<p>In some countries, where you went to college almost doesn’t matter (Germany comes to mind; Canada is more like Germany than the US in that regard). So this American penchance of wanting to know where people went to school would strike them as weird.</p>
<p>I’ve worked in software and finance and I’ve never seen a diploma hung up by anyone at work. I don’t even know where mine are (they’re somewhere in my parents’ house, unframed).</p>
<p>With doctors, dentists, and lawyers, it’s tradition and probably started in the past so that clients could be reassured that they weren’t being treated by an uneducated quack.</p>
<p>“With doctors, dentists, and lawyers, it’s tradition and probably started in the past so that clients could be reassured that they weren’t being treated by an uneducated quack.”</p>
<p>That’s what I thought, too. I do not see it as weird. </p>
<p>Yes, engineers put up their diplomas and engineering licenses. My husband is registered in 12 states, so his licenses take up a good chunk of wall space. I put mine up so that clients know I am en engineer and not just a token employee of our two-person firm.</p>
<p>I always look at the diplomas hanging up in doctors’ offices. I expect to see them there. I DO want to know where my doctor was educated. As a lawyer, I have a Bar Admission certificate from my home state as well as certificates showing that I am licensed to practice in various federal courts. This seems to be a normal practice in the US, especially for physicians.</p>
<p>It is also not uncommon for accountants, engineers and architects to display their college diplomas, certificates and/or licenses from each state they are licensed to practice in. These people are also professionals who must meet strict educational and experience requirements and pass rigorous state licensing examinations. I believe it simply goes to assuring clients of your qualifications. </p>
<p>Of course, if you are in the doctor, dentist, lawyer, accountant, engineer or architect’s office, you have most likely already hired them! </p>
<p>The fact that MOST doctors do this whether they went to State U or Harvard should be a clue that this is about credentials and qualifications rather than bragging or brand name dropping.</p>
<p>I do think it’s expected for doctors to display them. My colleagues and I also have them in our offices, but education is our business. One of my professors explained it as someone who works for a car dealership buying that brand of car; it shows knowledge of the product and the industry.</p>
<p>" I want to know where my doctor went to med school, and where he (or she) did his residency. Preferably an Ivy League school. I think my doctor went to UVA, and Emory for his residency… that will have to do."</p>
<p>Why? Why is an “Ivy League” med school any better? Med schools are very “flat” in terms of what they offer. There are better and worse residencies, but they’re often tied to big-city / urban hospital settings, which may or may not be Ivy League. </p>
<p>Those diplomas/certificates show not only where you graduated from (and yes, it matters) but also board certifications in specialties. </p>
<p>Post 29–I don’t know what “ivy league trained” means but it is true that many doctors are not trained at all in new techniques but are allowed to perform them. It’s one reason to ask the “how many times have you performed this technique and what is your success ratio?” Better some training than none which is probably the purpose of the advertising.</p>
<p>LOL, mathmom. In 1998, our accountant charged the same hourly rate as we did. Since then, our rate has gone up 38%. His has gone up 100%. We haven’t been able to increase our rate for several years, and people still think we’re too expensive.</p>
<p>All the pharmacists I have been to in my state display there’s, right beside their framed license. I would not be surprised if it was a state law for pharmacists, anyway, because I have seen it in both privately owned pharmacies and larger chained owned ones.</p>
<p>Being guilty of the “crime” all I can say is that in my case it was to follow the local custom.even though having them displayed in the office was a daily reminder of the 8-12+ years it took earn them. For the longest time professional associations (AMA, ADA, etc.) and the State Boards of Professional Regulations limited what you could have on the sign on your door.or window to avoid any insinuation that anyone was better trained than anybody else. All you could do was have your name and the initials of your degree (MD, DDS, etc), the initials of your other post graduate degrees (MS, PhD, etc.) and if you were a specialist add a second line stating that the practice was limited to such and such specialty. The word Doctor could not even be spelled out. Same with business cards.Times and regulations have changed. A lot. </p>
<p>Pharmacists (and I’m sure other licensed professionals) are required by our state law to display their licenses. Depending on the practice (and room) the individual diplomas are displayed.</p>
<p>Anyone who needs certificates/licenses to practice usually displays them. Even hairdressers.
H has his undergrad, med school, residency and fellowship diplomas/certificates, board certifications, state license (has several, but only displaying state where office is located, rest are on file. . .) all covering walls of his small office. It is expected. Patients expect to see these things. I think this tradition comes from the days when quacks passed themselves off as physicians, and patients were reassured by some proof of education/training. It has nothing to do with the doctor’s pride, ego. This is “what is done.” I’ve seen diplomas/licenses, etc. whenever I’ve gone to a doctor’s/dentist’s office throughout my life. If I didn’t see them, it would be strange. I might wonder where they were.</p>