A common assumption
Does a badge stand in for a board record?
Health-site seals and logos that look official can be fakes, says the Federal Trade Commission. A
If a business appears in Food and Drug Administration (FDA) registration records, that does not prove the agency has approved it or its drugs. B
Use the licence type the clinician gives you. Match the name on the record to the person named for your visit.
A common assumption
Where can a Tempe reader check the clinician?
For a doctor with MD after their name, the Arizona Medical Board’s Doctor Search links to licence records and public board orders.
Public board orders are the board’s written decisions about a doctor’s licence. C
Read the decision and ask the board whether it limits the care the doctor can give.
Check a doctor whose name ends in DO through Arizona’s separate board for those doctors. D
The Arizona Nursing Board links to nursing licences and certificates showing permission for additional nursing work. E
For a nurse who will prescribe, ask the board to check the licence, the certificate for that nursing role and permission to prescribe.
A nurse with an extra care role is called a nurse practitioner.
A nurse practitioner’s permission to prescribe must come from the Nursing Board and fit the nurse’s training. F
Physician assistants have a separate Arizona board with a public search. G
A common assumption
What can a quiet record prove?
Arizona limits which board records appear on a website, and extra public records can be requested.
An empty online list does not establish that no past complaint or action exists. H
Ask the board about a record you do not understand. Keep a copy of the record you used.
A common assumption
Is the pharmacy a separate check?
Arizona’s Pharmacy Board licenses pharmacists and issues permits to pharmacies; those are separate records.
A pharmacy based elsewhere needs Arizona’s permit before sending medicine here.
The pharmacy also needs permission to operate from the place where it is based, such as that place’s pharmacy permit. I
Ask the Pharmacy Board how to verify the pharmacy’s current permit. Give its exact name and the place where it operates.
FDA also offers links to state pharmacy licence checks. J