The short answer: use the state licensing board’s own records. Look up the doctor or other licensed health professional and the pharmacy separately.
Get the exact names first
Ask for the doctor’s or other licensed health professional’s full name, kind of work and licence details. If a medicine is being discussed, ask which pharmacy or facility would make and send it.
Doctor’s record
Use the state medical board
A doctor’s licence is issued by a state medical board. It publishes their licence status and records of penalties for breaking professional rules. The amount of detail varies by state.
The Federation of State Medical Boards offers links to state and territorial boards in its directory.
Check the licence with the medical board for whichever state you will be in during that visit. Search the full name and compare the details. Check if the licence is current, then look for penalties, practice limits or charges the board is still considering. These searches cover doctors; ask which professional board holds the record for anyone with another kind of licence.
Pharmacy record
Check the dispensing pharmacy separately
Pharmacy licences come from state boards of pharmacy. The FDA has a page linking to the state searches.
As of September 26, 2026, in most states a pharmacy based elsewhere needs that state’s licence or permit before it ships medicine there.
A licence record shows whether the person or pharmacy has a licence. A record without public penalties says nothing about the health professional’s skill. Having a pharmacy licence cannot confirm that each medicine it supplies is made and supplied properly.
A seal is a different kind of check
Accreditation means an outside body checked certain standards. It does not replace a licence, and a process check does not test each batch of medicine.
Keep a note of what you found
The exact name and licence number
The state and type of licence
Whether the board shows a current licence
Any penalties, limits on practice or pending charges