Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the Washington State Department of Health denied Zachary Carlow’s application because of his prior convictions. The article has been corrected to reflect that the Department instead offered Carlow a registered nursing assistant credential subject to licensing conditions. The application later ended in denial. The article also has been updated to include Carlow’s response.
A Grays Harbor County man’s application for a registered nursing assistant credential ended in denial after state health officials imposed licensing conditions tied to multiple domestic violence-related convictions.
The Department of Health issued a Notice of Decision in April 2026 advising Zachary Carlow that he could obtain the credential only if he agreed to practice under licensing conditions.
The notice stated that failure to accept those conditions or request a hearing would result in denial.
Carlow was convicted in 2020 of three counts of violating a no-contact order and one count of harassment-domestic violence in Kitsap County District Court, records show.
He was convicted in 2022 of one count of stalking-domestic violence, a felony, and two counts of violating a court order-domestic violence, also felonies, in Kitsap County Superior Court.
State records show Carlow applied in January 2025 to renew a Washington registered nursing assistant credential.
The notice gave Carlow three options: agree to practice under the proposed licensing conditions, request a hearing to challenge those conditions, or take no action, which would result in denial of the application. State records now list the credential status as Denied.
Carlow told Puget Press he declined to pursue the conditional credential because he had decided to leave the healthcare profession.
The Department of Health said the proposed conditions were intended to adequately protect the public while acknowledging the seriousness of the underlying conduct.
Under Washington law, the Department of Health’s Health Systems Quality Assurance Division oversees licensing standards and disciplinary actions for more than 80 health care professions.
Consumers can review a provider’s license status, disciplinary history and public legal documents through the department’s Health Care Provider Lookup.
