Doctors with MD or DO after their name
Arizona licence tools described here were checked as of October 3, 2026.
An MD is a medical doctor. Arizona’s Medical Board has a doctor search with licence details and the board’s formal decisions about the doctor. These decisions are called board orders. [a]
DO doctors practise medicine and surgery. They have a different medical qualification from MD doctors and are called osteopathic doctors. Arizona’s board for them has its own “Find your DO” search. [b]
Use the board that matches the qualification. An MD search does not check a DO’s record. [b]
Nurse practitioners and physician assistants
Nurse practitioners are nurses who have advanced training. Arizona’s Nursing Board links to Nursys, a website for checking nursing records. Look for the nursing licence and the certificate for the nurse’s advanced role. [c]
A PA is a physician assistant. Arizona’s PA board offers a PA search and licence verification. [d]
An Arizona nurse practitioner must prescribe within board requirements and the patient group they trained to care for, as of October 3, 2026. [e]
Ask: “Do you have the Nursing Board’s permission to prescribe, and does your training cover patients like me?” Ask the board about an unclear answer.
For any person prescribing, ask: “Does your licence allow you to prescribe this exact medicine for my condition?” Keep that answer beside the licence record.
Read the record with care
Match the name. Check the licence’s current status and any limits the board placed on it. Read any board orders. Ask the board to explain an unclear decision.
As of October 6, 2026, Arizona restricts some complaint records and how long certain board actions appear on its websites. [f]
More public records may be requested. An empty online action list does not prove that no past complaint or action exists. [f]
Then check the medicine separately
Keep the person’s licence check beside the product name. Neither replaces the other.