Take into the conversation
Questions to ask
- Does the full name match the person who would see me?
- Is the licence current, and are there limits listed?
- Does the record show public discipline or pending charges?
Check the public record
Get the full name
Get the doctor's full name from the service. Also ask about your location during the visit: which state will you be in?
Open the state's board
Follow the medical-board directory to that state's board. Use its public licence search.
Match and read
Match the name and licence details. Read the status, limits, and any public board action.
Keep the record with your notes
Save the board page or a copy of the result so it is easy to find during the visit.
The notes behind the questions
What the answer rests on
Find the board, then read its record
The Federation of State Medical Boards has a directory with links to the bodies that license doctors in each state.
Those boards publish licence information, though the details they make public differ by state.
Read the result with its limits
A clean public record only tells you that no public board action is shown. It does not measure how well a doctor treats people.
That directory points to doctor-licensing boards; it is not a search of every profession that can prescribe.
Keep in your notes
If names or details do not line up, take the mismatch back to the service. Ask the relevant board about a record you cannot interpret.