Cultural Competency - 1 Hour CE

Cultural Competency - 1 Hour CE
$20.00
1 Contact Hour
Required For: IL
219
About the course

Illinois Cultural Competency CE Requirements at a Glance

Hours Required: 1 contact hour
Effective Date: January 1, 2025
Legal Authority: Public Act 103-0531 (Sections 2105-370 & 2105-375) and 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1130.5250
Completion Frequency: Once every 6 years (within 3 renewal periods)
Who Must Complete: All IDFPR-licensed healthcare professionals: RNs, LPNs, APRNs, MDs, DOs, PAs, pharmacists, PTs, OTs, social workers, psychologists, dentists, and 20+ other professions

Illinois Cultural Competency 1-Hour CE

State License Renewal Requirement • All Healthcare Professionals

ANCC Accredited • Illinois Board Approved

📋 New Illinois State Mandate - Effective January 1, 2025

All Illinois-licensed healthcare professionals are now required to complete a 1-hour cultural competency continuing education (CE) course as part of their license renewal.

Legal Reference: Public Act 103-0531 (Sections 2105-370 and 2105-375) and 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1130.5250 mandate this training to ensure healthcare providers deliver respectful, equitable, and inclusive care to Illinois' diverse patient populations.

1
Contact Hour
25+
License Types
4.7
Star Rating
IL
Compliant

✅ Complete Illinois Compliance Confidence

ANCC Accredited
National credentialing standards
Illinois Board Approved
Division-approved CE provider
All License Types
25+ healthcare professions covered
Evidence-Based Content
Peer-reviewed & CLAS-aligned

Understanding Illinois Cultural Competency Requirements

The State of Illinois defines cultural competency as "a set of integrated attitudes, knowledge, and skills that enables a health care professional or organization to care effectively for patients from diverse cultures, groups, and communities." This definition, established in Public Act 103-0531, forms the foundation for the mandatory training requirement.

What Public Act 103-0531 Requires

Illinois Public Act 103-0531 established cultural competency training requirements effective January 1, 2025, through two key sections:

Section 2105-370: "Continuing Education; Cultural Competency"

For healthcare professional license or registration renewals occurring on or after January 1, 2025, a healthcare professional who has continuing education requirements must complete at least a one-hour course in cultural competency training. This one hour may be counted toward meeting the minimum credit hours required for continuing education.

Section 2105-375: "Limitation on Specific Statutorily Mandated Training Requirements"

For health care professional license or registration renewals occurring on or after January 1, 2025, a health care professional whose license or registration renewal occurs every 2 years must complete all statutorily mandated topics within 3 renewal periods—meaning once every 6 years.

Illinois License Renewal Timelines

Understanding when your license expires determines your compliance deadline:

  • Illinois RN and APRN licenses expire May 31 of each even-numbered year (2026, 2028, 2030)
  • Illinois LPN licenses expire January 31 of each odd-numbered year (2025, 2027, 2029)
  • All nurses must complete cultural competency training within 3 renewal periods (once every 6 years)

Core Concepts Covered in This Course

Cultural Competency and the CLAS Standards Framework

Cultural competency refers to a set of behaviors, attitudes, and policies that enable professionals to work effectively in cross-cultural situations. It emphasizes the capacity to value diversity, engage in self-assessment, institutionalize cultural knowledge, and adapt services to meet culturally unique needs. The National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) provide a framework for embedding cultural competence across healthcare systems—calling for care that is respectful of, and responsive to, the health beliefs, practices, and linguistic needs of all patients.

Cultural Competency vs. Cultural Humility

While cultural competency emphasizes understanding and adapting to different cultures through knowledge acquisition, cultural humility is a lifelong commitment to self-evaluation and critique. Cultural humility recognizes that providers can never fully master every cultural nuance and must remain open, curious, and willing to learn from patients. It involves recognizing power imbalances in clinical encounters and working collaboratively with patients to understand their needs and goals. This course teaches both approaches as complementary frameworks for delivering equitable care.

Implicit Bias in Healthcare

Implicit biases are unconscious attitudes or stereotypes that influence decisions and interactions, often without awareness. Research shows implicit biases can be associated with poorer outcomes for minority patients through misdiagnoses, delays in treatment, and lower-quality care. This course teaches evidence-based strategies for recognizing and mitigating these biases in clinical practice, including structured self-reflection techniques and communication approaches that interrupt unconscious bias patterns.

Communication Strategies Across Cultures

Effective communication is central to culturally competent care. Communication breakdowns are one of the leading causes of medical errors, and cultural differences can compound these risks. This course covers techniques for listening without judgment, clarifying meaning, and creating safe environments for patients to express concerns—including when and how to use professional medical interpreters rather than relying on family members who may misinterpret or withhold sensitive information.

Note: Cultural competency and implicit bias are separate Illinois mandates. This course fulfills the 1-hour cultural competency requirement. Illinois also requires 1 hour of implicit bias awareness training—see our Illinois License Renewal CEU Bundle to complete all 4 required courses.

📚 Course Overview

This comprehensive course provides healthcare professionals with a fast, convenient, and accredited way to meet Illinois' cultural competency mandate. Through interactive content, real-world clinical scenarios, and actionable strategies aligned with the National CLAS Standards, you'll enhance cultural awareness, reduce health disparities, and support better patient outcomes.

Learning Objectives:

  • Define cultural competency and its relevance to healthcare quality, patient outcomes, and professional responsibilities in accordance with Illinois law (Public Act 103-0531)
  • Identify at least three ways in which cultural beliefs, biases, and communication styles influence patient care and decision-making
  • Apply strategies for delivering culturally responsive and inclusive care to improve trust, reduce disparities, and enhance interprofessional collaboration

Part of Illinois Requirements: This course fulfills the cultural competency mandate. For complete compliance, our Illinois License Renewal CEU Bundle includes all 4 required courses: Cultural Competency, Implicit Bias, Sexual Harassment Prevention, and Alzheimer's/Dementia training.

Accreditation and Illinois Compliance

Renew Now CE is an accredited continuing education provider through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Our Illinois Cultural Competency 1-Hour CE Course meets ANCC standards and is accepted by the Illinois Board of Nursing to fulfill the state's cultural competency training requirement for license renewal.

Legal Authority:

Public Act 103-0531 (Sections 2105-370 & 2105-375): Establishes the cultural competency training requirement effective January 1, 2025, and specifies the 3-renewal-period completion timeline.

68 Ill. Adm. Code 1130.5250: Administrative implementation allowing licensed healthcare professionals to satisfy the cultural competency CE requirement by completing a course from any Division-approved continuing education provider. Renew Now CE (Provider #P0557) is recognized by the Illinois Board of Nursing as an approved provider.

Interprofessional Acceptance: This ANCC-accredited course is designed to meet state requirements for all healthcare professionals covered under IDFPR Section 1130.500. Licensees in non-nursing professions should confirm acceptance with their respective licensing boards prior to completion.

Healthcare Professionals Required to Complete Cultural Competency Training in Illinois

Under Public Act 103-0531, the following Illinois-licensed healthcare professionals are required to complete cultural competency training:

Medical Professionals:

  • Physicians (MDs and DOs)
  • Physician Assistants (PAs)
  • Chiropractic Physicians
  • Podiatric Physicians
  • Optometrists

Nursing Professionals:

  • Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs)
  • Registered Nurses (RNs)
  • Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs)
  • Nursing Home Administrators

Allied Health Professionals:

  • Physical Therapists (PTs)
  • Physical Therapist Assistants (PTAs)
  • Occupational Therapists (OTs)
  • Occupational Therapy Assistants (OTAs)
  • Respiratory Care Practitioners

Mental Health & Behavioral:

  • Clinical Psychologists
  • Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs)
  • Social Workers (LSWs)
  • Clinical Professional Counselors (LCPCs)
  • Professional Counselors (LPCs)
  • Behavior Analysts
  • Assistant Behavior Analysts

Pharmacy Professionals:

  • Pharmacists (RPh)
  • Registered Certified Pharmacy Technicians (CPhT)

Communication & Dental:

  • Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs)
  • Speech-Language Pathology Assistants
  • Audiologists
  • Dentists (DDS/DMD)
  • Dental Hygienists (RDH)

Frequently Asked Questions: Illinois Cultural Competency CE

How often do Illinois nurses need to complete cultural competency training?

Under Public Act 103-0531 Section 2105-375, Illinois nurses must complete cultural competency training within 3 renewal periods. Since RN and APRN licenses renew every 2 years (expiring May 31 of even-numbered years), this means once every 6 years. LPN licenses renew every 2 years as well (expiring January 31 of odd-numbered years). The requirement took effect January 1, 2025.

Does Illinois cultural competency CE count toward my total continuing education hours?

Yes. Per Public Act 103-0531 Section 2105-370, the 1-hour cultural competency requirement may be counted toward meeting your minimum CE credit hours for license renewal. It is not an additional hour on top of your existing requirements.

What is the difference between cultural competency and implicit bias training in Illinois?

Cultural competency training focuses on attitudes, knowledge, and skills for effective cross-cultural healthcare delivery, including understanding diverse health beliefs and communication practices. Implicit bias training addresses unconscious attitudes and stereotypes that affect clinical decision-making. Illinois requires BOTH as separate mandates: 1 hour of cultural competency AND 1 hour of implicit bias awareness training.

Which Illinois healthcare professionals must complete cultural competency training?

All healthcare professionals licensed under Illinois DFPR Section 1130.500 must complete cultural competency training, including: RNs, LPNs, APRNs, physicians (MD/DO), physician assistants, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, physical therapists, occupational therapists, respiratory therapists, social workers, psychologists, professional counselors, behavior analysts, speech-language pathologists, audiologists, dentists, and dental hygienists.

What law requires Illinois cultural competency training for nurses?

Illinois cultural competency training is mandated by Public Act 103-0531, specifically Sections 2105-370 (establishing the 1-hour requirement) and 2105-375 (establishing the 3-renewal-period completion timeline), effective January 1, 2025. The administrative implementation is detailed in 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1130.5250.

What are the Illinois statutorily mandated CE topics?

Illinois requires healthcare professionals to complete training on several statutorily mandated topics, which may include: Cultural Competency (1 hour), Implicit Bias Awareness (1 hour), Sexual Harassment Prevention (1 hour), and for certain professions, Alzheimer's/Dementia training. Per Section 2105-375, all mandated topics must be completed within 3 renewal periods (6 years).

Is this course accepted for Illinois physician (MD/DO) license renewal?

This ANCC-accredited course is designed to meet state requirements for all healthcare professionals covered under IDFPR Section 1130.500, including physicians. Renew Now CE holds Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) status. Physicians should confirm acceptance with the Illinois Medical Board prior to completion, as some boards may have additional provider requirements.

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🎯 Course Highlights

  • ANCC accredited and Illinois Board-compliant CE course
  • Aligned with National CLAS Standards framework
  • Evidence-based content with peer-reviewed citations
  • Real-world clinical scenarios and case studies
  • Interprofessional focus—designed for 25+ healthcare professions
  • 10-question final assessment to verify competency
  • Average course rating: 4.7/5 stars

📅 Course Information

Original Release:
June 1, 2025
Last Reviewed:
May 6, 2025
Expires:
May 31, 2028
Contact Hours:
1 Hour CE Credit

Disclosure: Course authors and reviewers (Joanna Nolte, APRN, MSN; Ryan Bendinelli, PharmD; Tamarah Jungklaus, APRN, MSN) have no relevant financial relationships to disclose in compliance with ANCC accreditation requirements.

👩‍⚕️ Trusted by Illinois Healthcare Professionals

Our courses are developed by experienced healthcare professionals and meet the highest ANCC standards. We provide fast, convenient, and fully compliant continuing education that satisfies Illinois state requirements under Public Act 103-0531.

Meet your cultural competency requirement with confidence.

Complete Your Illinois Cultural Competency Requirement

Fulfill your Public Act 103-0531 mandate with Illinois' most trusted continuing education provider.

✅ ANCC Accredited    ✅ Public Act 103-0531 Compliant    ✅ All License Types

Legal References: Illinois cultural competency requirement established by Public Act 103-0531 and implemented through 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1130.5250. For questions, contact us here.

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