Certification
145,796 of Washington’s 553,932 active health care credentials take this form — 26.3%, across 35 professions.
The word is not decoration
A certification is a credential the state grants against a defined standard. It is what Washington uses where the work is real and regulated but typically carried out under someone else’s direction rather than independently.
Washington is unusual in saying « credential » where most states say « license », and it does so for a reason: it issues 7 different forms, and they are not interchangeable. The clearest case in the whole register is nursing assistance, which exists as a certification (59,078 active) and as a registration (25,386 active) at the same time. Same job title in ordinary speech; different credential, different route in.
We describe what the register shows. What each form permits in practice is set out in Washington’s own rules for each profession, and that is where a question about scope of practice belongs.
The professions that carry a certification
| Profession | Active credentials | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing Assistant Certification | 59,078 | 40.5% |
| Medical Assistant Certification | 20,392 | 14.0% |
| Emergency Medical Technician Certification | 14,905 | 10.2% |
| Medical Assistant Phlebotomist Certification | 14,526 | 10.0% |
| Pharmacy Technician Certification | 10,038 | 6.9% |
| Radiologic Technologist Certification | 8,453 | 5.8% |
| Dietitian Certification | 4,242 | 2.9% |
| Paramedic Certification | 3,426 | 2.3% |
| Substance Use Disorder Professional Certification | 3,247 | 2.2% |
| Medical Assistant Hemodialysis Technician Certification | 1,445 | 1.0% |
| Medical Test Site Certificate of Waiver License | 1,325 | 0.9% |
| Birth Doula Certification | 759 | 0.5% |
| Medical Cannabis Consultant Certification | 730 | 0.5% |
| Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist Certification | 406 | 0.3% |
| Nutritionist Certification | 397 | 0.3% |
| Advanced Emergency Medical Technician Certification | 374 | 0.3% |
| Speech Language Pathology Assistant Certification | 350 | 0.2% |
| Dental Anesthesia Assistant Certification | 301 | 0.2% |
| Counselor Certified Certification | 252 | 0.2% |
| Reflexologist Certification | 195 | 0.1% |
| Counselor Agency Affiliated Certification | 191 | 0.1% |
| Emergency Medical Responder Certification | 186 | 0.1% |
| Medical Assistant Interim Certification | 149 | 0.1% |
| Animal Massage Certification for Large Animals | 118 | 0.1% |
| Sex Offender Treatment Provider Certification | 87 | 0.1% |
| Animal Massage Certification for Small Animals | 57 | 0.0% |
| Medical Assistant Emergency Services Certification | 54 | 0.0% |
| Poison Information Specialist Certification | 34 | 0.0% |
| Substance Use Disorder Professional Probationary Certification | 21 | 0.0% |
| Colon Hydrotherapist Certification | 18 | 0.0% |
| Sex Offender Treatment Provider Affiliate Certification | 16 | 0.0% |
| Radiologist Assistant Certification | 10 | 0.0% |
| Forensic Phlebotomist Certification | 8 | 0.0% |
| Behavioral Health Support Specialist Certification | 5 | 0.0% |
| Birth Doula Certification Training Program | 1 | 0.0% |
265 of the 145,796 active credentials of this form carry a disciplinary flag in the Department’s file — 0.2% — and 231 carry one marked pending.
This site publishes that count and no more: never who. The reason is not discretion, it is accuracy — the published file carries a yes/no flag and nothing else: no reason, no date, no case number. Naming someone on the strength of it would publish a suspicion rather than a fact. Every credential counted here is active. Why the line is drawn there.
Do not let the date pass
145,796 credentials take the form of a certification. Washington renews most of them on the holder’s birthday, every year or every two years, and continuing-education hours have to be done before that date — not after. Leave your details and we will tell you when yours is close, and pass your request for continuing-education hours to providers who teach for this credential.
We take no commission and we vouch for no training provider. We have no arrangement with any provider today — we are collecting these requests in order to go and find them. What we do with this.
The other forms Washington issues
- License 304,441
- Registration 74,135
- Permit 883
- Endorsement 197
- Trainee 1,833
- Other credential 26,630