Washington State Board of Nursing

What Washington State Board of Nursing does

The Washington State Board of Nursing (WABON) is a state government regulatory agency operating under the Washington State Department of Health and headquartered in Olympia, Washington. Its statutory mandate under RCW 18.79 and RCW 18.88A grants it exclusive authority to license registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, advanced registered nurse practitioners, nursing technicians, and (as of July 1, 2026) nursing assistants, as well as to approve nursing education programs in the state. The board is governed by 15 governor-appointed members — 3 public members, 2 ARNPs, 3 LPNs, and 7 RNs — and is staffed by 51-100 employees. Its operational scope includes license application and renewal processing via the HELMS (Healthcare Enforcement and Licensing Management System) online portal, discipline and complaint adjudication (~40 reports received weekly, with ~35% advancing to investigation), multistate licensure through the Nurse Licensure Compact, and oversight of nursing education programs including NCLEX pass-rate tracking.

WABON's core technology stack centers on the HELMS portal for licensing transactions, NURSYS e-Notify for workforce survey data collection, ILRS for integrated regulatory workflows, and five Microsoft Power BI-based data dashboards covering workforce demographics, license trends, education program outcomes, disciplinary actions, and customer experience metrics. Supporting products include the Nursing Assistant Certification (NAC) and Medication Assistant Certification Endorsement (MACE) programs, the CARES program for nurses with substance use disorders (formerly WHPS), free continuing education modules, the BONcast podcast series, and a Student Nurse Preceptor Grant program. As of October 2023, a redesigned nursing assistant testing process operates through testing vendor Credentia.

Because WABON is a state regulatory body rather than a private enterprise, its revenue model is funded by state appropriations and statutory licensing fees rather than commercial pricing. Fees are charged across each license category and for nursing assistant training program approvals; exact fee schedules are published on the nursing.wa.gov License Fees page. The board's customer base consists of every nurse and nursing assistant practicing in Washington State, nursing education programs, and healthcare employers requiring credential verification. Co-regulatory partnerships with SBCTC, OSPI, DSHS, and WTB enable coordinated oversight of nursing assistant training programs across community colleges, high schools, nursing homes, and private vocational schools.

Name

Washington State Board of Nursing

Legal name

Washington State Board of Nursing

Website

https://nursing.wa.gov

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Washington State Board of Nursing (WABON) is a state government regulatory agency under the Washington Department of Health that licenses nurses and nursing assistants, approves nursing education programs, processes disciplinary complaints, and administers the Nurse Licensure Compact for Washington's nursing workforce.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nursing Regulatory Services

akta.pro primary industry

Healthcare Licensing, Accreditation & Credentialing Boards (HLAJACAC)

Keywords

• Nurse licensing services
• Nursing regulation
• Nursing education approval
• Nurse discipline oversight
• Multistate licensure compact

Headquarters

HQ city

Olympia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Nursing License Fees: Revenue generated from licensing fees for registered nurses (RN), licensed practical nurses (LPN), advanced registered nurse practitioners (ARNP), nursing technicians (NTEC), and nursing assistants (NA/NAC/MACE)
2. Nursing Assistant Training Program Fees: Fees associated with approving and overseeing nursing assistant training programs, including application fees, curriculum approvals, and program oversight

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Washington State Board of Nursing is a state regulatory agency that issues and renews nursing licenses, certifies nursing assistants, approves nursing education programs, and investigates complaints against nurses in Washington State. It operates the HELMS online portal for license applications, renewals, and reactivations; administers multistate licensure through the Nurse Licensure Compact; oversees the CARES monitoring program for nurses with substance use disorders; and publishes workforce, licensing, education, and discipline data dashboards. Revenue is generated through statutory licensing fees for nurses, nursing technicians, and nursing assistants, plus fees for nursing assistant training program approval.

Product overview

The Washington State Board of Nursing (WABON) is a regulatory body that provides a unified platform of licensing, oversight, and support services for nurses in Washington state. The core offerings include nurse licensing through the HELMS portal, nursing assistant certification (NAC and MACE programs), multistate licenses for compact states, discipline and complaints processing, and the CARES substance use disorder monitoring program. Supporting services include data dashboards, nursing education program approval, continuing education courses, podcasts, and a student nurse preceptor grant program. The board transitioned to regulating nursing assistants as of July 2026 under Senate Bill 5051.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WABON: Washington State Board of Nursing - the official regulatory body for nursing in Washington State
• BONcast
• CARES
• HELMS

Products and services

• Nurse Licensing Services Licensing and renewal services for registered nurses (RNs), licensed practical nurses (LPNs), advanced registered nurse practitioners (ARNPs/APRNs), nursing technicians (NTEC), and nursing assistants in Washington State. Includes first-time licensure via NCLEX, license renewal, license reactivation, and license status verification for individual practitioners who must hold a Washington license to practice.
• Nursing Assistant Certification (NAC) Certification for nursing assistants to work in skilled nursing facilities in Washington State. Includes state-approved training program oversight, skills and written/oral testing administered by Credentia, OBRA Registry management, and ongoing credential maintenance.
• Medication Assistant Certification Endorsement (MACE) Additional endorsement for experienced Certified Nursing Assistants to administer medications in Washington nursing homes. Requires completion of an approved MACE training program and passing the state MACE exam.
• Multistate License (MSL) Multistate license that allows nurses to practice in all Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) member states without obtaining separate licenses for each state. Washington employers of out-of-state MSL nurses must complete the NLC Employer Compliance Form.
• Discipline & Complaints Processing Investigation and adjudication of complaints against nurses and nursing assistants in Washington State. Includes intake, assessment, investigation (typically completed in 170 days or less, with imminent-danger cases completed within 30 days), case disposition, and compliance monitoring. Approximately 35% of reports are sent for investigation; intake and assessment are usually completed within 21 days.
• CARES Program (Substance Use Disorder Support) Non-disciplinary monitoring program for nurses and nursing assistants with substance use disorders, providing evaluation, treatment referral, case management, and practice approval as an alternative to traditional discipline.
• Nursing Education Program Approval Approval and ongoing oversight of nursing education programs operating in Washington State, including RN, LPN, ARNP, and nursing assistant training programs. Covers program approval, curriculum review, clinical hour requirements, faculty qualifications, and NCLEX pass rate tracking. Co-approvals are required from partner agencies including SBCTC, OSPI, DSHS, and WTB.
• Continuing Education Free online courses for nurses to earn continuing education contact hours, including the Washington State Nursing Laws and Practice Essentials self-paced module. WABON is recognized as an approved continuing education provider.
• Student Nurse Preceptor Grant Program

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-approving agency for college-based nursing assistant training programs. Programs require SBCTC approval to operate alongside WABON approval.
• Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-approving agency for high school and skills center nursing assistant training programs. Programs require OSPI approval to operate alongside WABON approval.
• Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-approving agency for nursing home-based nursing assistant training programs. DSHS operates the OBRA Registry for nursing assistants. DSHS also operates sanction reports for nursing facilities.
• Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board (WTB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-approving agency for private vocational school nursing assistant training programs. Programs require WTB approval or waiver to operate alongside WABON approval.
• CredentiacoreTechnology or IntegrationTesting company providing the nursing assistant exam (skills test and written/oral test) in Washington State. Manages Credentia365 candidate accounts and exam registration.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Virginia Board of Nursing: State nursing regulator with parallel RN/LPN/CNA licensing and education approval functions; comparable in scope to WABON and a useful reference for alternative-to-discipline models.
• California Board of Registered Nursing: State regulator for California RNs and advanced practice nurses; directly comparable to WABON in mission, services, and use of online licensing and discipline portals.
• Oregon State Board of Nursing: Neighbor-state nursing regulator with NLC participation; closely comparable to WABON in scope, mid-sized licensee base, and Pacific Northwest labor-market relevance.
• New York State Education Department - Office of the Professions (Nursing): Administers RN/LPN licensure in New York through the Office of the Professions; offers a comparable mix of licensing, registration, and professional discipline for nurses.
• Illinois Board of Nursing: State-level nursing regulator under IDFPR; comparable to WABON in delivering licensing, education oversight, and discipline for a mid-to-large licensee population.
• Texas Board of Nursing: The largest state nursing regulatory body in the U.S.; operates the same core functions as WABON — RN/LPN/APRN licensure, education program approval, and discipline — across a much larger licensee population.
• Florida Board of Nursing: Large state nursing regulator with similar licensing, education approval, and discipline functions; a comparable peer given recent high-profile fraud investigations ('Operation Nightingale') that WABON has publicly tracked.

Broad incumbents

• National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN): Umbrella organization that operates NURSYS, the Nurse Licensure Compact, and the NCLEX exam — WABON participates in NCSBN systems and the NLC, making NCSBN the closest incumbent peer at the national layer.
• Washington Medical Commission: Peer Washington-state health professional regulator under DOH; comparable governance, funding, and discipline structure, but covers physicians rather than nurses — useful as a same-state incumbent peer.
• Washington State Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission: Another Washington-state DOH-affiliated professional licensing body; comparable regulatory technology (HELMS), funding model, and board structure to WABON.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/WABoardofNursing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/washington-state-board-of-nursing
• Instagraminstagram.com/washingtonstateboardofnursing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Washington State Board of Nursing