Licensure FAQs

Licensure FAQs

The information below has been compiled as the result of frequently asked questions from ISMS members as it relates to the CME requirements in order to maintain and renew their medical licenses.

What are the special CME requirements for Illinois physicians?

Every three years, physicians must complete:

In 2023, ISMS successfully advanced legislation to allow physicians more time to complete specific course topics that are required for license renewal.  Instead of taking certain courses every licensure cycle, physicians now have the flexibility to take most courses every other licensure cycle and the number of issue-specific mandated hours is reduced. The number of courses that must be taken every renewal has been reduced to two.

Sexual Harassment Prevention Training

The 1-hour sexual harassment prevention education mandate applies to any profession licensed by the state that requires continuing education as a condition of licensure.

Implicit Bias

Every licensed healthcare professional is required to take one hour of training on recognizing implicit bias in healthcare.

Every six years, healthcare professionals must complete training in:

Recognizing Dementia

Every licensed healthcare professional who directly interacts with patients age 26 and above must take one hour of training on the diagnosis, treatment, and care of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

Physicians licensed for the first time during the 2023 – 2026 licensure period must complete the dementia training once prior to renewal in 2026, and thereafter have six years to complete the training again.

Safe Opioid Prescribing

The 1-hour education requirement for safe prescribing of opioids is applicable to all licensed healthcare professionals who possess an Illinois Controlled Substance License.

Cultural Competency

Every licensed healthcare professional in Illinois (required to complete continuing education), including physicians, is required to complete 1 CME hour on cultural competency, which is defined as “a set of integrated attitudes, knowledge, and skills that enables a healthcare professional or organization to care effectively for patients from diverse cultures, groups, and communities.”

Child Abuse and Neglect: Mandated Reporter Training for Illinois Healthcare Professionals

Physicians and others who are required to report child abuse or child neglect must complete an initial mandated reporter training within three months of their date of engagement in a professional or official capacity as a mandated reporter, and at least every six years thereafter if they work with children in a professional or official capacity. This requirement is not specifically tied to the Illinois medical license renewal. At each license renewal, physicians who work with children must attest to their understanding of their role as a mandated reporter.

*Medical personnel who do not work with children in their professional or official capacity are not required to undergo repeated training, and they may instead attest at each license renewal to their understanding of their mandated reporter role.

You can view all of the courses that meet Illinois’ state-mandated education requirements here.

These hours are included as part of the 150 hours of Continuing Medical Education that must be completed by physicians to renew their licenses every 3 years.

When do these requirements go into effect?

These requirements will apply to the current physician licensure cycle, which has the renewal deadline of July 31, 2026.

What if I completed training on these topics before the new laws went into effect?

It is our understanding that education completed any time during the current licensure cycle – between August 1, 2023 and July 31, 2026 – may be counted toward the requirement as long as the specific courses completed meet the requirements of the law.

Are allied health professionals, such as physician assistants, required to complete safe opioid prescribing and/or sexual harassment prevention training?

Below are the requirements for all licensed healthcare professionals in Illinois.

Every three years:

Sexual Harassment Prevention Training

The 1-hour sexual harassment prevention education mandate applies to any profession licensed by the state that requires continuing education as a condition of re-licensure.

Implicit Bias

Every licensed healthcare professional is required to take one hour of training on recognizing implicit bias in health care. All of the special requirements noted above count toward the 150 hours required for renewal.

Every six years:

Safe Opioid Prescribing Training

The one-hour education requirement for safe prescribing of opioids is applicable to all licensed healthcare professionals who also possess an Illinois Controlled Substance License.

Recognizing Dementia

Every licensed healthcare professional who has direct patient interaction with adults aged 26 and above must take one hour of training on the diagnosis, treatment, and care of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

Cultural Competency

Every licensed healthcare professional in Illinois, including physicians, is required to complete one CME hour on cultural competency, which is defined as “a set of integrated attitudes, knowledge, and skills that enables a healthcare professional or organization to care effectively for patients from diverse cultures, groups, and communities.”

Identifying and Reporting Child Abuse

All healthcare professionals who are required to report child abuse or child neglect must complete an initial mandated reporter training within three months of their date of engagement in a professional or official capacity as a mandated reporter, and at least every three years thereafter.

I have completed a CME course on opioid prescribing in another state during the current licensing cycle. Will that satisfy the Illinois requirement?

ISMS fought to ensure that opioids-related CME accumulated for other purposes (e.g., another state's licensure requirement, MOC, or hospital credentialing) will count toward the new requirement in Illinois.

Please Note: when you go to renew your medical license in 2026, you will have to attest to 1 hour of CME specific to safe opioid prescribing. If the other course is less than 1 hour, you will need to complete additional coursework to fulfill the 1-hour requirement. ISMS offers several opioid-related CME courses, free of charge to ISMS members.

How can I access information from IDFPR about these requirements?

ISMS offers CME that meets all state requirements – all free to ISMS members, which can be accessed in the Education Center.

The IDFPR has published rules related to mandatory sexual harassment prevention training. Click here to view the law.

Separate from this requirement, the Drug Enforcement Administration announced in 2023 a one-time requirement to take 8 hours of substance abuse treatment training.  Learn more here.

Where did these mandates come from?

About the cultural competency requirement:

This mandate was advocated by Equality Illinois, a group representing the rights of the LGBTQ communities and was based on what many other states have enacted into law. It was also supported by the various payers, such as Medicaid managed care plans. Click here to view the law.

About the sexual harassment prevention training requirement:

The one-hour sexual harassment prevention training requirement was born out of the #MeToo movement that exploded in late 2017/early 2018 and is required of all Illinois licensed professionals, regardless of the service provided. The IDFPR published rules related to mandatory sexual harassment prevention training. Click here to view the law.

About the opioids CME requirement:

The opioid crisis gained significant public attention throughout the mid-2010s, and by 2018 the General Assembly was determined to do something about it. In addition to a proposed requirement of 10 hours of very specific CME content related to opioids, there was active discussion of arbitrary pill limits, mandatory adherence to practice guidelines, and other onerous provisions of dubious effectiveness. Ultimately, ISMS was able to reduce the burden on physicians by negotiating to require 1 hour—instead of 3 hours—of CME specific to safe opioid prescribing.

Are these one-time requirements, or will I need to take similar courses again in the future?

Unless the law is changed, these requirements will need to be completed on a three or six-year cycle as indicated.  Included in the ISMS-backed 2023 reform law was a provision that any additional mandates will expand the window to take courses from six years to nine years.