Abused word

[The Nomad]

Two options,

A surgeon is a Gentleman (or woman) and a Doctor is a mere peddler of potions

Or,

Surgeons started out as barbers ...

VBG

Avpx

[Chris Hogg]

Whether it's still true I don't know, but AIUI it used to take six years training from leaving school to qualify as an MD, just as it takes six years to qualify for a PhD (school > BSc > PhD).

The Mr > Dr > Mr thing for medical consultants is a status / inverse snob thing.

The last consultant I spoke to looked as though they got their clothes from a charity shop.

[2987pl]

Its more complicated than that, most obviously with ship engineers and army engineers etc.

[T i m]

Is the right answer, *for the UK* and when the word 'engineer' is said / considered with a small e.

In the same way (and in the same country specifically) you would use the 'Engineer' with another (specific group of) word(s) to qualify they were (differently?) higher qualified.

I was called a 'Field Service Engineer' (not my idea but what was used / understood for the role at that time) and in some cases I did 'design' stuff, not only electronic test equipment but the layout of data comms cabinets / solutions etc.

Not once did I or anyone else confuse my abilities with someone who could design a building, aircraft or bridge ... or confuse my abilities with those of a 'formal' "Engineer" or a specific role, like 'Architectural Engineer' or but just went along with the term ...

I was also sometimes asked to occupy the role of 'Sales Engineer' as I was asked to accompany a 'Salesman' and offer a more technical insight to a potential sale.

I have since been happy to be called a technician, not wanting to offend all the *real* engineers. ;-)

Funnily, when I was an 'IT Instructor' (MCT, A+CT, CNI), nobody confused me with a commercial pilot flight Instructor or diving instructor. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

[Chris J Dixon]

I had a trip like that once and ended up having to explain to my commercial colleague what escrow was.

Chris

[DJC]

In Italy any degree, not just a higher research degree, make one a 'doctor'.

[DJC]

Outside N.America MD is a research degree in medicine ie a PhD, not the basic medical school qualification

, just as it

[Chris J Dixon]

I have let my IET membership lapse after my early retirement. Whilst working, the firm paid my subs, but after a couple of years I decided enough was enough.

It was only for one of my work roles that Chartered status was mandatory - Railway Design Signatory.

The requirements for membership kept ramping up over the years, and lapsing would have meant rejoining would have presented difficulties. I don't use the now letters since (1) I shouldn't, and (2) it is now irrelevant.

I am still interested in IET talks and visits, so I keep an eye on their web site, and also those of the IMechE and ICE, for matters of interest, and over the last few years have visited:

Hope Cement Works Glastonbury Festival site Laing O'Rourke Concrete Products at Explore Industrial Park Wymeswold Solar Farm Bardon Hill Quarry BMW Mini Plant & Engine factory Swift Caravans Crich Tramway Workshop East Midlands Gateway Amazon Warehouse Gypsum Plant & Mine Morgan Cars Bentley MIRA Toyota JCB Western Power Distribution Control Centre Tata Steel Jaguar National Traffic Control Centre

Chris

[Fredxx]

My point is that you can call yourself a Chartered Electrical Engineer without paying the Engineering Council fees, but need to pay the fees to use the title Chartered Engineer (C Eng).

An Associate Member of the Institute of Electrical Engineers would have meant you did not achieve Chartered status. In those days you would have to have been am MIEE.

Now of course its the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), and anyone who was an AMIEE but had the appropriate academic qualification would automatically become an MIET (Member).

[T i m]

Bless. ;-)

The 'Salesmen' didn't really like us 'engineers' with them as we were very likely to tell the truth ...

I took a call once that was really a sales call. I respectfully explained they had come through to 'Service' and I would put them though to the right salesperson for their area. They said if I did that they would hang up and go elsewhere! ;-)

I gave them the retail price for the right device for their needs and they seemed happy. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

[Another Dave]

There doesn't seem to be a courtesy title in my experience; why would there be? Most of the work is done by the local pharmacist. Apparently, in Germany (I don't speak German) the word is Arzt.

Another Dave

[Another Dave]

Yes but nearly all GPs are MBs ie Bachelors of medicine.

Another Dave

[NY]

I suppose it's like America where almost any teaching/research role in a university makes one a "professor", whereas in the UK a professor is a head of department or especially eminent in their field, and so profs are fairly rare.

[Clive Page]

I'm not sure that I agree. There have been far too many cases recently in which companies given a clean audit by accounts have shortly afterwards collapsed and failed. That very rarely happens to things designed by engineers, even if they are not chartered, fortunately. I think I prefer things to be that way around.

[Vir Campestris]

No PhD? :P

But there we see a problem. Forty years ago I spent three years at University, and the course I did wasn't one that is now accredited by the IET or the BCS.

The work I have done in the 40 years since won't get me CEng.

I was a BCS member for a while - but dropped it as having no value. (I'm at the firm end of software)

Andy

[Another Dave]

+1

Another Dave

[Bob Eager]

No time. Once you become a working academic... Actually, I started one but was overtaken by technology. They gave me a job anyway.

Neither was mine. I did it the hard way - years of experience, etc. I was Chair of the Board of Studies for accredited courses though! The CEng is through the BCS, not the IET.

I joined the IEE in the mid 1970s, eventually lapsed, then joined again with little formality.

I find it interesting - I meet all kinds of people. I'm Chair of the Kent Branch, and attend meetings of the affiliated Computer Conservation Society. I also volunteer of the Barefoot project, training primary school teachers in computer science. Of course, I have more time now...

[Marland]

At best a person who performs fault finding on a boiler would be a Boilersmith.

At worst it could be Harry who says he was in charge of some and we know how wrong on things he often is.

GH

[alan_m]

I'm now retired but the company I worked for for a long time has been actively promoting the charted engineer status in the past 5/10 years. As you say, one aim to legally sign of a process or a product. The other reason may be that the parent company was foreign and they needed to harmonise similar roles and pay scales across multiple countries.

I put my car in for a safety recall yesterday[1] and was pleasantly surprised to be told that it would be done when a "technician" becomes free.

[1] Ford Focus 2014? onwards - a slipping clutch can cause a fire!

[alan_m]

and therapists