How to check a psychiatrist's license and record in New York

New York publishes three free look-ups that together show whether a psychiatrist is licensed, what the doctor reports about training and practice, and whether the state has taken disciplinary action. None requires an account. With the clinician's full name, the whole check takes about five minutes, and it is worth doing before a first appointment with anyone who will be diagnosing you or prescribing a controlled substance.

The same steps work for a clinician you would see by video. State guidance says a practitioner must hold a New York license, or be otherwise authorized, when providing services to a patient located in New York, so a telehealth prescriber based elsewhere should still appear in the New York search.

The three tools at a glance

Step 1: Confirm the license with NYSED

1. Open the Office of the Professions Verification Search at eservices.nysed.gov/professions/verification-search. The older op.nysed.gov address forwards to it.
2. Choose "Licensee Name" (or "License Number" if the practice gave you one), pick the profession, and enter the name. For a psychiatrist, choose the entry for physicians (medicine) in the profession list, since New York licenses physicians and does not issue a separate psychiatry license.
3. Open the matching record. Check that the name, profession and location fit the person you plan to see, and read the license and registration details.
4. Open the enforcement actions tab on the record.

The Education Department describes this database as its official record, updated daily, and a primary source for license verification. In October 2026 the page carried a notice that the database was under maintenance and that search results could be affected. If a clinician you expect to find does not come up, try spelling variants and a maiden or hyphenated name, then ask the practice for the license number before drawing conclusions.

Step 2: Read the Physician Profile

1. Go to nydoctorprofile.com and enter the doctor's last name. The search needs at least the first letter of the last name, and Advanced Search narrows the list.
2. Open the profile and read the education and training entries.
3. Look at the list of health plans the doctor participates in, then confirm with your insurer, since plan lists go out of date.
4. Read the legal actions section.

The profile was created by the New York Patient Health Information and Quality Improvement Act of 2000. Every profile must show the doctor's medical education, translation services at the office, participating health plans and legal actions taken against the doctor. Office addresses, other doctors in the practice, publications and a personal statement are optional.

Two cautions come from the site itself. The information is supplied by the physician, and the Department says it cannot be sure everything is right, complete or current. Pending legal actions, it adds, do not indicate guilt or liability, since cases may be dismissed, withdrawn or settled without payment. The profile covers physicians only, so a nurse practitioner or psychologist will not appear there.

Step 3: Search OPMC for discipline

1. Go to the Department of Health page titled "Physician and Physician Assistants Disciplinary and Other Actions" at health.ny.gov/professionals/doctors/conduct.
2. Use the link to search for a board action regarding a particular physician or physician assistant, and enter the name.
3. If there is a result, open the order and read what the finding was, when it was issued and what conditions were imposed.

OPMC investigates complaints about physicians, physician assistants and specialist assistants and monitors practitioners who are under orders of the State Board for Professional Medical Conduct. Its list covers those disciplined since 1990, those subject to a non-disciplinary board order, and those upon whom charges of misconduct have been served. No result means no public action of those kinds. The page does not describe listing complaints that never led to charges or an order.

Clinicians and places the physician tools do not cover

Nurse practitioners, psychologists and other professions

OPMC does not handle nurse practitioners, psychologists, social workers or counselors. Discipline for those professions runs through the Education Department's Office of the Professions and the Board of Regents, so the NYSED Verification Search and its enforcement tab are where to look. Which professions can diagnose and which can prescribe is explained in who can diagnose and treat adult ADHD in New York.

Visits while you are in New Jersey

A clinician treating a patient who is physically in New Jersey needs New Jersey authorization. The New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs runs its own license look-up at newjersey.mylicense.com/verification. New York is not a member of the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact as of September 2026, so a New York license does not carry across the river. Cross-border care is covered in living in New Jersey, getting ADHD care in New York.

How to read what you find

• Licensed and registered, no actions. This is the usual result, and it is what you are confirming.
• Licensed but not currently registered. Ask the practice to explain before you book.
• Not found in New York. Check spelling, then ask for the license number. If an online service cannot tell you the name and New York license number of the person who will see you, do not book.
• An action or order on file. Read the document. An old action with completed terms is different from an active restriction on prescribing. You are entitled to ask the clinician about it.
• A malpractice or legal entry on the profile. One entry over a long career says little by itself. A pattern is worth weighing.

If something looks wrong

Complaints about a physician or physician assistant go to OPMC, which lists a complaint form on its site and a phone line at 1-800-663-6114 (weekdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Complaints about other licensed professionals go to the Education Department's Office of the Professions. If a service will not name its clinicians at all, the warning signs in ADHD clinics and online services apply.

Dr. Shershow's practice focuses on adult ADHD, and you can run the same three checks on it. Background is on the about page, and questions can go through the contact page.