What Credentials Doctors Should Have and Why

Here's the scenario. You need a new doctor; you are about to begin to look for the best doctor to suit your needs. While finding a personable and trusted professional is important, finding a good doctor also requires finding good credentials with that doctor. Here's why. Credentials are what let the patient know the doctor has a legitimate right to practice medicine. Without them, the guy who owns the office could be fresh out of medical school and selling fake treatments. Any medical professional is allowed to start a practice right out of medical school because they have a medical degree. There is no rule or law against this. The problem arises when a physician advertises themselves as being trained in specialized fields or belonging to a specialists board. Stories about a doctor moving into town, performing bad work and then billing insurance providers for services never rendered or completed can be found in any major newspapers files.

So, now that you have the reason to look at a doctors credentials, what do you look for? Here's five things to help you along.

Licensure Status

A doctors credentials should not have any serious disciplinary actions against them. These are listed nationwide because scammers and malpractice from one community can easily move to another state and another community.

Board Certificates

There are over twenty-four certification boards in the medical profession. These cover many specialties and practices. These boards are not self-appointed or unknown but are a part of the American Boards of Medical Specialties (ABMS)

Training

There are two types of training, Residency and Fellowships. Residency is the term which refers to what hospital the doctor trained at to become fully certified in their field. Fellowships and other training refer to specialized training and advanced studies.

Education

Do research and find out where the doctor went to school. Find out where they got their license to practice. Find out if the school is known in the United States because, even practicing physicians from England or Europe must re-certify to practice in the U.S.

Experience

In the United States, there is a five year minimum time limit which is required being in an actual practice for a doctor to claim any specialization in any medical field.

So, now that you know what to look for in the credentials of a doctor, where do you look for this information? And when you find the information, how do you know how accurate it is? Here's three places to look which answer both.

Hospital Websites

There are many hospitals today which have websites. If a doctor has an association with a hospital, the credentials of that doctor will be on that website. Its a simple search of the physicians name. As a warning I will mention that the hospital will not let you know if the doctor in question has ever had disciplinary action or is low quality.

The American Board of Medical Specialties

Call the ABMS Directory of Board Certified Medical Specialists. The number is 1-800-275-2267 and they only list board certified physicians. If the doctor has this board listed, he's in this directory. You can also use their website which I listed in the resource section.

Your Communities Medical Society

The local community often has a medical society made up of area physicians. You can ask them if they have ever heard of the doctor in question. If your local medical society has no idea who the doctor is, this could be a warning sign. Now if the doctor is new to the area, their credentials may still be found at the state level. The state level is the only place to find complaints or restrictions to practice. Malpractice claims are also registered at the state level.

I will mention here that you should not use just one information source for your judgment of a doctors credentials. Errors in omissions can happen, or certification may have just been awarded. Check as many references as you can. Asking local doctors about other doctors in the area is always a good thing. Long time practicing physicians build up a reputation in their communities.

When you first see your new doctor, you must be sure that the doctors credentials are as real as the office.