My insurance co. has a website listing the doctors and includes in their bio if they are board certified in their field of specialty in addition to which hospitals they can use. IIRC it also lists if they've taken the classes but never took the exam...

Story.

A friend went to their doctor and got antibiotics for a UTI — Urinary Tract Infection.

The friend went out of state on vacation, but still had symptoms when they returned. The doctor did not have an opening to see my friend for several days, but told them they could go to a general walk-in clinic. The doctor would not prescribe anything over the phone, even though my friend had his wife drop off a urine sample that tested positive for infection.

I looked up the friend’s doctor and it appears the doctor is not board certified in internal medicine or family medicine. The doctor’s profile information on Healthgrades.com or other sites gives no information on whether the doctor is board certified. It says that the doctor’s medical education is from a college of osteopathy.

I was not impressed by this.

I looked up some of my doctors on Healthgrades.com and found their profiles stated they were board certified in Internal Medicine. At least one doctor was board certified for two specialities.

I communicated that to my friend who decided to find another doctor. I am conerned since they have had this infection for over two (2) weeks and it is not responding to the prescribed antibiotics. This friend also has one or two comorbidities (DM II) and is not medically versed. There is a large medical center/teaching hospital that a lot of practitioners in their area are connected to, but except for their Cardiology Department, I personally, have given it three tries and found it wanting.

I hope my friend will find a competent if not super duper doctor. I have not heard back and have already emailed info. I don’t want to bug them.

PD Thanks Annie D.!

Two different topics to comment on. I'll do two posts.

First - training after medical school graduation.

To get a state medical license requires, I believe, at least one year of additional training. These have historically been referred to as the "internship year". Very few docs these days do only that but those who do are called something like "general physicians".

I think nearly 100% of grads continue on to do what's call "residency training". I think the minimum length is 3 years (which includes a first year roughly equal to an internship) and then additional years depending on the field of medicine pursued and the degree and layers of specialization. The primary care areas - internal med, family med as well as others like emergency, OB/GYN, etc are 3 years. Other residency areas take longer - just as a hypothetical, orthopedic surgery may be 5 or 6 years or more. A further focus into a particular joint or area like foot and ankle or sports medicine may be an added fellowship year or more after that.

For specialties that require "fellowships", further training after a residency, further board exams are given. To be board certified happens by passing a specific exam at the end of a residency or fellowship. The exam pass rates vary, mid-70%s for some, up to mid 90%s for others. No added classes are required, just completion of the residency or fellowship.

Many sub specialties are subsets of internal medicine. Cardiology, pulmonology, gastroenterology, and a number of others are examples. So to become a cardiologist, a 3 year residency in internal medicine is done first, and then successful application for admission to a cardiology fellowship for an addition 3 years. Such a doc likely takes the internal med board at the end of the residency period, and then again would take the cardiology board at the end of the fellowship. Thus, docs in subspecialties of internal medicine, as an example, are often double boarded because that's the path they've followed to their area of practice.

A physician who has successfully completed a residency in internal medicine can call themself a "specialist in internal medicine". Or if cardiology training is completed, they're a "cardiologist". But not "boarded" if the applicable test wasn't taken or was taken and failed.

Try this free ABMS Certification Matters doctor search: https://www.certificationmatters.org/find-my-doctor/

Another option is to check your state medical board.

Does it matter if a doctor is boarded?

Yes and no. While in training, they're still students learning more for their specialty. Should a student be able to pass a final exam (which is essentially what a board exam is)? If they did the training but didn't pass, does that mean they learned less than others who did pass? Maybe. Are docs who pass and earn the "boarded" designation better docs? Maybe, but probably not all. But they have demonstrated better mastery of the material they were supposed to learn.

I've been told board exams are tough - not just in medicine but in other "health" fields too. For specialty dentists, for specialty vets, etc. Some have lower passage rates. Does passage mean something? It does to me. I want to see docs who excelled in their education and training as a start, I'll assess how I like them after that.

Remember the US medical profession has two tiers - "allopathic" schools grant MD degrees and osteopathic school grant DO degrees. Osteopathic schools tend to have students with lower achieving undergrad and exam records, many of whom were unsuccessful in gaining admission to the more difficult allopathic schools. Does that matter? It matters to me, for the same reason as in the preceding paragraph.

There are lousy docs who went to great MD schools, and excellent docs who went to osteopathic schools. I'd rather go with the odds, past performance can be a strong indicator of future achievement.

MD and DO residency organizations are separate and grant accreditation to programs separately. All MD schools offer residencies, DO schools don't in the same way (because few or none operate their own hospitals). DO residencies tend to be at hospitals that choose to affiliate with such programs. Why, or what leads to that, I don't know.

DO school grads can apply to allopathic residencies by taking the allopathic exams that MD students take. (Note - graduates of foreign medical schools can also apply to US allopathic residencies. If they do well on their USMLE exams, they can complete US residencies and get US medical licenses. And then green card status, I believe, if not US citizens.)

A fair number (DO grads)do complete allopathic (as opposed to osteopathic) residencies. Many allopathic programs do not, as a matter of policy, accept applications from DO grads.

Does that matter? I think there's a pretty obvious message in that, that the program directors, whose jobs it is to choose capable entrants to their programs to educate the docs of the future, do not see the DO path as comparable.

" Another option is to check your state medical board. "

I'm not sure state medical boards have any involvement with this. Don't be distracted by the letters "b o a r d" in both words. The bestowing of the distinction "Boarded specialist" is done nationally by the governing organizations who determine and administer the test for the applicable specialty.

A state medical license is usually just that, with no distinction for area of practice. A doc's state record may or may not mention areas of post-doc training but that has nothing to do with their medical licensing. The state boards are not involved in conveying or determining such status. It's something the doc would report on their application on the same basis as reporting their address.

Thanks Elmer and Palisades. I did look my friend’s doctor up on

Try this free ABMS Certification Matters doctor search: https://www.certificationmatters.org/find-my-doctor/

No record found. The blip from another search stated that her medical license expired i 2026.

I’d like to tgink that if ahe is still practici g medicine, she has corrected any errors or taken care of her medical license. 😱

I have ever had a UTI (knock on wood), but can I assume they are serious? Especially i a patient with DM2 and obesity? My friend is taking a GLP-1 drug, although I cannot observe that it is causing the to lose weight.

The DO doctor also had my friend on Jardiance which he believes started this whole infection problem. I sent the info about some serious drawbacks to Jardiance.

He stopped taking it.

I happened upon the Jardiance info when I was researching something in an article I was reading about gangrene.

One of the potential side effects of that ”little pill with a big story to tell” is a particularly nasty type of gangrene of the privates area. Houzz filters may not allow my specifics to pass.

No record found. The blip from another search stated that her medical license expired i 2026.

She wouldn’t be listed on the state medical board.

I'm not sure state medical boards have any involvement with this.

What kind of involvement you thought of?

A state medical board does not involve with certification matter but keeps records, including any board certifications a doctor may list on site so that is another verification option for active practitioners, although a specialty certifying board like ABMS is preferred.

Thanks. II looked herI looked her upI looked her up onI looked her up on bothI looked her up on both CERTI looked her up on both certification boardI looked her up on both certification boardsI looked her up on both certification boards. nothing.

Also under Healthgrades.com, no mention about any board certification.

other practitioners, yes.

In many states, the state's "Medical Board" concerns itself with medical doctors. IE, MD's

A parallel but different board would be for osteopaths. An osteopath (DO) wouldn't be listed on a website that concerns itself with licensure status of MDs .What you may be looking for would be the Osteopathic Board. It's a different license with different requirements

I'd ignore information from unofficial, third party sites - Healthgrades, WebMD, and the like. Unreliable for information.

If the doctor is board certified in Internal Medicine, they would be listed in one or other of the two board certification organizations — ABPS or ABMS.

No - those are for allopathic (MD) specialists. Osteopathic licensing, organizations, and associations are separate from those for allopathic medical doctors - MDs.

Most osteopaths do residencies within the osteopathic universe and the requirements, board tests, etc., are all their own. Perhaps similar in some ways and different in others from those for MDs.

Maybe this is enlightening for those who in prior discussions have offered the mantra - "one is the same as the other". They're not, never have been, and are separate and different in many ways beyond the made-up hooey of healing through manipulation.

Try going in this direction: The Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists (BOS) has served as the official certifying and supervisory body for American Osteopathic Association (AOA) specialty boards since its establishment in 1939. [1, 2]

Oh, thanks. I may look when I have time. That doctor is no longer in the picture as my friend moved on. That doctor did both their internship and residency at the same large allopathic medical center, teaching hospital.

I would think that a retired, almost senior citizen (if not) with DM 2 and obesity and a UTI would be better served by an allopathic, non osteopathic, doctor.

Look at what I read at Wikipedia on Osteopathy:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osteopathy

Look at what I read at Wikipedia on Osteopathy:

My eyes were about to roll to the back of head when I started reading that. But then I saw the distinction between osteopathy and osteopathic medicine. Whew.

Yeah Wildchild. My eyes were flipping around. Then I got interrupted.

Osteopathic medicine in US:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osteopathic_medicine_in_the_United_States

The two articles sugar coat and gloss over the history and state of play. Many decades of disputes and lawsuits from the AMA fighting licensing of osteopaths resulted in a compromise in the mid-20th century- the osteopathic school oversight organization agreed to the AMA's demand that the schools would follow the same curriculum and didactic content as allopathic schools in return for being given recognition and ending the dispute.

But to this day, the accreditation requirements of DO schools are less demanding than those of allopathic (MD) schools. Perhaps none would which to switch affiliation but few if any DO schools meet accreditation standards of allopathic schools anyway and would require major changes to do so.

Few osteopaths practice Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT), which is bogus anyway and stems from the imagination of founder AT Still that had Wildchild rolling her eyes. Their "we focus on the whole person" blah blah is marketing hype. A competent physician of either floar does what a qualified competent should do, and considers what is accepted practice to consider without resorting to hocus pocus.

The U.S. effectively has a two-tier medical education system. MD programs are highly selective, and many applicants who are rejected turn to DO schools, which are generally easier to get admission to. DO graduates can pursue allopathic residencies if they perform well on the USMLE, but the more prestigious programs are highly competitive, and some still exclude DO graduates. Many MD schools also do not hire DOs as faculty.

Two real examples: two couples we know have sons who decided during college to become physicians. Both were good but not outstanding students, with solid undergraduate grades but disappointing MCAT scores. After applying unsuccessfully—one twice and the other three times—to dozens of MD programs, both pursued DO degrees and were accepted.

One completed an osteopathic anesthesia residency; the other pursued surgery and is now a thoracic surgeon. I've known these two since childhood, friends of my kids. Would I go to either in a medical capacity - heck no.

Caribbean medical schools are another route unsuccessful American applicants sometimes take, but they can be another red flag.

A friend’s son wanted to follow his father into medicine but couldn’t get accepted to U.S. medical schools. He attended a Caribbean school, one of a handful that cater largely to American students. His father thought it was a mistake and refused to help with the considerable cost.

He completed the four-year program. He initially failed to match into a residency, but a last-minute opening at a community hospital one month before the July 1 start date gave him a chance. He completed his first year of a primary care residency but struggled badly during the second. He made repeated patient-care mistakes and disregarded required pre-approval procedures. After six months, he was placed on a performance-improvement plan and ultimately dismissed.

The program director told him that their responsibility was to train competent physicians, and his performance convinced the faculty he should not be allowed to practice medicine. He now works for a health insurance company reviewing claims and handling pre-authorizations. I'm sure other of his classmates were able to complete their residencies (they tend to apply to the less competitive ones that are easier to get). Would I go to a Caribbean med school grad for medical services - heck no.

We all have choices to make. I think more real information can lead to better choices but hey, sometimes it's hard to know.

It was part of the preceding conversation. I try to share what I know when germane to the conversation.

There are many lower tier "healthcare providers" whose existences are tolerated but about which people should know more to make good choices. If you'd like to hear about homeopaths or naturopaths, let me know.

I know that Kansas City has a DO school. I did a AI inquiry and have this to share with you:

"

If you mean students entering U.S. MD medical schools, the latest AAMC figures show:

• Average overall undergraduate GPA: 3.79
• Average science GPA: 3.73
• Average MCAT: 511.8 (out of 528)

For comparison, KCU's entering DO class averages about 3.62 GPA and 505 MCAT, so the typical MD matriculant is academically stronger on those two measures."