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Nurse Discipline in Washington State

Learn about the discipline process for nurses in the state of Washington. 

The Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission (NCQAC) works to protect the public by investigating reports of violations of nursing laws, and by taking disciplinary action when it finds sufficient evidence of unprofessional conduct. The Nursing Commission responds to findings of unprofessional conduct through remedial training, practice restrictions, or rehabilitation to address violations. In some instances, suspension or revocation is necessary to protect the public.

The Nursing Commission also investigates reports that a nurse may be unable to practice with reasonable skill and safety because of a mental or physical condition. File a complaint about a:

Check the complaint process flowchart if you have a complaint filed against you, or if you have filed a complaint. Learn what will happen, your options, and the basic timelines of a case.

If a complaint involves substance use disorder, the nurse may be referred to Washington Health Professional Services, the commission-approved substance use disorder monitoring program.

If a complaint meets the requirements for the Early Remediation Program, the nurse may be referred to that program, which addresses standard of practice cases with little to no harm. See procedure A34 (PDF) for more information.

Check Provider Credential Search to see if specific nurses have disciplinary action against licenses. The Public Disclosure law, requires DOH to make these documents available to the public. Documents are available for 75 years, and cannot be removed unless a court orders DOH to remove them. Only formal charging documents, and final orders and stipulations are available. The complaint process flowchart outlines the process.