Where is the official record?
Washington’s Department of Health has a free licence lookup called Provider Credential Search. Here, a credential means a licence to do health work.
Search by a person’s name, a business name or the number on the licence.
It shows whether a licence is active and lists official penalties or restrictions on it since July 1998. Some records cannot be made public by law, and earlier decisions are not listed here.
Finding no listed penalties does not tell you how skilled the person is.
- Ask for the full name and licence type.
- Match the name and licence type to the person conducting the visit.
- Look for an active licence and read any linked decision about penalties or limits on practice. Ask the state board to explain any unclear status or decision.
- If something does not match, ask for an explanation before paying.
Why do the licence letters differ?
Medical doctors, called MDs, and physician assistants, called PAs, are regulated by the Washington Medical Commission.
Doctors with DO after their name are another type of licensed doctor. Washington has a separate board for them.
Nurse practitioners, nurses licensed for advanced care, are regulated by the Washington State Board of Nursing.
Can a nurse practitioner prescribe?
As of September 2026, a Washington nurse practitioner may work without a doctor supervising. Writing prescriptions requires separate permission from the nursing board.
Ask whether the prescriptive authority, meaning the board’s permission to prescribe, has been granted.
What backs up the answer?
Washington / licence lookup
The state search gives you official licence records. It does not recommend the people in those records.
As of September 2026.
Open Washington’s licence searchWashington / prescribing permission
A nurse practitioner’s licence alone does not establish the separate permission to prescribe.
As of September 2026.
Read the prescribing approval rule