Yes. The Michigan Public Health Code and board administrative rules requires every nurse to complete, during the 2-year period prior to the renewal of the license, at least 25 hours of continuing education.
You are not required to begin earning CEs until after your first renewal.
The Michigan Nurses Association (MNA) is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. You can find MNA’s current CE offerings here.
The Michigan Board of Nursing will accept any continuing education program or activity if it is approved or offered for CE credit by any of the following organizations:
Beginning with the March 31, 2018 renewal cycle and all renewal cycles thereafter, licensees must have completed training in identifying victims of human trafficking that meet the standards established in Administrative Rule 338.10105.
The Human Trafficking Training is a one-time training and is not part of the continuing education requirement but may be satisfied via a continuing education activity. MNA’s Human Trafficking CE module fulfills this requirement and can be found here.
Human Trafficking training content must cover all of the following:
Acceptable providers of human trafficking content include any of the following:
Acceptable modalities of training include any of the following:
No. However, if the training also satisfies the Board’s requirements for CE, then the training may be applied toward your CE requirement.
To understand the implicit bias requirements for healthcare providers in Michigan, click here.
Michigan nurses must complete at least 2 hours of continuing education in pain and pain symptom management, within the 2 years immediately preceding the expiration date of their license.
Although previous Executive Orders allowed the Bureau to waive continuing education (CE) requirements for health professionals licensed under the Public Health Code, effective October 2, 2020, BPL no longer has this legal authority. Therefore, health licensees renewing after 11:59 pm October 1, 2020, are required to have completed all required CEs or request a waiver as permitted under the Michigan Public Health Code. Licensees experiencing difficulty with completing continuing education courses that were or are canceled due to emergent issues with COVID-19 should make every effort to schedule alternative courses in order to meet any necessary continuing education requirements.
Pursuant to the former Michigan Executive Order 2020-82, health professionals can use hours worked responding to the pandemic prior to June 9, 2020, toward meeting CE requirements at their next license renewal through June, 2022.
Health licensees claiming CEs for COVID-related health care services and activities will be required to provide reasonably sufficient evidence to show that the hours they worked during the time period in question were hours worked responding to the COVID19 emergency. Examples of reasonably sufficient evidence include, but are not limited to, a written attestation by the licensee, a Human Resources Administrator, or a direct supervisor at work, to the timeframe such as date and time, including hours worked. Contact the Bureau of Professional Licensing for questions.
No more than 12 credit hours of the 25 required hours may be earned during a 24-hour period for online or electronic media.
MCL 333.16205 of the Michigan Public Health Code also affords health licensees the ability to request a waiver of continuing education by their profession’s board. Please note, requests must be received before the expiration date of the license. However, approval of a waiver is not guaranteed and the final determination rests with the board. If requesting a waiver, a licensee is encouraged to provide documentation to support his or her written request.
Examples of waivers can be for military service, disability, absence from the United States, or other circumstances beyond the licensee’s control.
If the board finds that any of the conditions for waiving the requirements have been met, the number of hours waived shall be proportional to the length of time the licensee was temporarily disabled, in active military service, outside the continental United States, or involved in circumstances beyond the licensee’s control. For questions, Contact the Bureau of Professional Licensing here.
You are required to maintain your own records and keep documentation on hand for a minimum of 4 years. You are not required to submit continuing education information when you renew your license. The Board conducts a random audit after each renewal period. At that time, a percentage of all licensees who renewed will be randomly selected and notified by mail that they must submit evidence of having earned the required education. If you are selected for the audit, then you will be required to submit copies of the CE certificates you earned. (Please retain your originals.)
You are required to maintain certification by each national certifying body for which you are certified. The Board conducts a random audit after each renewal period. At that time, a percentage of all licensees renewing will be randomly selected and notified by mail that they must submit evidence of current certification. If you are selected for the audit, you will be required to submit copies of your certificate(s) you earned. (Please retain your originals.)
A licensee may earn 5 hours of continuing education for each semester credit hour earned for the completion of academic courses related to nursing practice offered in a nursing education program approved by the board. (Three hours of continuing education may be earned for each quarter credit hour earned.)
If audited, a licensee shall submit an official transcript that reflects completion of the academic course and number of semester or quarter credit hours earned.
A licensee may earn continuing education for participation as a preceptor for at least 1 nursing student or new employee undergoing orientation. A preceptorship shall be for a minimum of 120 hours and have a 1 student/employee to 1 preceptor ratio. This may involve more than 1 student or employee. A maximum of 5 hours may be earned in each renewal period.
You must register to test for testing with Pearson Vue Professional Testing and pay your examination fees for the NCLEX. However, please be aware that eligibility to take the test is determined by the Department. Pearson Vue will notify the Department when you have applied to take the test. The Department will notify Pearson Vue when your application is complete, and you are eligible to sit for the test.
You will receive an Authorization to Test (ATT) from Pearson Vue that allows you to make your appointment to sit for the exam. You will also receive a list of available testing sites. The test is administered daily at various Pearson Vue Professional Centers sites in each state. You may test at any site listed in any state, regardless of where you have applied to be licensed.
You can apply via the web or telephone:
Standard Time, or (952) 905-7403 (pay number)
If you are a Canadian nurse who did not become licensed via passing the NCLEX, then you may apply for a temporary license until you have taken the NCLEX. A temporary license is good for up to one year, allowing enough time to take the NCLEX one time and have your results submitted to this office as part of your application. Click here to register with the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools.
