credential-wa

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

ProfessionActive credentialsShare
Registered Nurse License106,98335.1%
Physician And Surgeon License31,09910.2%
Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner License18,8636.2%
Mental Health Counselor License12,6094.1%
Pharmacist License11,3043.7%
Massage Therapist License10,9933.6%
Pharmacy Assistant License10,7723.5%
Social Worker Independent Clinical License9,6243.2%
Physical Therapist License8,1592.7%
Dentist License7,0552.3%
Physician Assistant License6,1732.0%
Dental Hygiene License6,0892.0%
Veterinary License4,7151.5%
Occupational Therapist License4,6111.5%
Speech Language Pathologist License4,1481.4%
Mental Health Counselor Associate License4,0501.3%
Psychologist License3,9731.3%
Physician and Surgeon License Interstate Medical Licensure Compact3,9281.3%
Osteopathic Physician & Surgeon License3,9261.3%
Social Worker Associate Independent Clinical License3,7361.2%
Respiratory Care Practitioner License3,4791.1%
Marriage and Family Therapist License3,0521.0%
Veterinary Technician License2,8610.9%
Chiropractor License2,4750.8%
Physical Therapist Assistant License2,4090.8%
Optometrist License1,7450.6%
Naturopathic Physician License1,6720.5%
Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner Anesthetist License1,4470.5%
Physician And Surgeon Residency Limited License1,3630.4%
Occupational Therapy Assistant License1,1710.4%
Marriage and Family Therapist Associate License9250.3%
Athletic Trainer License8960.3%
Optician Dispensing License8960.3%
Osteopathic Physician and Surgeon License Interstate Medical Licensure Compact6960.2%
Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner Midwife License6880.2%
Genetic Counselor License5980.2%
Audiologist License5850.2%
Counselor Agency Affiliated License5780.2%
Dental Hygiene Renewable Temporary License5130.2%
Podiatric Physician And Surgeon License3890.1%

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.

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.

The other forms Washington issues