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?

Safe Opioid Prescribing Training

The 3-hour education requirement for safe prescribing of opioids is applicable to all licensed health care professionals who also possess an Illinois Controlled Substance License.

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.

Recognizing Dementia

Every licensed healthcare professional has direct patient interaction with adults 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.

Implicit Bias

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

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

Physicians who treat children must complete this training requirement once every six years.

All of the special requirements noted above count toward the 150 hours required for renewal. 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 are in effect for the current physician licensure cycle, which has the renewal deadline of July 31, 2023.

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, 2020 and July 31, 2023 – may be counted toward the requirement as long as the specific courses completed meet the requirements of the law. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation is the final arbiter as to what satisfies the requirements.

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.

Safe Opioid Prescribing Training

The 3-hour education requirement for safe prescribing of opioids is applicable to all licensed health care professionals who also possess an Illinois Controlled Substance License.

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.

Recognizing Dementia

Every licensed healthcare professional has direct patient interaction with adults 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.

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.

Identifying and Reporting Child Abuse

Physicians who treat children must complete this training requirement once every six years.

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 the summer of 2023, you will have to attest to 3 HOURS of CME specific to safe opioid prescribing. If the other course is less than 3 hours, you will need to complete additional coursework to fulfill the 3-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?

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

IDFPR has indicated that they will not be issuing rules on the safe opioid prescribing CME mandate.

Beginning in 2020, physicians must also complete 3 CME hours on safe opioid prescribing practices offered or accredited by a professional association, state government agency, or federal agency. CME taken by physicians as a requirement for licensure in another state, or for the purposes of board certification application or renewal, count towards this new requirement.

Please note: ISMS offers both sexual harassment prevention and safe opioid prescribing CME that meets the state’s new requirements – all free to ISMS members, which can be accessed in the courses section of this site.

Where did these mandates come from?

About the sexual harassment prevention training requirement

The sexual harassment prevention training requirement was born out of the #MeToo movement that exploded in late 2017/early 2018 and then swept through the Illinois General Assembly in Springfield. Legislators, in seeking to address that wave, quickly passed a law requiring all state officials and any licensed professional who requires continuing education as a provision for license renewal to complete 1 hour of continuing education on this subject.

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 modify the original bill to require only 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 be in effect for each 3-year licensure cycle.

How can I access information from IDFPR about these requirements?

The IDFPR recently published rules related to mandatory sexual harassment prevention training. Click here to view the law. IDFPR has indicated that they will not be issuing rules on the safe opioid prescribing CME mandate.