FAQ: Where should I get this new Health Equity CE requirement met and by when?

31 October 2024

In case you missed it, the regulatory Board of Naturopathy updated WAC 246-836-080 relating to Continuing Competency requirements for Washington-licensed naturopathic physicians earlier this year in order to comply with a legislative directive for all licensed health care practitioners in Washington to undergo regular training on health equity. The new requirement states:
"As part of continuing education and in accordance with RCW 43.70.613, a licensed naturopathic physician must complete a minimum of two hours of training in health equity to address health inequities such as bias, racism, and poverty. A naturopathic physician fulfills this by complying with the requirements in WAC 246-12-800, 246-12-810, 246-12-820, and 246-12-830. Such training must be completed once every four years, beginning with the first full continuing education cycle due on or after January 1, 2024."

We have started receiving questions from our community about where to obtain this training and when it is due.

First, the WANP very much has this on our radar and we are working on developing content that will meet this requirement. You absolutely do NOT have to complete this requirement through the WANP, but we want you to know we want to do everything we can to make it super easy to get your required CE to renew your license with confidence. Because this is a requirement for every single licensed health care practitioner now, you will be able to find a wide variety of sources offering this content. You can find a list of FREE health equity CE options under "Free Training" on the Department of Health's Health Equity Continuing Education page.

Second, the absolute earliest anyone will need to attest to having completed the health equity CE will be January 1, 2026. No one needs to attest to having this done for a license renewal in 2024 or 2025. The majority of license holders will not need to attest to this until on or after January 1, 2027, because most of us are on odd-year CE cycles.

Some examples to (try to) help clarify:

  • Example 1: Licensee's CE cycle runs on even years and renews on February 1 (i.e. CE cycle 2/1/2022-2/1/2024 then 2/1/2024-2/1/2026). The first full CE cycle after January 1, 2024, is the 2/1/2024-2/1/2026 cycle. Therefore, the initial health equity CE is due with the license renewal on 2/1/2026 and then would be due every 4 years after that (2030, 2034, 2038, etc.).
  • Example 2: Licensee's CE cycle runs on odd years and renews on May 12 (i.e. CE cycle 5/12/2023-5/12/2025, then 5/12/2025-5/12/2027). The first full CE cycle after January 1, 2024, is the 5/12/2025-5/12/2027 cycle. Therefore, the initial health equity CE is due with the license renewal on 5/12/2027 and then would be due every 4 years after that (2031, 2035, 2039, etc.).
  • Example 3: New licensee obtained first license on birthday on October 4, 2023 and first CE cycle is 10/4/2023-10/4/2026. The first full CE cycle after January 1, 2024, is 10/4/2026-10/4/2028. Therefore, the initial health equity CE would be due with the license renewal on 10/4/2028 and then would be due every 4 years after that (2032, 2036, 2040, etc.).
  • Example 4: New licensee obtained first license in 2024 with a birthday of August 22. First CE cycle runs from license date 2024-8/22/2027. The first full CE cycle after January 1, 2024, is the initial CE cycle that ends 8/22/2027. Therefore, the initial health equity CE would be due at license renewal 8/22/2027 and then every 4 years after that (2031, 2035, 2039, etc.).
To figure out when your next CE attestation is due (aka when your next CE cycle ends), you can search for your credential at any time on Washington's Provider Credential Search tool. Simply select "Health Care Provider", then enter your last and first name, complete the captcha, and submit. Your "CE Due Date" is listed right on the first results page.Stay tuned for the WANP's Health Equity CE in 2025!