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A Completely Unofficial Guide to the MI Jurisprudence OT Exam

I am a fully capable occupational therapist and have navigated many obstacles of learning over the course of my career, and this past week I tackled a unique challenge: The Michigan Occupational Therapy Jurisprudence Test. 

See, after working and living for 7 years in Indiana, we finally returned to Michigan. And with that, comes a license change. When I visited the LARA occupational therapy website, I was greeted with tons of instructions and regulations.  It was not easy to navigate. And one new licensing requirement stuck out to me, the jurisprudence requirement.

I dug into the information on the website and found some practice tests and some answers online. I’ll admit, I didn’t put enough time into preparing.

I showed up to the testing center, took the test, and failed the thing. Not my finest moment.

And I wasn’t too happy about needing to fork over the money and use more time to retake the test.

So, I decided it was time to take this thing more seriously. I went back through the materials and tried to piece together which questions I got wrong. It was painful to read through the legal stuff of the Michigan Health Code and the information on the LARA website.

I figured out that some of the information provided in other online study guides wasn’t completely accurate. So, here is my gift to the world. The study guide I was hoping for the Michigan jurisprudence test.

Complete disclaimer. I am posting this in the fall of 2020. The test could change at any time, laws could be updated, and I might not be completely accurate in all my answers. However, it’s my attempt to condense the information. So, make sure you do the work of researching and reviewing the health code on your own.
The Official Jurisprudence Resources


Summary of Some Helpful Knowledge for the Michigan Jurisprudence Exam

  • MI occupational therapy licenses need to be renewed every 2 years
  • 20 hours of continuing education is required for each 2-year renewal cycle
  • Half the continuing ed hours (10 hours) need to be live training
  • 1 hour of pain management education is required
  • The training must cover all of the following: understanding the types and venues of human trafficking in the United States; identifying victims of human trafficking in health care settings; identifying the warnings signs of human trafficking in health care settings for adults and minors; and identifying resources for reporting the suspected victims of human trafficking. 
  • Temporary Military licenses are good for 6 months and can be renewed 1 additional time for 6 months
  • The Michigan Board of occupational therapy has 9 members
  •  If the license has been lapsed for at least 3 years but less than 7 years – the applicant shall complete not less than 200 hours of supervised practice experience. b. If the license has lapsed for 7 years to 15 years – the applicant shall complete not less than 400 hours of supervised practice experience. c. If the license has lapsed for more than 15 years – the applicant shall complete not less than 600 hours of supervised practice experience
  • Medical records need to be kept for 7 years.
  • An OT license can be revoked if false claims are made on the license application.
  • A supervisor doesn’t need to be physically present at all times but does need to review work, provide ongoing education, and be continuously available for phone or radio communication
  • According to the Public Health code, occupational therapists practicing in Michigan can’t go by Dr. 
  • A certificate for licensure should be publicly displayed
  • In Michigan, occupational therapy services are defined by… (This is one that tripped me up, I’m thinking it is either law (namely the health code) or the Board of occupational therapy). 
  • Address and name changes should be reported to the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs within 30 days. 
  • The purpose of the Michigan Board of Occupational Therapists is to protect the public health, safety and welfare
  • A person who practices occupational therapy under a suspended, revoked, or fraudulently obtained license or outside the provision of a limited license, or uses the license of another person as his or her own is guilty of a misdemeanor
  • An occupational therapist with their license revoked may not practice occupational therapy. 
  • OT’s can delegate some specific tasks of an assessment to an OT assistant
  • A licensed OT is responsible and when unlicensed individual does something negligent
  • An OT license can be renewed with additional fees up to 60 days after expiration date.
  • A licensed OT must report to the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs any licensed health care professional that they believe is impaired. 
  • Sanctions may be levied against an occupational therapist for  substance abuse, physical inability to practice in a safe manner and prescribing drugs. 
  • LIcensed OT can not prescribe medications
  • Which of the following is a requirement or acceptance of a health professional into the Health Professional Recovery Program? The health professional acknowledges his or her impairment and the health professional agrees to participate in a treatment plan and the health professional voluntarily withdraws from, or limits the scope of his or her practice as determined necessary by the health professional recovery committee. 
  • The Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs shall publish a list of disciplined individuals and DOESNT send the list to local law enforcement agencies. 
  •  Occupational Therapy interventions and procedures do NOT include diagnosis and treatment of a human physical condition. Yep, that right, we don’t diagnose.
  • Patient records must contain all of these: a record of tests and examinations performed,, observations made, and treatment provided. Yup, don’t forget any of the elements.
  • Sanctions may be levied against an occupational therapist for ANY of the following situations: negligent supervision, incompetence, and conviction of a misdemeanor involving the illegal delivery, possession, or use of a controlled substance.

The Experience of Taking the OT Jurisprudence Exam

It’s a good idea to leave everything you can in your car, including your phone. I took in my car keys, wallet with my drivers license for identification, and health code printouts. And, I took my test during COVID 19 so I had my mask as well. 

I did get to the center about 30 minutes before my test (both times) which was good because they had several people to check in before me. They checked my ID, had me sign some paperwork, took my picture, and put my belongings (keys and wallet) in a security bag. 

From there, I got my computer assigned and took my test. It took me about 20 minutes to take the test but I am sure people take it faster or slower. You have up to 60 minutes to complete the test but that is more than enough so time isn’t really an issue. 

Then I checked out with the proctor at the end of the test. They gave me the results.

The first time, when I failed, the printer was broken so I didn’t get a copy of my results. The second time, which went the way it was supposed to, I got a printout saying I passed. In any case, the results are sent automatically to the licensing bureau with the state of Michigan. 

Good luck with your MI Jurisprudence Test!

Remember! This is not a complete study guide, so I don’t guarantee the answers or your results. You should still spend time reviewing the provided materials so you don’t fail like I did the first time.

It’s merely my attempt at provided some more reader-friendly materials to help my fellow occupational therapy providers in the world.

And read about how my career moved from OT to copywriting! 




 

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