| Q & A about Licensure in Michigan |
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Can I use an "L" in my credential now that the OT Licensure Bil has passed in the state of Michgan?
Our licensure law was modeled after the AOTA Model Practice Act. There are no initials listed at all in the AOTA Model Practice Act, just the part about not using any word, title, letters, or designation that
implies that the person is an Occupational Therapist or Occupational Therapy Assistant. However when drafting the language, some members wanted to carry over some of the titles from the Registration Act to protect them. So we added them. In the final draft given to the LSB, we did have the designation O.T.R./L. and C.O.T.A./L., but the LSB decided that the forward slash was insignificant and removed it. The intent was there, just not the forward slash. I have attached the very original
language submitted to the LSB. You will note the forward slash is present.
In the end, it basically doesn't matter if you choose to use a forward slash. The last sentence of the following portion of the Michigan Occupational Therapy Practice Act allows you to use similar initials
as those specifically protected. Once receiving the new license from the State, I could use the designation "OTR/L" if I wanted to. It will most likely come down to local policy at each place of employment.
(1) After the rules described in sections 18307 and 18309 are promulgated for licensure under this article, an individual shall not use the titles "occupational therapist", "o.t.", "occupational therapist licensed", "o.t.l.", "occupational therapist registered", "o.t.r.", "occupational therapist registered licensed", "o.t.r.l.", "certified occupational therapy assistant", "c.o.t.a.", "certified occupational
therapy assistant licensed", "c.o.t.a.l.", "occupational therapy assistant", "o.t.a.", "occupational therapy assistant licensed", "o.t.a.l.", or similar words which indicate that he or she is licensed as an occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant unless the individual is licensed under this article.
Under Licensure, will the State issue temporary licenses to new graduates who have not received the results of the NBCOT exam or are waiting to take the exam?
This will be up to the MBOT and the Department of Community Health. The Public Health Code allows for the issuance of Limited Licenses. I have added that portion of the public health code below.
Sec. 16181.
(1) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (2), a board may grant a nonrenewable, temporary license to an applicant who has completed all requirements for licensure except for examination or other required evaluation procedure. A board shall not grant a temporary license to an individual who has previously failed the examination or other required evaluation procedure or whose license has been suspended or revoked. A temporary license issued pursuant to this section is valid for 18
months, but a board shall automatically void the temporary license if the applicant fails the examination or other required evaluation procedure.
Robert C. Ferguson, OTR
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