The primary reason to refer to yourself as “Doctor Whateveryournameis” is so you can refer to every member of your team the same way irrespective of gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, etc.

It may seem to you that I am putting on airs.

I don’t do it to make myself feel special.

I do it so my patients know who their doctors are.

To help patients learn what doctors look like.

We are a very diverse group. All called “Doctor.”

If you refer to your resident CV as “Candice” can you fault your patient for not knowing she is a doctor?

Call her Dr. VonShleppinghausen and he might gradually get it.

The respect you afford yourself by way of a professional title is mirrored in the respect you show your residents and fellows.

You may be able to tolerate this squashing of hierarchy.

Not all of our trainees are assumed to be doctors by appearance.

If I ask patients to call me Mark and introduce my resident as Tina, it’s not really clear who the doctors are in the room.

I may not have done myself much of a disservice but I have
A) disguised my role and thus deceived my patient and
B) made it harder for Tina to be taken seriously and respected for her education and training.

I have found consistency is the easiest approach.

I am Dr. Reid. Every other doctor is Dr. Lastname as well.
We are your doctors.
We are responsible for offering you medical decisions for your care.
We sign your prescriptions.
We call your family if you die.