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Title: How I Renewed My Michigan OT License as a Business Owner OT

How I Renewed My Michigan OT License as a Non-Practicing OT + Business Owner

Even though I’m not practicing as an occupational therapist anymore, I still keep my OT license active in Michigan. September 2025 was my renewal date, and I thought I’d share how I navigated the process.

Why do I keep my license?

  • It gives me credibility in my current work.

  • Once you let it lapse, it’s a headache to get back.

  • It keeps me connected to the profession I still care deeply about

For me, the hassle and cost of fulfilling the requirements are worth it.

Figuring Out the Requirements

The Michigan licensing body (LARA) oversees OT licenses. If you’ve ever been on their website, you know it can be… less than straightforward. I recommend two things:

  1. Check their website for the most up-to-date requirements.

  2. When in doubt, call. I’ve called twice, and both times the direct answers were worth the time I spent I hold.

My Strategy

I don’t approach continuing education with the goal of sharpening my OT clinical expertise anymore. Instead, I:

  • Look for topics that are genuinely interesting.

  • Choose CEUs that are easy to access as a business owner.

  • Support organizations and causes I care about.

A few years back, I bought a one-year subscription to occupationaltherapy.com. I timed it so it overlapped two renewal cycles (the last 6 months of one + the first 6 months of the next). That stretched my dollars and gave me plenty of CEU options.

But—I didn’t finish all my credits in that first stretch, so I had to get creative, especially with the live-hour requirement.

Special Requirements For MI OT License Renewal

  • Human Trafficking (1 hour, one-time): I already completed this when I first moved to Michigan, so I didn’t need it this cycle.

  • Pain Management (1 hour): I knocked this out through occupationaltherapy.com.

  • Implicit Bias (1 hour per year): For a two-year cycle, that meant 2 hours. I wasn’t sure if this counted inside the 20 total CEUs or on top of it, so I treated it as extra. I purchased a 2-hour course through Michigan Implicit Bias Training to check this box.

Online OT CEUs

For online hours, I leaned on courses I actually enjoyed.

  • Learn Play Thrive → I love their quality and focus, especially if you work with Autistic clients.

  • occupationaltherapy.com → Wide variety, easy to access.

How I Got MY Live CEUs

Live credits were the trickiest for me. As a business owner, in-person workshops don’t always fit my schedule, so I looked for live online options. 

Here’s how I pieced mine together:

Confession: I hit my 10 required live hours only three weeks before renewal. Lesson learned. 

I’ve since added a MiOTA membership and plan to attend their evening live CEUs regularly so I don’t end up scrambling. Plus, I like the ideas of my CEU dollars going to an organization that supports the profession. 

Renewal Checklist for a Michigan OT License

Here’s what’s required every two-year cycle (as of Sept 2025):

  • ✅ 20 total CEUs

  • ✅ At least 10 CEUs live

  • ✅ 2 hours Implicit Bias

  • ✅ 1 hour Pain Management

  • ✅ (One-time only) 1 hour Human Trafficking

Final Thoughts About Renewing a Michigan OT License

Overall, I paced myself decently this cycle but could have spread out my live hours better. For the next round, I’ll be more intentional about picking up live CEUs throughout the two years instead of cramming them in at the end.

Hopefully, this helps if you’re trying to figure out your own Michigan OT license renewal strategy. And remember—always double-check the LARA site for the most current requirements.

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