Welcome to the Evergreen state!

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Each state needs a competent medical workforce to meet the needs of its citizens. However, the requirements for some health care professions are not the same in each state. That is why it is important to find out what is required of you as a future or current registered nurse before moving across state lines. Contact information is located at the bottom of this page.

Endorsements

To apply for a license via endorsement in Washington, you need:

• Verification of your RN license from Nursys.com.
• Proof of completion of a nursing program (transcript or verification).
• TOEFL or IELTS scores if your program was outside the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, or some Caribbean Commonwealth territories.
• Verification of passing NCLEX scores.
• An active and current license.
• A valid social security number. Those without can find guidance here.

See the endorsement application here.

Continuing Competency

For endorsement, a seven-hour AIDS course is required. No minimum practice hours are necessary unless you trained at Excelsior or outside the US. For those trained outside the US, the Nursing Commission may require a minimum of 1,000 practice hours.

After endorsement, you’ll need to meet continuing competency requirements, including:

• 8 continuing education hours annually for RNs and LPNs, with 2 of these being health equity CE.
• A one-time, 6-hour training in suicide assessment, treatment, and management.
• ARNPs need 30 continuing education hours and an additional 15 hours related to pharmacology if they have prescriptive authority.
• All nurses must complete e-Notify registration and survey online at Nursys®.

More on continuing competency here.

This state requires nurses to hold current ACLS certification.

Contact Information

Mail correspondence with any fees to:

P.O. Box 1099 Olympia, WA 98507-1099

If not mailing fees, send mail to:

P.O. Box 47864 Olympia, WA 98504-7864

For visiting in person or other inquiries:

111 Israel Rd. S.E. Tumwater, WA 98501

Email, phone, fax:

• Email: nursing@doh.wa.gov
• Phone: 360-236-4700
• Fax: 360-236-4738

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FAQ

For frequently asked questions, visit the Washington State Nursing Board’s FAQ page.