The expert

Dear Editor,
A few days ago, I attended an online workshop where I delivered a presentation on witness protection. The guy who introduced me called me Dr Alagie Barrow. I thought it was a mistake the first time, but he referred to me as Doctor Barrow throughout his introduction. I was squirming in my seat, anxiously waiting for him to finish so I could tell the audience that I am not a doctor, have never been, and have no interest in being one. But even if I were one, ask anyone who knows a bit about me and they’ll tell you that I don’t like titles. I prefer to be called Alagie.
Ordinarily, using titles to make yourself feel important wouldn’t bother me, but when people’s lives are at risk, I feel compelled to say something. I’m talking about people who call themselves experts in certain fields or assume titles and qualifications without meeting the requirements for the title. I mean, no one gets hurt when someone calls themselves a retired colonel when they cannot point to any notable military academy they’ve ever completed. No one gets hurt when a university instructor calls himself a professor, knowing deep down he’s not a professor. And no one dies when someone calls themself a top journalist just because they’ve been in the field for eons. I also get it when people showcase their grandiose and empty titles or job positions Jammeh gave them. I understand our addiction to titles and positions. People of this colonial space love our titles, and we adore our degrees and honourables, even if we know honour has long since reposed in many of us. I get it. Our brittle egos need to be fed. You can call yourself whatever you want if it helps you sleep at night and as long as no one gets hurt.
The one that bothers me are those in the medical field who assume titles they’ve never earned. A friend from another country lost her niece because the so-called specialist who was treating her misdiagnosed her. I remember the NIA or SIS, as we call them today, had a doctor who had never set foot in medical school. And this was the person treating the APRC Government’s victims at the NIA. Growing up, I also remember one or two pharmacy owners who were called doctors but had never seen the inside of a medical school. In fact, one of them had no formal pharmacy training. But he knew how to dispense medicines and even administer injections.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not discounting experience. Sometimes, I know that experience outperforms formal school education. There’s a reason someone once said that experience is the best teacher. So I get it. Experience is great!
But gaining experience in specialised fields requires a lot. That’s why these fields offer certifications. If you have not met the required standard, you should not assign the title to yourself.
If your job involves life and death matters, particularly those in the medical field, please, for God’s sake, do not assign yourself specialties or titles when you’ve not met all the requirements! I know it feels good to call yourself a surgeon or what have you, but if you’ve not met the requirements, don’t go tearing people open. Please don’t call yourself an anesthesiologist if all you’ve done is prescribe sleeping pills. And please don’t call yourself a pathologist if all you’ve done is attend medical school. It takes much more. 
I can only hope that our certifying system in the colonial space is robust enough. I hope those who call themselves specialists or adopt certain professional titles have met all the requirements. More so when they’re in the medical field. Because calling yourself a top journalist may only boost one’s ego, but calling yourself an expert or specialist in a medical field when you are not is a very dangerous proposition!
Having said all that, I don’t mind if people call me Badibu Imam because ultimately, that will be my title!
Alhagie Saidy Barrow
USA