Michigan has no Administrator-in-Training (AIT) requirement and no state exam. A license rests on one of three routes: a degree with approved coursework, experience as a hospital chief executive, or NAB’s health services executive (HSE) designation. The first two also need the NAB exams.
| Who licenses | The Michigan Board of Nursing Home Administrators, in the Bureau of Professional Licensing (BPL) of the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) |
|---|---|
| Routes to a license | Three (R 339.14017): a degree plus approved coursework plus the NAB exams; hospital executive experience plus the NAB exams; or NAB’s HSE designation. See the routes |
| AIT | None. The rules contain no AIT, internship, practicum or preceptor requirement. See what Michigan asks instead |
| National exams | NAB CORE and NHA Line of Service (R 339.14014), for the degree and hospital routes; $480 for the two together, paid to NAB |
| State exam | None. R 339.14014 adopts only the NAB exams and R 339.14017 names no other. One statute, MCL 333.17317, still mentions an exam on Michigan law for out-of-state licensees; no current rule or LARA material implements one (details) |
| Continuing education | 36 hours every two years, including 2 in pain and symptom management; 1 hour of implicit bias training a year; no carryover (R 339.14021) |
| Fees | $150.80 to apply; $134.30 to renew every two years; $170.80 for relicensure |
| Licensed elsewhere | Endorsement (R 339.14020a): a current HSE, or 5 years or more licensed as an administrator in 1 or more states. See the out-of-state route |
| Official sources | michigan.gov/lara (the board) · Licensing guide · R 339.14001 and following · MCL 333.17301 to 333.17319 · nabweb.org (national exams) |
Verified against the sources above, September 2026. The statute and the current rules govern; the board’s page and LARA’s licensing guide are where to check anything you rely on before you apply.
The Michigan Board of Nursing Home Administrators is created “in the department” by MCL 333.17305(1), and it sits in LARA’s Bureau of Professional Licensing. It has nine voting members, six nursing home administrators and three public members, who serve four-year terms.
The law. The statute is Part 173 of the Public Health Code, MCL 333.17301 to 333.17319. The rules are R 339.14001 and following (the set runs to R 339.14035, and the last active rule is R 339.14032). LARA rewrote them effective 7 May 2025 (2025 MR 11).
| Website | Nursing home administrators, LARA |
|---|---|
| Apply | MiPLUS; CE is tracked in CE Broker, linked from the board page |
| Phone and email | (517) 241-0199; BPLData@michigan.gov |
| Address | Board of Nursing Home Administrators, Bureau of Professional Licensing, Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, 611 West Ottawa Street, P.O. Box 30670, Lansing, Michigan 48909 (R 339.14011(2)) |
The education form lists the phone and email above. The employment verification form lists BPLHelp@michigan.gov and (517) 335-0918.
The statute sets the baseline. MCL 333.17309 asks you to complete “a course of instruction and training approved by the department” (subsection 2), to pass an examination “acceptable to the board and the department” (subsection 4) and to be of good moral character (subsection 5). Subsection 3 adds the hospital alternative. R 339.14017 turns this into the three routes below. On every route, LARA’s licensing guide (revised 21 May 2025) lists these conditions:
Michigan has no Administrator-in-Training requirement. The rules, R 339.14001 to R 339.14035, contain no AIT, internship, practicum or preceptor provision, and LARA’s licensing guide mentions none. So there are no AIT hours to log, no preceptor to qualify and no AIT fee. What Michigan asks instead is education, hospital leadership experience or a national designation.
Under R 339.14017 the department licenses an applicant who files the application, pays the fee and follows one of these routes:
| Route | What you need | NAB exams | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Degree, coursework and exams | A bachelor’s degree or, for a licensed registered nurse, an associate degree or higher in nursing, from an accredited institution recognized by CHEA or the U.S. Department of Education. Plus “not less than 9 semester hours or 144 clock hours” of approved courses, which may be part of the degree. The degree requirement applies “Beginning 1 year after promulgation of this rule”; the rules took effect on 7 May 2025, so it now applies | CORE and NHA Line of Service | R 339.14017; R 339.14011; R 339.14012 |
| 2. Hospital executive and exams | Employment as chief executive or administrative officer at a state-licensed hospital for “not less than 5 of the 7 years” before you apply. The hospital sends LARA’s employment verification form directly | CORE and NHA Line of Service | R 339.14017(d)(ii); MCL 333.17309(3) |
| 3. NAB’s HSE designation | A “current, valid health services executive designation granted by the NAB”. Under the rule this route needs no separate education or exam proof. NAB’s adoption list shows Michigan adopted the HSE on 7 May 2025 | None separately; the rule asks only for the current HSE | R 339.14017; NAB HSE adoption list |
The courses must cover (R 339.14012(3)):
The 9 semester hours or 144 clock hours may be part of your degree (R 339.14012(2)). The school completes LARA’s “Certification of Nursing Home Administrator Education” form (revised 7/26), and the form says: “If this form is submitted by the applicant, it will not be accepted.” Ask your school early whether it will certify your coursework. On the hospital route, LARA’s “Verification of Nursing Home Administrator Employment” form goes from the hospital directly.
Compare other states on AIT Hours by State.
Michigan has no AIT hour requirement, so the planner is optional here. If you want to organize practice time, it spreads hours across 11 department rotations. That split is our planning aid, not a Michigan rule. No account needed.
Open the free AIT PlannerApplications go through MiPLUS. The fee is $150.80 for licensure by exam or by endorsement. Gather these before you start:
Michigan has no state exam. The board “approves and adopts” the NAB CORE and NAB NHA Line of Service examinations (R 339.14014), the passing score is “the passing score established by the NAB” and retakes follow “the limitations established by the NAB”. The rule contains no state or jurisprudence exam, and LARA’s licensing guide lists only the CORE and the Line of Service. NAB says it “does not approve exam applications”; the state board approves eligibility. Pearson VUE delivers the exams, and its scheduling line is (800) 834-1426.
| CORE | 125 questions (100 scored, 25 pretest); 130 minutes to answer, within 150 minutes in all, per NAB’s Candidate Handbook (September 2026) |
|---|---|
| NHA Line of Service | 75 questions (60 scored, 15 pretest); 70 minutes to answer, within 90 minutes in all, per the same handbook |
| Passing score | A scaled score of 113, on NAB’s scale of 50 to 150 (NAB score interpretation) |
| Fee | $480 for CORE and NHA together, from 1 February 2026. Taken alone, CORE is $320 and NHA is $190 (NAB) |
| Attempts | Up to 4 attempts at each exam per cycle (1 July to 30 June), from 1 January 2026. Each retake needs a new exam application and fee, and each approval opens a new 90-day window to test |
More in NAB Exam Format and The Core Domains Explained.
One statute reads differently. MCL 333.17317, on licensing people licensed in another state, says the department “may issue” a license “if the applicant passes an examination approved by the department and the board” that tests “knowledge of law relating to practice in Michigan.” The endorsement rule, R 339.14020a, and LARA’s licensing guide list no such exam, and no current rule or LARA material implements one. Read the section at legislature.mi.gov if you are applying from another state.
Once you run a Michigan nursing home, you work under Part 217 of the Public Health Code and LARA’s facility licensing rules, R 325.45101 to R 325.45385, “Licensing Health Facilities or Agencies” (2024 MR 6, effective 1 April 2024). Federally, 42 CFR Part 483, Subpart B, applies only if the home is certified for Medicare or Medicaid. On staffing, the federal side has no hours-per-resident-day minimum: CMS’s 2024 minimum staffing standards, which were never enforced, were repealed by an interim final rule published 3 December 2025 and effective 2 February 2026 (90 FR 55687). Five differences that matter on the job, each with the Michigan section:
| Topic | Federal rule (42 CFR 483) | Michigan rule | Michigan section |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nursing hours and ratios | Sufficient nursing staff (483.35(a)). No hours-per-resident-day minimum. A registered nurse “at least 8 consecutive hours a day, 7 days a week”, unless waived (483.35(b), (e), (f)) | Not less than 2.25 hours of nursing care per patient per day, with maximum shift ratios of 8:1 (morning), 12:1 (afternoon) and 15:1 (night) | MCL 333.21720a(2) |
| Nursing staff and basic services | No equivalent. The standard is “sufficient nursing staff” (483.35(a)) | Nursing staff “shall not be engaged in providing basic services” such as food preparation, housekeeping, laundry or maintenance, except in an emergency reported to and concurred in by the department. In homes of 30 or more beds, the director of nursing does not count toward the ratios | MCL 333.21720a(2) |
| The administrator | The administrator must be “Licensed by the State, where licensing is required” (483.70(d)(2)(i)); 483.70 sets no full-time rule | A home with 50 or more beds must have “a full-time licensed nursing home administrator”, and must notify the department immediately of a change of administrator. The administrator must hold a Part 173 license | MCL 333.21720(1), (2); R 325.45171(3) |
| The director of nursing | A registered nurse serves as director of nursing full time (483.35(b)(2)). No gerontology qualifier | The director of nursing must be a registered nurse “with specialized training or relevant experience in the area of gerontology”, and at least 1 licensed nurse must be on duty at all times | MCL 333.21720a(1) |
| Reporting abuse | Alleged abuse, neglect, exploitation or mistreatment goes to the administrator and other officials, including the State Survey Agency, “immediately, but not later than 2 hours” if it involves abuse or serious bodily injury, otherwise within 24 hours (483.12(c)(1)); investigation results within 5 working days (483.12(c)(4)) | The administrator or director of nursing reports a reasonable suspicion “by telephone to the department and 1 or more law enforcement entities”. Employees report to the administrator or director of nursing and to the department; physicians and licensed staff report to the department and law enforcement. Timelines follow the federal regulations; Michigan adds a telephone method and a no-retaliation clause that protects residents | MCL 333.21771(2), (4), (6) |
One more federal duty applies in homes that receive at least $10,000 in federal funds a year. Each covered individual reports a reasonable suspicion of a crime against a resident to the State Agency and one or more law enforcement entities, within 2 hours if there is serious bodily injury and otherwise within 24 hours (483.12(b)(5); section 1150B of the Social Security Act). In Michigan it sits alongside the MCL 333.21771 report.
Federal: 42 CFR Part 483, Subpart B in the eCFR. MCL 333.21771 was last amended by 2022 PA 187, effective 25 July 2022. In a certified home you meet both sets of rules.
| Licensure by exam | $150.80 (LARA licensing guide, revised 21 May 2025) |
|---|---|
| Licensure by endorsement | $150.80 (same guide) |
| Renewal, every two years | $134.30 (guide) |
| Late renewal | A late fee is required within the 60-day grace period (MCL 333.16201(2)) |
| Relicensure of a lapsed license | $170.80 (guide) |
| NAB exams, CORE and NHA together | $480, paid to NAB, from 1 February 2026. Taken alone, CORE is $320 and NHA is $190 (NAB handbook) |
R 339.14021(1) requires “not less than 36 hours of continuing education credits approved by the board” in each two-year cycle. That matches MCL 333.17313, which asks for not less than 18 clock hours for each year.
Licenses renew every two years (LARA licensing guide).
Endorsement (R 339.14020a). You qualify if you either hold a current HSE or have been “registered or licensed as a nursing home administrator in 1 or more states for 5 years or more” immediately before applying. Otherwise you meet the initial requirements in R 339.14017. In every case you disclose your other licenses (MCL 333.16174(6)) and show no pending discipline (333.16174(2)(a)). The fee is $150.80. The MCL 333.17317 note in the exams section applies here too.
Temporary licenses. MCL 333.16181(1) lets a board grant a nonrenewable temporary license to an applicant who has completed everything but the exam. It lasts 18 months and is void if the applicant fails. The NHA rules and LARA’s guide do not describe a temporary NHA license process, so ask BPL if you think it applies to you.
Military dependents. Under MCL 333.16181(5) and (6) the department “shall grant a temporary license” to a dependent of a service member or veteran who holds a current license elsewhere. It lasts 6 months and can be renewed once for 6 more.
Michigan requires neither. There is no AIT program to join and no preceptor to find, because the rules set no AIT, internship or practicum requirement.
Where coursework comes from. The degree in route 1 comes from an accredited college or university, and the 9 semester hours or 144 clock hours of approved courses may be part of it (R 339.14012). Your school certifies the coursework on LARA’s form, so ask it whether a course fits the subjects listed above before you enroll. The HSE, route 3, comes from NAB.
Association. The Health Care Association of Michigan (HCAM), 7413 Westshire Drive, Lansing, (517) 627-1561, lists continuing education, an Effective Leaders workshop, assisted living (CALD) programs, webinars and a careers page on its site.
If you want facility experience anyway, see How to Find an AIT Preceptor and an Approved Program. Michigan does not require it.
The legal sources for nursing home administrator licensure in Michigan, and the facility law cited above.
Citations verified September 2026 against the Michigan Legislature and its Justia copy, the LARA Administrative Rules System, LARA’s board page and licensing guide, NAB and the eCFR. Provided for reference, not legal advice; the current official text governs.
None. Michigan has no AIT, internship, practicum or preceptor requirement. The rules (R 339.14017) offer three routes: a degree plus 9 semester hours or 144 clock hours of approved coursework plus the NAB exams; 5 of the last 7 years as a hospital chief executive or administrative officer plus the NAB exams; or NAB’s health services executive (HSE) designation.
No. R 339.14014 adopts only the NAB CORE and NHA Line of Service exams, with NAB’s passing score and retake limits. MCL 333.17317, on out-of-state licensees, mentions an exam on Michigan law, but no current rule or LARA material implements one.
36 hours every two years, including at least 2 in pain and symptom management, plus 1 hour of implicit bias training a year and human trafficking training. Courses must be NAB-approved or from an accredited college or university, and hours do not carry over (R 339.14021, R 339.14026, R 338.7004).
Yes, by endorsement (R 339.14020a), if you hold a current HSE or have been licensed as an administrator in 1 or more states for 5 years or more immediately before applying. Otherwise you meet the initial requirements. The fee is $150.80.
You do not need one, because Michigan has no AIT or preceptor requirement. Your route needs approved coursework certified by your school on LARA’s form, hospital executive experience, or the NAB HSE designation.
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