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Post nominal letters. Do you ever use them?

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I use MSc MRPharmS with business colleagues within the healthcare industry.

Otherwise no.

Any thoughts?

0

Comments

  6. Same as Retro – I use my qualifications only in academic proofreading work-related contexts, save that on two or three occasions I’ve used a title in letters to broadsheet newspapers (invariably about disgraceful NI politicians) because I have a nagging feeling that, rightly or wrongly, in that context, it makes a difference. Whether for that reason or otherwise, those letters do seem to get published. (But on the other hand, I have a fair idea how to construct a letter on an issue that’s likely to be considered.)

  8. I could have got away with using the letters CBE after my name – in this case CBE was a certified engineer for an obscure computer system that no-one uses any more.

  9. The late Brian Sewell said that it was impertinent to refer to your degree unless it was pertinent to your job or current role. I suspect he would have applied the same criteria to other professional qualifications. His one exception was the use of Dr by former.members of medical profession. I tend to agree with his point of view.

  11. My letters RGN RSCN are dependent on me continuing to be registered as a nurse, which I haven’t been for some time, but whilst I’d never used them when I worked clinically, when I subsequently managed a nursing agency they were essential, to show prospective recruits that I knew what I was talking about (plus they were essential in order to maintain our license).

  13. The twerp on the parish council who regularly prevents charitable events from going ahead always refers to himself as “Dr.” I was so annoyed by one of his petty missives that I looked him up, his doctorate was in archeology. That figures, as he himself is a fossil.

  14. In the real world as opposed to the surreal world of the Afterword, (though come to think of it the real world gets more surreal day by day) my two initials are D R.
    After staying at a hotel once I received a letter addressed to the Right Reverend, I thought they’d given me odd looks when I stayed, though how they’d decided I must be a bishop I’m at a loss.

  17. I once worked for a public sector man who had a load of printed stationary trashed when his OBE came through (he was an inveterate schmoozer and networker) – so he could have it all reprinted with ‘OBE’ added to his list of letters. Arse.

  18. I know it’s an honorific rather than a post-nominal, but back in my veterinary days I noticed that a vet having ‘Dr’ on their credit card was a 100% accurate indicator that they were a complete wanker. I suspect it’s the same for doctors.

    • It’s the same for most. I worked with an utter dickhead who had every course he’d every been on in initial form on his business card.

      A friend in HR tells me the prevailing view is that MBA stands for Mediocre But Arrogant which entirely accords with my experience.

  21. Working with my German colleagues I noticed they would refer to me by my first name but usually to each other as “Herr” or “Frau”, or “Dr”. It seems those with more than one degree were called “Dr Dr”.

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