Identify the person and their role
Ask for the full professional name of the person conducting your evaluation and the person performing any procedure. Obtain their professional designation, license number, and the location where care would take place. A clinic name or a title on a website does not identify every person involved in care.
Check each professional with the authority responsible for that profession and jurisdiction. A physician board, osteopathic board, physician-assistant authority, and nursing board can be separate organizations. The links below identify their scope; a physician-board destination should not be used as a substitute for a nursing lookup.
Read the official record in context
Use the authority’s current license search where available, or ask it how to obtain a record. Match the name, license number, profession, and other identifying details. Review the status, expiration, restrictions, and publicly available disciplinary information, following the authority’s explanations of its terms.
A name match alone can identify the wrong person. An empty search does not establish that someone is unlicensed: confirm spelling, profession, jurisdiction, and search rules, then contact the authority. Save the date and source of the record you checked.
Check specialty certification separately
Ask which organization issued any claimed specialty certification, the specialty named, and how its current status can be checked. ABMS Certification Matters is one physician certification resource; other professions and certification issuers have their own systems.
Licensing, specialty certification, training, and a National Provider Identifier answer different questions. CMS describes the NPI as an administrative identifier. A directory profile and paid management status do not replace a current official credential check.
- National Provider Identifier standard · Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Use the authority directory
Choose the jurisdiction where care will occur and the profession you need to check. Physician authorities are listed from FSMB’s board directory; links may lead to an authority homepage where its license-search service can be found. Our source-check date records checking the listed reference, not checking any individual professional.
Nursing and physician-assistant resources are provided separately. Where a local direct lookup has not been established, follow the national authority directory or contact instructions shown. Coverage notes describe these gaps instead of inferring professional standing.
Questions to bring
- Who will evaluate me, and who will perform the procedure?
- What is each person’s license number and licensing jurisdiction?
- Which organization issued the specialty certification, and how do I check it?
- Who is responsible for follow-up and questions afterward?
Sources and editorial context
This reference was compiled from the sources below and has not received independent clinical review. Use it to understand terms and prepare questions for a qualified professional who can consider your circumstances.
- Contact a state medical board · Federation of State Medical BoardsReference checked 2026-10-02
- Certification Matters · American Board of Medical SpecialtiesReference checked 2026-10-02
- Contact a board of nursing · National Council of State Boards of NursingReference checked 2026-10-02
- List of PA licensing boards · American Academy of Physician AssociatesReference checked 2026-10-02
- National Provider Identifier standard · Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesReference checked 2026-10-02