amounts of tuition money in order to become a doctor. A pharmacist is an expert medical professional who has earned the title "Doctor" as a mark of respect.

A pharmacist working at a Target pharmacy simply must have a name tag that reads "Dr. ___________". I don't care if the tag says "Dr. Smith" or "Dr. Karen Smith", but a pharmacist is a doctor and deserves to be addressed as such.

Target guests deserve to be able to tell the difference between a pharmacy technician and a pharmacist, too.

I am absolutely horrified by this situation and I hope that you will instruct your store managers to make new name tags for your pharmacists.

Comments

[tregoweth.livejournal.com]

Well, "Pharm.D." at least. I mean, technically Deb (Mrs. Phil (http://www.philbowen.com/pb/index.asp)) is a doctor, but you can't ask her about weird rashes and stuff.

And a random shout out to future pillpusher vixi, if she happens to be reading this. :)

[tregoweth.livejournal.com]

On second thought, Deb has two kids, so you can probably ask her about some rashes.

not all pharmacists are doctors

[bethlynn.livejournal.com]

Many pharmacy schools like Pitt grant MS of Pharmacy and Pharm-D. Gradates of either or program are capablie Pharmacists.

The local Giant Eagle Pharmacy has a plaque that says who is the Pharmacist on duty with their full name following ms pharm or pharm-d. All pharmacy techs and pharmacy students have their status on their name tags.

Re: not all pharmacists are doctors

[sylvar.livejournal.com]

Inconveniently astute point taken. :)

[tealfroglette.livejournal.com]

I think folks should respect education. Some people don't want an issue made of their degrees. My Doc does not tell people her name is Dr. Beall in social situations. She's Mrs. Favret or her first name plus Favret. It might be confusing, but it also keeps some of the creepy patients at the free clinic from being able to call her up on the phone. There's no listing for her under Beall. At work nobody' knows' her as Mrs. Favret or as Dr. Favret either. Of course they do realize her name is Favret in case there's an emergency and a hospital or nanny calls and says i have caroline favret here in the ER...

Also with the ease of search engines that do not pay attention to people's payment to the phone company to not make the phone number public etc it may be a security measure to protect the pharmacist?