Checking care
Check the licence behind the name.
Get the person’s licence details, their full name, and the role they hold in your care. Search the public record yourself, rather than relying only on an image of a badge.
To begin
Use California’s public search
California’s Department of Consumer Affairs licence search shows whether a licence is current, expired, or subject to actions such as suspension.
California has separate boards for its different kinds of doctor. The same state search covers both.
Open California’s licence search
Match the full name, the professional role, and the licence number. Read the status and any linked public documents.
Look a little closer
Check the right type of licence
A nurse practitioner is a nurse with a separate state certificate for that role; the search also lists the certificate used for prescribing.
A physician assistant is a licensed medical worker who works under a doctor’s supervision. As of September 2026, the assistant’s signed agreement with the doctor sets out which examinations they may do and medicines they may order. California has a separate board that oversees these assistants.
Ask the service to explain the role of the person doing the assessment.
Look a little closer
What a clear result can and cannot tell you
As of September 2026, the Medical Board’s records show some penalties against doctors and some claims that their care caused harm. They also show certain hospital decisions to take away a doctor’s right to work there because of problems with medical care.
A doctor may have paid to settle a claim without it appearing in this record. Only settlements that meet California’s reporting rules are shown.
A licence search checks the public licence record; it does not grade the quality of the care.
Chapter recap
Keep this in mind.
Save the matching record and ask about anything unclear. Use the person’s professional role to choose the right search.