Why are some Consultants Mr as opposed to Dr?
The only medical practitioners who refer to themselves as Mr (or Miss or Mrs) are surgeons who have obtained the FRCS (Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons). This is in recognition of the fact that surgeons used to be barbers, not medically qualified, and received their licence to operate from the Royal College of Surgeons. Nowadays when surgeons obtain their fellowship they change from Dr to Mr, Miss, Ms or Mrs. All other medical practitioners use the prefix Dr regardless of their seniority or experience.
