Which group of healthcare professionals are allowed to use the title “Dr” in healthcare service advertising without needing to specify their qualifications?
Only registered healthcare professionals who hold a valid practising certificate are allowed to use the title “Dr” in healthcare service advertising without needing to specify their qualifications or including a disclaimer that their qualification is not a medical or dental qualification.
Registered healthcare professionals include:
an allied health professional who is registered under the Allied Health Professions Act
a dentist or an oral health therapist who is registered under the Dental Registration Act
a medical practitioner who is registered under the Medical Registration Act
a nurse or midwife who is registered, or an enrolled nurse who is enrolled, under the Nurses and Midwives Act
an optometrist or optician who is registered under the Optometrists and Opticians Act
a pharmacist who is registered under the Pharmacists Registration Act o a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner who is registered under the Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners Act.
Healthcare professionals who do not come under the above list, including chiropractors or osteopaths, are required to state their qualifications and a disclaimer that their educational qualification is not a medical or dental qualification, when using the title “Dr” in healthcare service advertising.