Doctor Email Signatures (With Examples)

Email is still the dominant form of digital communication used worldwide, including within the medical industry. If you’re a doctor, you want your emails to showcase your credibility and professionalism regardless of the message content.

This is why using a professional doctor email signature is so important. Having a signature template appended to all emails provides additional credibility and instills a level of trust in recipients such as patients.

Please read our guide on what elements to include in a doctor email signature. These also apply to other medical professionals such as nurses, therapists, dieticians, etc. Then, use our example doctor email signature templates to garner further inspiration for your own designs.

What should you include in a doctor email signature?

The following information should be included in any email signature templates used by doctors and other medical professionals.

1. Full name

This is your first and last name. We recommend also including your middle name and relevant medical qualifications, such as:

• BMBS

• MRCGP

• MBBS

• FRACGP

2. Job title

Be as specific as possible when presenting your job title over email. You don’t just want to put “Doctor”. Highlight which medical field you specialize in and your actual job title.

Some examples might include the following:

• Obstetrician

• Family Physician

• Pediatrician

• Cardiologist

3. Where you work

Tell people exactly where you work. If you work for a hospital, put the hospital’s full name. You could even hyperlink the text to highlight where you work on Google Maps. The same is true if you work for somewhere like a private medical practice, HMO, etc.

4. Corporate logo

Add the hospital’s/medical practice’s logo to provide instant brand recognition and an extra element of professionalism in your email communications.

5. Main phone number

This could be your direct dial number or the main switchboard one. A doctor’s email signature will often use the main reception desk’s phone number of your department or building.

6. Emergency phone number

If a patient requires urgent medical care, include an emergency phone number. This can be another doctor’s direct dial or your country’s emergency services number. Some examples include:

• 999 in the UK

• 911 in the U.S.

• 112 in Germany

• 000 in Australia

7. URL link

This should take recipients directly to the hospital/medical practice’s website.

8. Email address

Your emails may get forwarded to other recipients. Including your email address in your doctor email signature makes it easier for people to reply to you. It also ensures your email address is always visible throughout an email thread.

Additional elements to consider in your doctor email signature

1. Qualification images

Visually show recipients the medical credentials you’ve worked hard for by including certifications in your email signature to showcase your expertise further.

2. Professional photo

If it’s appropriate, include a headshot photo image of yourself. A doctor email signature always carries more weight if recipients can put a face to a name. It also adds a level of personalization that you don’t often get over email.

3. Social media icons

Provide links to your hospital/medical practice’s social media accounts. If you are personally active on social media, link to your own LinkedIn and Twitter profiles.

4. Display banner

Offer important content to recipients with graphical display banners. For example, you could point patients to COVID-19 health information, important news you want to highlight, or an upcoming event.

5. Handwritten signature

Enhance the credibility of your doctor email signature and add an additional seal of approval with a handwritten signature. This will leave an impact on any recipient that sees your email signature.

Ensure you conform to email disclaimer law

Certain countries have legislation requiring a specific email disclaimer to be appended to all outgoing messages. For example, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a U.S. healthcare law. This has specific rules around the use of email disclaimers that must be followed for all patient email communications.

Another example is in the Netherlands. Since January 1, 2020, all healthcare providers have had to include a BIG-registration number on every business email. This is a legal requirement for Professions in Individual Health Care (Beroepen in de Individuele Gezondheidszorg).

For more design inspiration, check out our email signature template gallery.