I'm not sure it if is just me, but I hate when medical students refer to themselves as "student doctors." Part of that might be because we had a professor who told us that student doctor isn't an appropriate term and that if we were overheard calling ourselves that, we'd have to deal with him . I haven't met a student yet that has anything good to say about this professor so I think the threat of having to talk to him is enough to whip people into shape. When medical students call themselves a student doctor, it implies that they are a doctor. The vast majority of medical students do not start medical school with a PhD or other doctorate and thus are not doctors. If anything, resident and fellowship level physicians are the closest thing to student doctors, as they have earned their MD but they are completing their training and specializing before they are considered independent, attending physicians.
When I'm working with a patient, I try to go out of my way to let them know that I'm only a third year medical student. I'll even explain how much schooling I have and how much I have left to complete. I don't want to mislead someone into thinking I'm a physician; I think that is dishonest and unprofessional. I know a lot of medical information, but I am not a physician yet. At this point, I do not deserve the title "Doctor" and I'm not ready for all of the responsibilities that accompany that title. When I am a physician, if I hear a medical student call himself a "student doctor," he will get an earful from me or I'll just send him to go see that mean professor from my medical school. The threat of going to talk with that mean professor will keep anyone from misbehaving.
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