Credentials

Check the person.

The service’s name does not identify the person who would assess you. Ask for that person’s full name, professional role and California license details.

Question to carry

Match the full name and profession.

Read the offer

Match the role to the state record

MD and DO are two doctor qualifications. In California’s license search, checked in September 2026, choose the Medical Board for an MD or the Osteopathic Medical Board for a DO. California’s public license search

Both letters identify doctors. Ask which health problems the doctor treats. Search using the person’s full name rather than the service’s display name.

As checked in September 2026, California’s nursing records show the nurse license, nurse practitioner certificate and a separate certificate for ordering medicines. That last record is called “Nurse Practitioner Furnishing” or “NPF”. The nursing board’s verification guide

If a nurse practitioner would prescribe, check those records and ask them to explain their authority to order your medicine.

NP means nurse practitioner. PA means physician assistant. Ask which person would write a prescription, even if someone else leads the conversation.

Match the full name and profession. Check that the license is current and read any records of discipline, such as suspension or loss of the license.

Look more closely

Ask how the practice is arranged

As of September 2026, most California nurse practitioners order medicines using written procedures that a supervising doctor has agreed to. Some qualify to work without those procedures. The state calls them “103 NP” or “104 NP”. A 103 NP works in specified settings where doctors also practice; a 104 NP may work outside those settings. California’s rules for nurse practitioner work

The nursing board’s license record shows whether the person has 103 NP or 104 NP authority. These nurses must tell new patients they are nurse practitioners rather than doctors.

As of September 2026, a California PA provides medical services with physician supervision under a signed practice agreement. California’s rule for PA practice

Ask who is responsible for the plan and how to reach them. A job title alone does not explain that arrangement.

Ask whether a supervising doctor is part of your care and how to reach them. Ask who answers questions about treatment or feeling ill after taking the medicine.

Carry this forward

Understand what a record can tell you

A clear public board record means the board lists no public discipline against the person’s license. That record does not measure the quality of the care they provide. Read the state record

Save the result for your notes. If the record and the name you were given do not match, ask for the correct details before moving ahead.

Keep the license details with the treatment name. Resolve a mismatch before paying.

Keep in mind

The chapter recap

Know who assesses you, who prescribes and who answers later. Check those names against the state record.

Check the online visit