Authored by Dr. Pam Vollmer, DNP, RN, AMB-BC, NPD-BC, CEO and Director of Content at CE Ready

What Nurses Need to Know

Michigan nursing CEUs require 25 contact hours every two years for RNs and LPNs. At least 2 of those hours must address pain and pain symptom management. Implicit bias training is also required, calculated as 1 hour for each year of your license cycle. That works out to 2 hours per renewal. A one-time training in identifying victims of human trafficking is required as well. Nurses who hold a controlled substance license complete a one-time controlled substance awareness course too. Michigan caps you at 12 credit hours in any 24-hour period, so you cannot finish everything in one sitting. Advanced practice nurses meet the same continuing education and maintain national certification. Michigan reports through CE Broker. Nurses licensed on or after May 8, 2024, must complete continuing education for their first renewal. Knowing these required topics, and the 12-hour daily rule, makes Michigan renewal straightforward.

How Michigan CE Requirements Work

Michigan sets a clear hour count, then layers a few specific required topics inside and alongside it.

The core requirement is 25 contact hours of approved continuing education every two years. At least 2 of those hours must cover pain and pain symptom management, a longstanding Michigan requirement. The rest can come from continuing education relevant to your practice, which gives you room to focus on your specialty.

One Michigan rule surprises many nurses. You cannot earn more than 12 credit hours during any 24-hour period, which means you cannot complete all 25 hours in a single marathon session. Spreading your hours across at least three days keeps every credit valid.

Recordkeeping rests with you. Michigan does not collect your certificates at renewal, so you keep your own records for at least four years in case the Board audits you. CE Ready offers Michigan nursing courses that cover the required topics and a wide range of clinical subjects.

The Implicit Bias Training Requirement

Implicit bias training is a recurring Michigan requirement, and its structure trips up many nurses.

Michigan calculates implicit bias training as 1 hour for each year of your license or registration cycle. Because nursing licenses run on a two-year cycle, this works out to 2 hours per renewal. This is not a one-time training, so you complete it for each renewal cycle before you renew.

The training must address recognizing and reducing implicit bias in healthcare. Michigan accepts several formats, including live teleconferences or webinars with interaction, live presentations, and asynchronous teleconferences or webinars. This flexibility lets you fit the requirement into your schedule.

The Pain and Symptom Management Requirement

Pain and pain symptom management is the other required topic built into your 25 hours.

Michigan requires at least 2 of your 25 hours to address pain and pain symptom management each renewal period. This requirement reflects the state’s focus on safe, effective pain care and responsible prescribing. The topic can cover areas like assessment, non-drug approaches, safe opioid use, and ethical pain management.

These 2 hours count toward your total, much like the implicit bias hours. Completing them satisfies a required topic while moving you toward your 25-hour goal. Choosing a pain course relevant to your practice setting makes the requirement genuinely useful.

CE Ready offers a pain management course built to satisfy this Michigan requirement. Completing it early in your cycle settles a required topic and frees you to focus the rest of your hours where you choose.

One-Time Trainings Michigan Requires

Beyond your recurring hours, Michigan requires a couple of one-time trainings worth knowing about.

Every nurse completes a one-time training in identifying victims of human trafficking. You certify on your renewal application that you have completed this training, which satisfies the requirement going forward. Because it is one-time, you do not repeat it at each renewal once it is done.

Nurses who also hold a controlled substance license carry one more one-time requirement. They complete a one-time training in opioids and other controlled substance awareness before renewing. This applies specifically to nurses with controlled substance licensing, not to every nurse.

Both trainings reflect Michigan’s public health priorities. Completing them once and keeping your documentation means they are settled for future renewals. CE Ready offers a human trafficking course and controlled substance courses that address these requirements.

Michigan CE Requirement	Hours	How Often	Who It Applies To
Total continuing education	25	Every renewal (2 years)	RNs, LPNs, APRNs
Pain and pain symptom management	2 (within the 25)	Every renewal	All nurses
Implicit bias training	2 (within the 25)	Every renewal, 1 hour per year	All nurses
Human trafficking identification	One-time	Once	All nurses
Controlled substance awareness	One-time	Once	Nurses with a controlled substance license

Counting Your Michigan CE Hours

Counting your Michigan hours becomes simple once you see how the pieces fit together.

Your total is 25 contact hours every two years, and the required topics live inside that number. The 2 pain hours and the 2 implicit bias hours both count toward the 25, so they are not stacked on top. From there, you fill the remaining hours with continuing education relevant to your practice.

A few conversions help when you plan. One contact hour runs 50 to 60 minutes and equals one CE credit, while ten contact hours equal one CEU. Your 25 credits therefore equal 2.5 CEUs across the cycle. Knowing these figures helps you map a realistic plan.

Because of the 12-hour daily cap, spreading your hours over several sittings is the practical approach. A nurse who plans across the full two years rarely feels rushed near the deadline. Building the plan this way keeps every credit on track.

Michigan APRN CE Requirements

Advanced practice registered nurses in Michigan build their requirements on the registered nurse foundation.

A Michigan APRN, whether a nurse practitioner, nurse midwife, or clinical nurse specialist, completes the same 25 hours of continuing education required for the registered nurse license. That total includes the 2 hours of pain and symptom management and the 2 hours of implicit bias training. The same 12-hour daily limit applies as well.

Maintaining national certification is central to advanced practice in Michigan. An APRN holds and maintains current certification from a board-approved national certifying organization in the relevant specialty. This certification carries its own continuing education, which keeps advanced practice knowledge current.

Prescribing adds a consideration for many APRNs. Michigan APRNs prescribe controlled substances under physician delegation using a DEA registration, and the one-time controlled substance awareness training applies if you hold controlled substance licensing. CE Ready offers pharmacology courses suited to advanced practice, including the APRN options in the full catalog.

What Counts as Approved CE in Michigan

Knowing which courses Michigan accepts keeps your renewal clean.

The Michigan Board of Nursing accepts continuing education approved or offered by a range of recognized organizations. Approved bodies include the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, and the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education. The National League for Nursing and other recognized nursing organizations qualify too. Choosing an ANCC-accredited provider removes any doubt about whether your hours will count.

Your continuing education should be relevant to nursing practice. General courses unrelated to nursing do not count, though a wide range of clinical and professional topics do. This gives you room to focus on areas that strengthen your everyday work.

CE Ready is an ANCC-accredited provider, so its courses meet Michigan’s approved-provider standard. That lets you complete your required topics and clinical hours with confidence that each one counts.

Michigan Renewal Basics

Michigan ties nursing renewal to a two-year cycle managed through its online licensing system.

Nurses renew every two years through the MiPLUS portal. There you attest to completing your continuing education and pay the renewal fee. Michigan mails and emails a renewal notice roughly 90 business days before your expiration date, though renewing on time remains your responsibility. The state does offer a 60-day grace period, with a late fee, if you miss the deadline.

A recent change affects newly licensed nurses. Your first renewal now requires continuing education if your initial Michigan RN or LPN license was issued on or after May 8, 2024. Nurses licensed before that date generally followed the earlier first-renewal exemption, so this change matters most for recent graduates.

Michigan reports continuing education through CE Broker, which simplifies tracking. CE Ready handles CE Broker reporting for nurses in participating states, so your completed Michigan hours report automatically. That removes the manual step of uploading certificates yourself.

A Note for Nurses Who Practice Across State Lines

Michigan’s compact status is changing, so nurses who work across state lines should know where things stand.

Michigan has enacted legislation to join the Nurse Licensure Compact, but the state has not yet implemented it. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing places Michigan among the states that have passed compact legislation while still working through implementation. Until implementation is complete, the compact is not yet in effect in Michigan.

This means a multistate license does not currently authorize practice in the state. A nurse moving to Michigan today applies for a Michigan license through endorsement. Endorsement recognizes an active, unencumbered license from another state and bridges your credentials into the Michigan system.

Watching for implementation news makes sense if you practice regionally. Michigan’s compact privileges would change once the state implements the compact, but nurses should rely on endorsement until that step is official. Planning around the current rule prevents any gap in your ability to practice.

Putting Your Michigan Plan Together

A short planning routine keeps Michigan renewal simple, whatever your license type.

Begin by confirming your renewal deadline and whether your first renewal now requires continuing education. Next, settle the recurring required topics early, since the pain and implicit bias hours apply every cycle. Confirm then that your one-time trainings, human trafficking and, if applicable, controlled substance awareness, are on file.

From there, fill your remaining hours with continuing education that strengthens your practice. Remember to spread your hours across at least three days to respect the 12-hour daily cap. Keeping every certificate in one place makes any future audit straightforward, even with CE Broker reporting your hours.

A nurse who plans early, then documents carefully, rarely feels pressure as the deadline approaches. Checking the LARA site once each cycle confirms nothing has changed since your last renewal. That quick habit takes only a minute and offers real reassurance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How many CEUs do Michigan nurses need?

Michigan registered nurses and licensed practical nurses complete 25 contact hours of continuing education every two years. At least 2 of those hours must cover pain and pain symptom management, and 2 hours must cover implicit bias training. Both required topics count within the 25-hour total rather than adding to it.

Q: What is the Michigan implicit bias training requirement?

Michigan requires 1 hour of implicit bias training for each year of your license cycle, which equals 2 hours per two-year renewal. This is not a one-time training, so you complete it for each renewal cycle before renewing. The training must address recognizing and reducing implicit bias in healthcare, and these hours count within your 25-hour total.

Q: Can Michigan nurses complete all their CE in one day?

No. Michigan does not allow more than 12 credit hours to be earned during any 24-hour period. This means you cannot complete all 25 hours in a single day or even two days. Spreading your continuing education across at least three days ensures every credit counts toward your renewal.

Q: Does Michigan require human trafficking training for nurses?

Yes. Michigan requires a one-time training in identifying victims of human trafficking. You certify on your renewal application that you have completed it. Because it is a one-time requirement, you do not repeat it at each renewal once you have completed it and documented it for your records.

Q: Do new Michigan nurses need CE for their first renewal?

If your initial Michigan RN or LPN license was issued on or after May 8, 2024, you must complete continuing education for your first renewal. This is a change from the earlier practice, under which newly licensed nurses were generally exempt from continuing education for their first renewal cycle.

Q: Does Michigan use CE Broker?

Yes. Michigan’s Bureau of Professional Licensing partnered with CE Broker to help nurses track their continuing education credits. CE Ready reports completed hours to CE Broker for nurses in participating states, so your Michigan continuing education reports automatically without manual uploads on your part.

Call to Action

Michigan CEUs come down to your 25 hours, the required pain and implicit bias topics, and the one-time trainings. CE Ready makes that simple. As an ANCC-accredited provider, provider number P0986, and a Michigan Board of Nursing approved provider, CE Ready offers courses for every Michigan required topic and reports your hours to CE Broker automatically, provider number 50-41474. Explore CE Ready’s Michigan courses and renew with confidence.

References

Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. (2026). Michigan nursing licensing guide. https://www.michigan.gov/lara/bureau-list/bpl/health/hp-lic-health-prof/nursing

Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. (n.d.). Administrative rules for nursing. https://www.michigan.gov/lara/bureau-list/bpl/health/hp-lic-health-prof/nursing

National Council of State Boards of Nursing. (n.d.). Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC). https://www.ncsbn.org/compacts.page