Guide to Post Nominals

An important part of the prestige of being a podiatrist is your ability to use your title, DPM. This title should be displayed correctly on your printed material. However, there are several different ways in which podiatrists tend to display their titles in terms of using periods between the letters (D.P.M.) or not using them at all (DPM). This seems to be a matter of preference, but at Podiatric Press we believe that it is important to have continuity on all of your printed material so that your title looks uniform on everything that it is printed on. I read a few statements written by Robert Hickey, the Deputy Director of the Protocol School of Washington and the author of Honor & Respect: The Official Guide to Names, Titles, and Forms of Address that detail the proper use according to him of post nominals. Hickey says that post nominals should only be used with a full name and when appropriate, such as on your business card or in a professional publication. 

As for the use of periods in your title, Hickey believes that it is a matter of style and that it is important to be consistent. You would not want your title to have periods on your business card, but not have them in a publication that you contributed to. A similar title that is often written in a variety of formats is the title of MVP given to the quarterback of the Ravens, Joe Flacco, in the Superbowl against the San Francisco 49ers. I have seen the word MVP written with periods such as, M.V.P., and this is similarly a matter of preference although either way the meaning of the abbreviation remains the same. Overall, consistency with the way that your title is written will create a cohesive look throughout your printed material.

By Alexa Saltzman