History Main / NotThatKindOfDoctor

* In ''Machinima/FreemansMind'', Gordon Freeman, upon seeing the dead scientist just outside the test chamber: "Oh hell. Is that guy dead? Dammit, I'm a doctor not a... normal doctor!"

* Dr. Phil is not a medical doctor, but has a doctorate in psychology. He also has no license to practice, having officially retired in 2006. Apparently his TV show counts as "entertainment" rather than "psychology", so it's not against the law, nor false advertising for him to continue hosting it under its current title.

* Dr. Phil is not a medical doctor, but has a doctorate in psychology. He also has no license to practice, having officially retired in 2006. Apparently his TV show counts as "entertainment" rather than "psychology", so it's not against the law for him to continue hosting it.

* ''ComicBook/SensationalSheHulk'': Reed Richards informs Jen that she is losing her powers in issue #52. She desperately begs him to come up with a cure and he responds that this is a medical and biochemical issue which falls outside his area of expertise. What is unusual about this trope is that Reed is an OmnidisciplinaryScientist which She-Hulk lampshades.

Certain professions blur the line. A psychiatrist or forensic pathologist will necessarily have a medical doctorate, but their main occupation isn't taking care of people's cuts and sniffles. If they're suddenly forced to act like that kind of doctor — like, say, they're on hand when someone gets hit by a car — expect them to act awkward and unsure before they save the day. In all likelihood, after all, it's been years since they had to give much thought to the treatment of physical injuries. Veterinarians would also cause this trope, as they work on animals rather than humans.

->''"[[ImADoctorNotAPlaceholder Dangit, Jim, I'm an astronomer, not a doctor!]] I mean, I '''am''' a doctor, but not '''that''' kind of doctor. I have a '''doctorate''' -- it's not the same thing! You can't '''help''' people with a doctorate, '''you just SIT there and you're USELESS!'''"''

* Franchise/Power Rangers actor Jason Narvy has a PhD in Theater Studies, gotten long after his tenure in the ''[[Franchise/PowerRangers Power Rangers Franchise]]'', in 2010. The very next year, he started ''teaching'' theater in Chicago through 2021 at Concordia University.

-->'''Davros''': (about him dying) "Then we have established one thing only."
-->'''Doctor''': "What?"
-->'''Davros''': "You are not.. a good doctor"

* ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace'': Justin Russo [[ParodiedTrope parodied this trope]] when he pretended to be a doctor in paleontology to impress London Tipton from ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOnDeck'' in a crossover episode. She stopped believing him when he didn't know what to do when somebody nearby needed medical help.

** ''Film/IronMan3'': PlayedForLaughs in TheStinger, which reveals that Tony has been recounting the movie's events to Bruce in a therapy session, only to find that Bruce fell asleep partway through. Bruce protests that he's ''not'' a therapist, and he doesn't really the temperament for it.
** ''Film/AvengersEndgame'': PlayedForLaughs. When Tony and Bruce are telling the others about Doctor Strange, they have a brief moment of confusion as they realize they have no idea what kind of doctor he actually is, because neither of them ever actually asked. Tony says he was probably an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist but Strange is a neurosurgeon, for the record.

** In one episode, Sheldon gives Leonard medical advice in his usual InsufferableGenius manner. Leonard sarcastically responds, "Thank you, ''Doctor'' Cooper." As usual, Sheldon [[SarcasmBlind doesn't get it]] and confusedly replies, "You're welcome, ''Doctor'' Hofstadter." In another episode, someone (a police officer) who just learned Sheldon is a doctor is reassured by Leonard with "Don't worry, not the kind with access to drugs."

** Rusty Venture is usually called "Doctor Venture", even though he dropped out of school after his father died. He does possess a doctorate, but he prefers not to bring up where he got it from ([[WorthlessForeignDegree it's an honorary doctorate from a Tijuana community college).

** The only character known for certain to have a real doctorate is [[spoiler: Jonas Jr., who earned two of them only a few months after escaping from Dr. Venture's bowels.]] Billy earns a forged doctorate after performing heart surgery on a supervillain, though it's suggested that he does have enough skill to get the degree legitimately.

* Dr. Venture from ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' is usually called "Doctor Venture", even though he dropped out of school after his father died.

** The only character known for certain to have a real doctorate is [[spoiler: Jonas Jr., who earned two of them only a few months after escaping from Dr. Venture's bowels.]]
*** It's been implied that Billy may be an actual doctorate and possibly even That Kind of Doctor; he mentions that he is a "neurogeneticist" and while he admits that this is not an area with much hands-on applicability, he's still apparently the gang's go-to guy for medical help and we've seen him perform surgery several times.
*** He doesn't have a doctorate until Season 4, where he gets a forged one via Monstroso's connections.
** After The Monarch has a severe allergic reaction to a gourmet meal, his wife Dr. Mrs. The Monarch tells him she can't help, as she's not a doctor. When he asks why he called her Dr. Girlfriend during the years when they dated, she clarifies that she's "not that kind of doctor", although it's not clear what kind of doctor she might be.
*** She mentions she's a physicist in a fourth season episode when tracking Captain Sunshine.

* The controversial restaurant [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_Attack_Grill the Heart Attack Grill]] in Las Vegas is owned by someone who calls himself Dr. Jon Basso in advertisements. He's not a real doctor, and it is doubtful that a real doctor would advise eating at the place, which serves some of the unhealthiest junk food in the country. At least two customers who ate there have had real heart attacks (one actually in the restaurant) and two spokesmen died of pneumonia.

* ''Series/IronFist2017''. In "Heart of the Dragon", Danny Rand is seriously injured but refuses to go to a hospital, so Ward Meachum calls in his girlfriend whom he says is a doctor. She points out she's actually an anesthetist, and though she patches Danny up, tells Ward that he's ''not'' to call on her for this kind of thing again.

* Which leads to this exchange in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E2TheWitchsFamiliar The Witch's Familiar"]]

'''Tony:''' So your a doctor like Kissinger’s a doctor?\\

-->'''Both:''' ''(begin chuckling)

* In ''ComicBook/PaperinikNewAdventures'', every single adult Xerbian is a doctor of some kind, with most of them fitting this trope. For a specific example, the most prominent Xerbian, namely [[PersonOfMassDestruction Xadhoom]], who named herself after the Xerbian word for "creditor", was once the astrophysicist Dr. Xado.

* The vets in ''Series/AllCreaturesGreatAndSmall'' sometimes have clients who mistake them for traditional doctors, often under embarrassing circumstances. Tristan once went on a house-call to an infertile couple under the mistaken belief that he was going to artificially inseminate their cow. Another time a woman turned up at the surgery asking for confirmation of her pregnancy and Siegfried pretended to [[CovertPervert comply with her wishes]] in order to freak out Tristan and James.

* ''VideoGame/HalfLife'': Dr. Gordon Freeman, though he has yet to be mistaken for a medical doctor.
** Oddly enough, he ''has'' been [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything mistaken]] for a physicist somehow.
*** Possibly justified as anyone who can routinely and effectively utilize a standard medical kit to treat radiation burns, poisonous bug bites, extraterrestrial bug bites, broken bones, BULLET WOUNDS, and a mild cough would probably require at least an M.D.
*** Or a full-body ultra-high-tech powered armor with an AI (HEV), which performs medical operations by itself.
*** Or he [[WildMassGuessing got his Ph.D on a military scholarship.]]

* Dr. Charles B. Pierce from ''Film/BoggyCreek2TheLegendContinues'' is mistaken for a medical doctor when asked to treat the mountain man Crenshaw's captive baby Boggy Creek Creature. Turns out Dr. Pierce only has a doctorate in Boggy Creek Studies.

* Similar to her parents, in the previous section, WesternAnimation/KimPossible has [[HarmlessVillain Dr. Drakken]]. His however is a MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate since he "let hiself out" of higher education before graduating.

** Inverted with [[Film/TheIncredibleHulk Dr. Bruce Banner]], as while he's a physicist, he is seen practicing medicine in the slums of Calcutta at the start of ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}''. However, TheStinger for ''Film/IronMan3'' has Bruce say the line verbatim to Tony Stark, who has been telling the entire story of the movie to him as if Bruce were his psychotherapist. Bruce however has fallen asleep and missed the whole thing. Bruce gives this trope, but then Stark starts to ramble on about his Freudian issues. ''Film/ThorRagnarok'' does confirm that he has [[OmnidisciplinaryScientist seven Ph.Ds]]; unfortunately for him, none of them are for driving alien spaceships.