With the increase in non-physician efforts to expand their scope of practice and practice authority through legislation, exemplified by the widespread use of the term Doctor by non-physicians, patients may believe that they are receiving care from a physician (Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine) even when this is not the case. Your Academy has published a resource, a “Comparison of U.S. Education and training for Physiatrists and Other Healthcare Providers” chart, to clarify the difference in U.S. education and training for physiatrists and common professions in healthcare that use the term Doctor.
AAPM&R will continue to support efforts to improve truth in advertising for the provision of physical medicine and rehabilitation services and has provided this resource for members to use in their local advocacy efforts. Click here to learn more about what your Academy is doing to defend physiatrists' scope of practice.