Two kinds of doctor
Medical doctors (MDs) and doctors of osteopathic medicine (DOs, a second kind of licensed doctor) answer to different state boards, but both can be looked up in the same free state licence search.
CALIFORNIA RULES / PUBLIC RECORDS
The state records that matter
California does not use one master licence for everyone involved in care. The person who prescribes and the pharmacy that fills the order have separate records.
SEARCH→CHECK→CARE
Match the name to the board
Nurse practitioner
The nursing board records the nurse licence and, separately, the certificate a nurse practitioner needs before being allowed to write prescriptions.
Pharmacy
The pharmacy board records ordinary pharmacies, plus separate licences for pharmacies that make medicines to order in germ-free (sterile) conditions.
What the doctor record can show
As of September 2026, California's public record for a medical doctor includes licence status plus past discipline, criminal convictions, malpractice judgments, and some hospital actions.
A clean page means no public discipline appears there. It says nothing about how kind the doctor is or how well treatment works.
MYTH / TAP TO CHECK
One licence search covers every person and facility involved.
THE FACT
It does not. Start with the person's profession, then check the pharmacy separately. A badge from a private inspection group (called accreditation) cannot replace either state licence.
Open the official record
Where these facts come fromGOVERNMENT PAGES
These links open the public records used for this chapter.