Signguin
A doctor's email signature should show your name with credentials, your specialty or role, the clinic, the phone number patients should call, the clinic address, a booking link and a short confidentiality line. It should never contain patient information. Type your clinic email above and Signguin loads your logo and colors; you add the rest in a couple of minutes. (Looking for a handwritten signature for forms or prescriptions? This page is about the block at the bottom of your emails.) This is practical guidance, not legal advice: check with your practice's privacy or compliance officer.
Details and setup
What to put in a doctor's email signature
- Name and credentials: "Dr. Priya Ostrander" or "Priya Ostrander, MD". Pick one form; "Dr." plus "MD" says the same thing twice.
- Specialty or role: Family Physician, Pediatric Dentist, Practice Manager.
- Clinic name and logo. Signguin reads both from your practice website.
- The number patients should call. Usually the front desk, not your personal mobile.
- A shared clinic email (such as care@) if patients should not write to your own inbox.
- Clinic address and website, and a booking link if you take appointments online.
- A confidentiality line and an emergency line at the very bottom.
A sample in the Care design:
Dr. Priya Ostrander, Family Physician, Larchmere Family Practice. +1 555 0136, care@larchmerefamilypractice.com, larchmerefamilypractice.com, 48 Linden Ave, Hartwell. Button: "Book a visit". Emergency and confidentiality lines below.
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More layouts: email signature examples.
Keep patient information out of your signature
Your signature is added to every email, including replies to the wrong person and threads that get forwarded. So nothing in it should identify a patient: no names, no appointment details, no "Re: lab results for..." text saved into a template, no photo taken in the clinic with patients in the background.
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) says HIPAA-covered providers may email patients "provided they apply reasonable safeguards". Its examples are "checking the e-mail address for accuracy before sending" and "limiting the amount or type of information disclosed through the unencrypted e-mail" (HHS FAQ on emailing patients, checked October 2026). HHS also notes that patients may ask to be contacted another way, for example by phone or mail instead of email. The FAQ does not mention signature footers or disclaimers. A confidentiality line is still a useful courtesy notice to anyone who gets your email by mistake.
Confidentiality and emergency lines you can copy
Paste one of these into Legal note / disclaimer under Extras (free), or click the ready-made Confidentiality text and edit it:
This email and any attachments are confidential and intended only for the addressee. If you received it by mistake, please tell the sender and delete it.
Please do not use email for urgent medical questions or emergencies. Call the clinic at +1 555 0136, or 911 in an emergency.
Email may not be secure. If you prefer that we contact you by phone or mail, let us know.
Keep it to two or three short lines. Use your practice's own wording if it has one.
Works in Gmail, Outlook & Apple Mail
Booking: a free link or a Premium button
Patients often want one thing from your email: a way to book. You have two options.
- Free: in Links and social media, add Booking with your booking page. In the Classic design it shows as an icon next to your other links.
- Premium: under Extras, fill in Button text ("Book a visit") and Button link. The Care design shows it as an outlined button under your contact details, built as a table cell so it stays clickable in Outlook. Care has no social icons, so in Care the button is the booking link.
Premium is a one-time payment for one person, not a subscription. It also covers your photo (email signature with photo), every design, banners, a "Save contact" link and removing the small "Made with Signguin" link that the free version adds. Saving and editing your signature later is free.
Nurses: credentials in the right order
For nurses, the usual question is the order of the credentials. The ANCC's preferred order is: highest earned degree, licensure, state designations or requirements, national certifications, awards and honors, other recognition (ANCC, How to display your credentials, checked October 2026). For example: Kate Delmonico, MSN, RN, FNP-BC. Type the credentials after your name in the Full name field, and your role ("Family Nurse Practitioner") and unit in Job title. The free Simple design keeps it compact; Classic works too.
Therapists and counselors
Therapists usually email clients one to one, so these rules matter even more: no client names or session details, a short confidentiality line, and a way to reach you that is not your personal number. Add your license type after your name (for example, "Owen Marsh, LMFT"), and your license number if your licensing board asks for it in advertising. A booking link saves a round of "does Tuesday work?". The Glow design (Premium) suits a private practice; Classic does the job for free. Teachers and school counselors: see teacher email signature.
Add it to Outlook or Gmail
Click Copy signature in the last step and paste it into Outlook: new Outlook and Outlook on the web under Settings, Account, Signatures; classic Outlook for Windows under File, Options, Mail, Signatures (full steps). On Gmail, install it straight into Gmail or follow how to change your Gmail signature. On an iPhone: iPhone email signature.
When Signguin is not the right fit
Signguin makes one person's signature at a time. It does not encrypt email and does not make your email HIPAA compliant; that depends on your email system and your practice's policies. It also has no team plan yet, so it cannot roll one signature out to a whole hospital or group practice from an admin console. Each colleague can make their own free signature with the same logo and lines. Other tools: best email signature generators.
FAQ: doctor email signatures
What should a doctor put in an email signature?
Your name with credentials, your specialty or role, the clinic name and logo, the phone number patients should call, the clinic address and website, and a booking link if you book online. Close with a short confidentiality line and a note not to use email for emergencies. Leave out anything that identifies a patient.
Does HIPAA require a disclaimer in my email signature?
HHS's guidance on emailing patients talks about reasonable safeguards, such as checking the address before you send and limiting what goes into unencrypted email. That FAQ does not mention signature disclaimers. You can still add a confidentiality line as a courtesy notice. This is general information, not legal advice; ask your compliance officer.
Should I write "Dr." or "MD" in my email signature?
One of them, not both. "Dr. Priya Ostrander" reads warmer in emails to patients, while "Priya Ostrander, MD" is common with colleagues and shows the degree. Nurses list credentials in the ANCC order: degree, license, state designation, national certification.
Can I add a booking button to my signature for free?
A booking link is free: add it under Links and social media and it shows as an icon in the Classic design. A booking button (text such as "Book a visit" inside a colored outline) is Premium, a one-time payment with no subscription. You can try the button in the preview before deciding.
What should a nurse email signature look like?
Name followed by credentials in order (for example "MSN, RN, FNP-BC"), then your role and unit, the hospital or clinic, and a work phone or extension. Keep patient details out, and add the confidentiality line your employer uses. A compact design such as Simple stays readable on a phone.