(May 13, 2022 at 3:14 pm)A. Secular Human Wrote:(May 12, 2022 at 4:15 pm)The Valkyrie Wrote: What do you call someone who fails medical school?
A dentist.
Untrue, and unfair.
Sorry (not sorry) to be a fuddy-duddy on this. After achieving a four-year university degree in a related field, aspiring dentists also attend (and must pass) medical school. They then obtain clinical experience (like a residency) and then must pass board certification tests. "DDS" after their names designates that they have satisfactorily completed the aforementioned requirements for their certification. They are called "Doctor", because they are indeed, doctors.
I'm a bit sensitive on this topic, as I have dentists in my family.
A better joke is:
What do you call someone who graduates at the bottom of their class in medical school?
"Doctor".
That’s not an always thing. No idea how in works in the US, but dentists in most Commonwealth countries don’t always go to medical school - they get their undergraduate degree, then go to dental school. They’re also called ‘Mr’ or ‘Ms’, not ‘Dr’.
In fact, here in NZ, dentists - by law - cannot call themselves ‘doctor’ unless they have (in addition to a dental degree) a medical degree or a PhD.
Boru
‘But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods or no gods. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.’ - Thomas Jefferson