Checking credentials
A badge cannot do a licence check for you.
The misconception
“An official-looking badge is enough to check a service.”
The answer
The state medical board’s public record shows the doctor’s licence status and any published disciplinary action, such as penalties or licence restrictions. Having no published disciplinary action does not tell you how good the doctor’s care is.
Trace this answerMatch the names to public records
Get the clinician’s full name
Ask who will assess you and what kind of professional they are. Use that person’s name in the relevant licensing search.
The state-and-territory board directory is published by FSMB (Federation of State Medical Boards).
Look at the state where the visit happens
Your location at the appointment determines which state must give the doctor a licence or other legal permission. Federal guidance checked September 26, 2026 explains this.
If you will be away from home, give the service your actual location for that appointment. If the doctor says a local licence is not needed, ask what permission they have and check that answer with the state medical board.
Ask for the pharmacy name as well
Pharmacy licences come from state boards of pharmacy, a different set of boards from those licensing doctors.
State pharmacy searches are collected on a page run by the Food and Drug Administration, also called FDA.
Read what a record actually says
Match the name, location and licence status. Read any listed penalty or licence restriction rather than guessing what a badge means.
Under the rule checked September 26, 2026, an “FDA registered” business or a drug on FDA’s list is not necessarily FDA-approved.
Keep the checks separate
Most states require a pharmacy shipping from another state to have permission from the patient’s state too, as checked September 26, 2026.
Ask about both the pharmacy’s home state and the state receiving the medicine. A name on a service’s website does not answer that question by itself.
Chapter notes
- State medical-board directory
- Choose the relevant board and use its own public search.
- What medical boards disclose
- Explains what the board publishes about a doctor’s licence and penalties for breaking its rules.
- FDA links to pharmacy-licence searches
- Search the pharmacy separately from the prescribing professional.
- Federal health guidance on licences
- Explains why the patient’s location matters.
- Federal rule on registration and listing
- Explains why a business registration or drug listing is not proof of approval.