# What a Washington license is — and what it is not

> Washington State holds 304,441 active health care credentials of the form «License». What that word means, which professions carry it, and how it differs from the other forms.

## License

**304,441** of Washington’s 553,932 active health care credentials take this form — 55.0%, across 80 professions.

### The word is not decoration

A **license** is
the broadest of Washington’s credentials. Where the state licenses a profession, it is generally unlawful to practise it without holding one, and the holder answers to the Department for how they practise.

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 license

| Profession | Active credentials | Share |
|---|---|---|
| [Registered Nurse License](/profession/registered-nurse-license.md) | 106,983 | 35.1% |
| [Physician And Surgeon License](/profession/physician-and-surgeon-license.md) | 31,099 | 10.2% |
| [Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner License](/profession/advanced-registered-nurse-practitioner-license.md) | 18,863 | 6.2% |
| [Mental Health Counselor License](/profession/mental-health-counselor-license.md) | 12,609 | 4.1% |
| [Pharmacist License](/profession/pharmacist-license.md) | 11,304 | 3.7% |
| [Massage Therapist License](/profession/massage-therapist-license.md) | 10,993 | 3.6% |
| [Pharmacy Assistant License](/profession/pharmacy-assistant-license.md) | 10,772 | 3.5% |
| [Social Worker Independent Clinical License](/profession/social-worker-independent-clinical-license.md) | 9,624 | 3.2% |
| [Physical Therapist License](/profession/physical-therapist-license.md) | 8,159 | 2.7% |
| [Dentist License](/profession/dentist-license.md) | 7,055 | 2.3% |
| [Physician Assistant License](/profession/physician-assistant-license.md) | 6,173 | 2.0% |
| [Dental Hygiene License](/profession/dental-hygiene-license.md) | 6,089 | 2.0% |
| [Veterinary License](/profession/veterinary-license.md) | 4,715 | 1.5% |
| [Occupational Therapist License](/profession/occupational-therapist-license.md) | 4,611 | 1.5% |
| [Speech Language Pathologist License](/profession/speech-language-pathologist-license.md) | 4,148 | 1.4% |
| [Mental Health Counselor Associate License](/profession/mental-health-counselor-associate-license.md) | 4,050 | 1.3% |
| [Psychologist License](/profession/psychologist-license.md) | 3,973 | 1.3% |
| [Physician and Surgeon License Interstate Medical Licensure Compact](/profession/physician-and-surgeon-license-interstate-medical-licensure-compact.md) | 3,928 | 1.3% |
| [Osteopathic Physician & Surgeon License](/profession/osteopathic-physician-surgeon-license.md) | 3,926 | 1.3% |
| [Social Worker Associate Independent Clinical License](/profession/social-worker-associate-independent-clinical-license.md) | 3,736 | 1.2% |
| [Respiratory Care Practitioner License](/profession/respiratory-care-practitioner-license.md) | 3,479 | 1.1% |
| [Marriage and Family Therapist License](/profession/marriage-and-family-therapist-license.md) | 3,052 | 1.0% |
| [Veterinary Technician License](/profession/veterinary-technician-license.md) | 2,861 | 0.9% |
| [Chiropractor License](/profession/chiropractor-license.md) | 2,475 | 0.8% |
| [Physical Therapist Assistant License](/profession/physical-therapist-assistant-license.md) | 2,409 | 0.8% |
| [Optometrist License](/profession/optometrist-license.md) | 1,745 | 0.6% |
| [Naturopathic Physician License](/profession/naturopathic-physician-license.md) | 1,672 | 0.5% |
| [Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner Anesthetist License](/profession/advanced-registered-nurse-practitioner-anesthetist-license.md) | 1,447 | 0.5% |
| [Physician And Surgeon Residency Limited License](/profession/physician-and-surgeon-residency-limited-license.md) | 1,363 | 0.4% |
| [Occupational Therapy Assistant License](/profession/occupational-therapy-assistant-license.md) | 1,171 | 0.4% |
| [Marriage and Family Therapist Associate License](/profession/marriage-and-family-therapist-associate-license.md) | 925 | 0.3% |
| [Athletic Trainer License](/profession/athletic-trainer-license.md) | 896 | 0.3% |
| [Optician Dispensing License](/profession/optician-dispensing-license.md) | 896 | 0.3% |
| [Osteopathic Physician and Surgeon License Interstate Medical Licensure Compact](/profession/osteopathic-physician-and-surgeon-license-interstate-medical-licensure.md) | 696 | 0.2% |
| [Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner Midwife License](/profession/advanced-registered-nurse-practitioner-midwife-license.md) | 688 | 0.2% |
| [Genetic Counselor License](/profession/genetic-counselor-license.md) | 598 | 0.2% |
| [Audiologist License](/profession/audiologist-license.md) | 585 | 0.2% |
| [Counselor Agency Affiliated License](/profession/counselor-agency-affiliated-license.md) | 578 | 0.2% |
| [Dental Hygiene Renewable Temporary License](/profession/dental-hygiene-renewable-temporary-license.md) | 513 | 0.2% |
| [Podiatric Physician And Surgeon License](/profession/podiatric-physician-and-surgeon-license.md) | 389 | 0.1% |

**962** of the 304,441 active credentials of this form
carry a disciplinary flag in the Department’s file —
0.3% — and **1,550** 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](/discipline.md).

### Do not let the date pass

304,441 credentials take the form of a license. 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](/privacy.md).

### The other forms Washington issues

- [Certification](/credential/certification.md) 145,796
- [Registration](/credential/registration.md) 74,135
- [Permit](/credential/permit.md) 883
- [Endorsement](/credential/endorsement.md) 197
- [Trainee](/credential/trainee.md) 1,833
- [Other credential](/credential/other-credential.md) 26,630

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Página: https://credential-wa.pages.dev/credential/license/
Fonte: Health Care Provider Credential Data — Washington State Department of Health
Recolha: 2026-08-20