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Continuing Education Credits
Continuing Education Credits for D-WCCMHA Workforce This is a summary only. For complete and accurate information, please contact the accrediting agency. GENERAL INFORMATION To receive credit for attending trainings, participants must:
Definitions Childrens Mental Health Professional - any of the following:
CEU, CEC, CE - Continuing education contact hour. CME - Continuing medical education contact hour. Contact hour - one 50-60 minute training session. Renewal - Updating a current license that has not yet expired. Renewed licenses last three (3) years for Social Workers and Doctors and two years for Nurses. Relicensure - the granting of a license to a person whose license has lapsed for failure to renew their license within sixty (60) days after the expiration date. Documentation Required for Renewal Although the law does not specify what information a licensee must retain, it is suggested they keep the following information:
Accredited sponsors of approved trainings are required to provide attendance certificates that indicate name of licensee, program dates and number of designated hours. Further information about programs with accredited sponsorship may be obtained by contacting the accredited sponsor. Every licensee who is renewing his/her license should retain records documenting the completion of continuing education. Those documents should be retained for a period of four (4) years from the renewal of the license. Licensees should not send the continuing education documents along with the license renewal application. The Department of Community Health, Bureau of Health Professions will conduct an audit at the conclusion of the renewal period. Licensees are chosen for audit through an automated random selection process and will be contacted by letter to submit documented evidence of the completion of the required number of hours of continuing education credit. Licensees should not renew their license if they do not have the required hours of continuing education credits. A licensee who is unable to provide evidence of completion of the continuing education requirements, when requested, is in violation of the Michigan Public Health Code and subject to one or more of the following possible license sanctions: reprimand, probation, denial, suspension, revocation, limitation, restitution and fine. Continuing Education Waivers Continuing Education Waivers may be granted if the following conditions occur during the licensing period prior to expiration of the license: Disability: The licensees disability shall have been temporary in nature and the licensees physician shall attest on the application that the disability no longer prevents the licensee from attending education programs and engaging in the practice of Social Work without limitation. Military Service: The licensee shall have been practicing Social Work while in active service of the United States, shall have been licensed at the time of induction or entering into service, and shall have requested that his or her license be placed in military status to continue in effect without payment of the license renewal fee. Absence from the Continental United States: The licensee shall establish that Board-approved educational programs were not available within a reasonable distance from where the licensee was located and the licensee shall provide evidence of attendance at educational programs that substantially meet the requirements for approval by the Board. Other Circumstances Beyond Licensees Control: For circumstances, other than disability, military service, or absence from the continental US, the licensee shall submit compelling evidence that the circumstances were good and sufficient for a waiver of the requirements. Documentation is required for all licensees requesting a waiver. All of the reasons require the appropriate documentation validating the reason(s) for non-compliance. Note: Submission of the renewal application and fee is considered a statement that the continuing education requirement has been met. 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 US, or involved in circumstances beyond the licensees control. The Board will not waive the requirements prospectively, not will the requirements be waived for a licensee whose circumstances changed in a time to reasonably allow the licensee to complete all or part of the requirements before the license renewal. The Bureau of Health Professions will not discriminate against any individual or group because of race, sex, religion, age, national origin, color, marital status, disability or political beliefs. If a licensee needs assistance with reading, writing, hearing, etc., under the Americans with Disabilities Act, he/she may make his/her needs known to this agency. Childrens Mental Health Professional CERTIFICATION Each full-time staff member in the certified program shall complete not less than 24 contact hours annually of formalized professional development and training. Staff shall receive training before performing initial screenings. Social Work Licensure The State of Michigan requires licensed Social Workers to complete at least 45 continuing education contact hours (CECs) every three (3) years. A three-year cycle is determined by a workers license expiration date found on the license issued by the Michigan Department of Community Health. Limited licensed Social Workers are not required to meet this standard because of supervision requirements. However, they are encouraged to begin continuing education for their professional growth. Requirement for Renewal Social Workers applying for renewal of license pursuant to R 338.29081 (8L) (1) Submission of 45 hours of continuing education in programs approved by the Board that have been earned within the three-year period immediately preceding the date of the application.
Not all courses advertised as Social Work courses are acceptable for continuing education requirements. Only courses approved by one of the following organizations are recognized as approved courses for Michigan Social Workers:
National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is not a recognized, approving organization for Michigan. Documentation Requirements for All Social Workers All Michigan licensed Social Workers are responsible for tracking their continuing education hours and for maintaining the documentation records of those hours. Submission of an application for renewal of a license constitutes the applicants certification of compliance. LMSWs and LBSWs must retain documentation showing their compliance with the rule for four (4) years from the date of application for renewal. This could result in saving proof of attendance for a total of seven (7) years if a licensee begins taking credits during the first year of his/her renewal cycle. Audit by the Michigan Department of Community Health, Division of Licensure According to MDCH Licensing Division, Social Workers will renew their license as they always have in the past. Once the renewal process is complete, the MDCH database will randomly select 10% of those who renewed their license for audit. The first group to renew under the new licensure law requiring continuing education has a license expiration date of April 30, 2009. Audited licensees will be notified and asked to send proof of his/her compliance of the continuing education requirements. Licensees should not send MDCH attendance documents unless they are required to comply with an audit request. Once MDCH receives the documentation as proof of their compliance, it will verify that CECs they earned were by approved providers. If a licensed Social Worker does not have the required 45 hours in approved coursework during the licensure period, they are considered in violation of the Public Health Code requirements for renewal of their license. A formal compliant would be filed against the licensee who would be given a chance to settle the case informally or participate in an administrative hearing. The case is presented to the Disciplinary Subcommittee for final action. Typically, CE violations are subject to a fine, probation and the licensee would be ordered to complete the missing CE hours within a period of time. Those CECs would count toward the renewal cycle in question and could not be used in the 45 hours required for the next renewal cycle. Each case is reviewed and discipline assessed on the merits of the case. Renewal Procedures Social Worker licenses expire every three (3) years on April 30. Although a 60-day late renewal period is allowed, the 45-hour continuing education requirement must be completed by April 30. Submission of the renewal application certifies that the requirements are met. If the renewal requirements have not been completed, the renewal application should not be submitted. If a licensee would like to apply for a waiver of education requirements, an application should be made after the licensee receives the renewal application in early March, but before the license expires on April 30. Licensees who have not been granted waivers should allow their licenses to expire. Application for relicensure may be made upon completion of the 45-hour requirement within the three-year period immediately preceding the date of the application for relicensure if license has been expired for not more than three (3) years. Nursing Licensure The Michigan Public Health Code and Board of Administrative Rules require every licensed Nurse to complete a minimum of 25 hours of continuing education during the two (2) years prior to renewal. At least one (1) hour must be in pain and pain symptom management. The courses and programs granting the continuing education units must be approved by the Board. The requirements are applicable to every Nurse renewing a license in the State of Michigan who held the license for the two-year period immediately proceeding the date of the renewal. Nursing licenses are renewed every two (2) years by March 31. Each persons renewal cycle is determined by the expiration date and year on their specific license. The requirements apply to all Nurses regardless of whether or not they are actively engaged in the practice of nursing. No one is exempt from these requirements. Persons holding an LPN and RN license that both expire in the same year may apply the same credits to both. However, if the license expires in different years, the same credits may overlap as long as they are earned within the two (2) years prior to the license expiration date. Requirements for Renewal Not less than 25 CEU hours in the two-year period prior to the renewal date; Continuing education credits/units may be earned in the following manner: Presentation: A licensee may earn three (3) continuing education contact hours for each hour of presentation of continuing education that is not a part of the licensees job. A maximum of six (6) hours may be obtained in the renewal period. The licensee may use the program only once in each two-year renewal period. One (1) continuing education contact hour may be granted for each hour of program attendance, at a continuing education program that has been granted approval by another states Board of Nursing. A total of 25 credits may be earned through this process. If audited, a certificate and proof must be submitted that it was approved by that specific state. If audited, the licensee must submit a copy of a letter or certificate showing his/her name, hours earned and the date on which the program was held. Acceptable Continuing Education The following accrediting organizations are permitted by the Michigan Board of Nursing to approve nursing continuing education providers for Michigan: American Nurses Credentialing Center Commission on Accreditation Renewal Procedures Nursing licenses are renewed every two (2) years by March 31. Submission of the renewal application form certifies that the requirements are met. If the renewal requirements have not been completed, the renewal application should not be submitted. If a waiver is necessary, an application should be made after the licensee receives the renewal application in early January, but before the license expires on March 31. Licensees who have not been granted waivers should allow their licenses to expire. Application for relicensure may be made upon completion of the 25-hour requirement within the two-year period immediately preceding the date of the application for relicensure. Medical Doctors Licensure The Michigan Public Health Code and Board administrative rules requires every Medical Doctor to complete, during the three-year period before the expiration date of the license, not less than 150 hours of continuing education courses or programs approved by the Board. Pursuant to this requirement, the Board of Medicine has promulgated rules to establish specific criteria for the Boards approval of continuing medical education courses and programs. Requirements for Renewal The continuing education requirements apply to every physician renewing a Michigan Medical License who held the license for the three-year period immediately preceding the date the license expires. The requirements apply whether or not the physician is actively engaged in the practice of medicine. No one, including medical school faculty and resident physicians, is exempt from this requirement. Each Medical Doctor is required to complete 150 hours of continuing medical education in courses or programs approved by the Board of which not less than 75 hours of the required 150 hours must be earned in courses or programs designated as either Category 1 (accredited) or Category 6 (residency) programs. Requirement for Relicensure All relicensure applicants must have earned 150 hours approved continuing medical education credits during the three-year period prior to the application for relicensure. Categories of Continuing Medical Education The Board of Medicine has established six (6) categories of approved continuing medical education. The following is a brief description of each category, the number of allowable hours that may be earned in each category during the three-year period preceding license renewal, and examples of acceptable documentation: Category 1 Maximum 150 Hours of Continuing Medical Activities with Accredited Sponsorship: Programs designated as Category 1 programs by a sponsor accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education or a State Medical Society. If audited, the licensee must submit the certificate of attendance for each training. Except the unsupervised educational activities designated in Category 5, completion of the required continuing medication education activities must be independently verified by an official source than the licensee. Accredited sponsors are required to provide attendance certificates which indicate program dates and number of designated Category 1 hours. Further information about programs with accredited sponsorship may be obtained by contacting either the Accreditation Council for continuing Medical Education or the Michigan State Medical Society at the address below: Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education 515 N. State Street, Ste. 2150 Chicago, IL 60010 (312) 464-2500 (312) 464-2586 Fax Michigan State Medical Society 120 West Saginaw St. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 337-1351 (517) 337-2490 Fax For activities requiring Board approval, the licensee is responsible for obtaining the information necessary for the Board to determine whether approval can be granted prior to license renewal. Renewal Procedures Medical licenses are renewed every three (3) years by Jan. 31. Although a 60-day late renewal period is allowed, the 150-hour continuing medical education requirement must be completed by Jan. 31. Submission of the renewal application form certifies that the requirements are met. If the renewal requirements have not been completed, the renewal application should not be submitted. If a waiver is necessary, an application should be made after the licensee receives the renewal application in early December, but before the license expires on Jan. 31. Licensees who have not been granted waivers should allow their licenses to expire. Application for relicensure may be made upon completion of the 150-hour requirement within the three-year period immediately preceding the date of the application for relicensure. Information, forms and instructions for obtaining Board approval can be obtained from the continuing education section of the Department of Community Health, Bureau of Health Professions. |