How do I check if a doctor is board certified?

Search the American Board of Medical Specialties directory at certificationmatters.org. It is free and shows whether a physician holds current certification in a given specialty. Board certification means they completed an accredited residency and passed the certifying examination for that specialty.

What is the difference between a medical license and board certification?

A licence is the legal permission to practise medicine in a state and is the minimum requirement. Board certification is voluntary and specialty-specific, indicating completion of accredited residency training and passing a certifying examination. A licensed doctor is not necessarily board certified in the specialty you need.

How can I find out if a doctor has been disciplined?

State medical boards publish licence status and disciplinary actions. DocInfo.org, operated by the Federation of State Medical Boards, searches those records across all states. How much detail is disclosed varies by state, but an active and unrestricted licence is the baseline to confirm.

Are online doctor reviews reliable?

They are weak evidence of clinical skill but useful for logistics such as wait times, communication style, and administrative reliability. Read for repeated patterns across many reviews rather than for single glowing or furious outliers.

Does PickTheDoc verify or recommend individual doctors?

No. PickTheDoc does not hold data on individual clinicians, does not verify credentials, and does not endorse or recommend any doctor. This page explains how to check credentials yourself using the official bodies that maintain that information.

How to check a doctor's credentials

August 1, 2026 · Reviewed by Pick The Doc Team · Editorial policy

Star ratings mostly measure parking, reception staff, and waiting times. The information that actually tells you something about a doctor is public, free, and takes about ten minutes to check.

PickTheDoc does not verify or endorse individual doctors. We hold no data on individual clinicians. This page explains how to check for yourself, using the official bodies that maintain those records.

Board certification is the strongest single signal

Board certification means a doctor completed an accredited residency in the specialty and passed its certifying examination, and that they keep up with continuing requirements. It is voluntary, specialty-specific, and the most useful thing you can check.

A medical licence is a much lower bar. It permits someone to practise medicine; it says nothing about training in any particular specialty. Both are worth confirming, but they answer different questions.

Check board certification

The American Board of Medical Specialties maintains the official directory. It is free and requires only a name and location.

Search ABMS (opens in a new tab, external site)

Covers the 24 ABMS member boards. Osteopathic physicians may instead be certified by the American Osteopathic Association.

Licence status and disciplinary history

Every state medical board publishes a searchable licence register showing whether a licence is active and in good standing, when it was issued, and whether there have been disciplinary actions. How much detail is disclosed varies by state.

Check licence and discipline

DocInfo.org, run by the Federation of State Medical Boards, searches licence records from every state board in one place.

Search DocInfo (opens in a new tab, external site)

An active, unrestricted licence is the baseline. Absence of a disciplinary record is not a guarantee of anything, but a restriction is worth understanding before you book.

Match the sub-specialty to your problem

Specialties contain sub-specialties, and the distinction matters more than most people expect. A general cardiologist and an electrophysiologist are both cardiologists but work on different problems. Orthopedists frequently focus on a single joint or region.

When you call to book, it is entirely reasonable to ask: “Does the doctor regularly treat this condition?” A practice that cannot answer that question is telling you something useful.

What reviews are and are not evidence of

Patient reviews are weak evidence of clinical skill and reasonable evidence of everything surrounding it. Read them for repeated patterns rather than for outliers.

Repeated comments about being rushed or not listened to are worth weighing seriously.
Consistent reports of unreturned calls or unavailable results signal an administrative problem you will have to live with.
A single furious review, or a single glowing one, tells you very little.
Comments about wait times and billing are usually accurate and worth knowing in advance.

Five questions for the front desk

These take two minutes and prevent most wasted appointments.

Is the doctor in network for my insurance plan?
Do I need a referral, and have you received it?
What is the wait for a new-patient appointment?
Which hospital does the doctor admit to?
How do I get test results, and how long do they usually take?

What good looks like in the room

Credentials get you through the door; they do not tell you how a consultation will go. A good one involves being allowed to finish your sentences, hearing your own history repeated back accurately, and leaving with a clear plan and a named next step.

If none of that happens, that is legitimate grounds to seek a second opinion regardless of how impressive the credentials are. Our guide on what to do when a doctor dismisses your symptoms covers the next steps.

Frequently asked questions

How do I check if a doctor is board certified?: Search the ABMS directory at certificationmatters.org. It is free and shows current certification by specialty.
What is the difference between a licence and board certification?: A licence is the legal permission to practise and is the minimum requirement. Board certification is voluntary, specialty-specific, and indicates accredited residency training plus a passed examination.
How can I find out if a doctor has been disciplined?: State medical boards publish licence status and disciplinary actions. DocInfo.org searches those records across all states. Disclosure detail varies by state.
Are online doctor reviews reliable?: Weak evidence of clinical skill, useful for logistics. Read for patterns across many reviews, not single outliers.
Does PickTheDoc verify or recommend individual doctors?: No. We hold no data on individual clinicians and endorse no one. This page explains how to check for yourself.