Licensing

Graduate Medical Education
House Staff Benefits and Services
Benefits
Graduate Medical Education Office Services
Licensing
Resources for Working at RUSH
RUSH Campus Amenities
Visas for Residents and Fellows
Wellness
Diversity and Inclusion in GME
House Staff Committees
Verification Requests
Visiting Physicians
Why Choose RUSH?
Graduate Medical Education
House Staff Benefits and Services
Benefits
Graduate Medical Education Office Services
Licensing
Resources for Working at RUSH
RUSH Campus Amenities
Visas for Residents and Fellows
Wellness
Diversity and Inclusion in GME
House Staff Committees
Verification Requests
Visiting Physicians
Why Choose RUSH?

 

The Office of Graduate Medical Education is the primary liaison for house staff with the State of Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) for medical licensing. House staff may not engage in medical practice prior to receiving appropriate licensure and all forms, visas or other permits as may be required by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. It is the responsibility of the house staff to obtain and maintain, at their own expense, medical licensure in the State of Illinois. 

House staff are required to hold either a temporary (training) or permanent unrestricted license. House staff are eligible to obtain a permanent license after passing USMLE steps 1, 2, and 3 and successful completion of 24 months training in an approved program, among other requirements. House staff who do not qualify for a permanent licensure must apply for a temporary license.

Support for the licensure application process is provided by the RUSH Office of GME. For information, contact Thi Tran in the GME Office, located in suite 403 in the Armour Academic Center. 

Important Licensure Information

  • Unlicensed house staff will not be able to begin training on time. They will not receive a paycheck or benefits until their license is issued.
  • The initial licensing process can be lengthy —  allow at least 90 days for processing the application.
  • In order for your applications to be processed, ALL REQUIRED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION MUST BE SUBMITTED with the application and required fee unless otherwise directed in the instructions. Please refer to the instructional checklists below for the complete licensing process.

 

Temporary Medical Licenses

You must apply for a temporary license (code #125) if you have fewer than 24 months of U.S. or Canadian training in an approved program. The temporary license is the property of RUSH University Medical Center and will be issued in your name and the program in which you are designated to start. It is issued for up to three years from your start date but may be extended for longer training programs.

  • Instructional checklist
  • Submit initial application online through the IDFPR Online Services Portal
  • Required supplemental forms include: CA-MED, ED-MED/ED-NON
  • If you do not have a Social Security number, you must contact Thi Tran in the GME Office. Please click here to get started with your temporary license paper application.
  • CA-MED forms are to be signed by your program director and sealed by the GME Office. Please coordinate with your program administrator to have the CA-MED forms completed, signed, sealed, and sent to you to include in your application.
  • Fee: $230.00

 

Transfer or Extension of Temporary Medical Licenses

If you hold an Illinois temporary license (code #125) from another Illinois institution, you must transfer it to RUSH University Medical Center. If you are transferring to a different program within RUSH University Medical Center, you must transfer your license. You will need to apply for a license extension if your temporary license expires before you complete your residency program. 

This application cannot be submitted on-line through the IDFPR application portal. Please upload the completed application and all requested supplemental documents to Thi Tran through the submission form. Thi will carefully review your submission before mailing it directly to the IDFPR.

  • Instructional Checklist and Application
  • CA-MED forms are to be signed by your program director and sealed by the Thi Tran at the GME Office. Please coordinate with your program administrator to have the CA-MED form completed, signed, and submitted to Thi Tran for a seal. Thi will include the sealed CA-MED form with your submitted application before sending it to the IDFPR.
  • Please upload the completed application and supplemental documents to Thi Tran using the submission form.
  • Transfer applicants at other Illinois institutions should complete their application on paper and mail it with their payment to Thi Tran at the address below.

ATTN: GME - Thi Tran
600 South Paulina Street
Suite 403 Armour Academic
Chicago, IL 60612

 

Limited Temporary Licenses

Please visit the For Visiting Physicians page to learn more.

 

Permanent Medical Licenses

House staff are eligible to obtain a permanent license (code #036) after passing all three U.S. Medical Licensing Examination or Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination steps and successfully completing 24 months of training in an approved program. We recommend that all fellows obtain a permanent license. You must apply for and obtain your own license and send a copy to both the GME Office and your program coordinator/director prior to starting.

 

Podiatry

A temporary training license (code 035) is issued only to those accepted or appointed to a residency or preceptorship position approved by the Council on Podiatric Medical Education of the American Podiatric Medical Association. The temporary podiatry license will expire three years from the beginning date of the program or from the date of issuance if later than the beginning date of the program. The temporary podiatry license will expire three years from the beginning date of the program or from the date of issuance if later than the beginning date of the program.

A permanent podiatric license (code # 016) requires one completed year of postgraduate training and expires on January 31 of each odd-numbered year.

 

Controlled Substance Licenses

For permanent license applicants/holders only

If you practice in Illinois locations where controlled drugs are stored, you must acquire controlled substance registrations for each practice location. (For RUSH, please use the GME address. The license will be emailed to you from the IDFPR.) The controlled substance, or CS, license (code #336) will not be issued until a permanent license is issued; it expires at the same time as the permanent license. The CS license is a prerequisite for a federal controlled substance or Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registration. If you have a DEA license from another state, you must obtain an Illinois controlled substance license to use your DEA in this state.

 

DEA substance registration

For permanent license applicants/holders only

Visit the Drug Enforcement Administration website for the new applicants' online registration. Please read the website’s information carefully and have requested information available before applying. For those with a permanent license, the controlled substance license is a prerequisite for a federal DEA license. The CS is geographically based. You will need one for each site/hospital. The license is necessary only if your program requires a DEA license. Contact your program to determine need. While you are enrolled in a training program, you may use RUSH’s DEA number followed by a hyphen and your physician ID number. For the RUSH DEA license number, contact GME.

Licensing Contact

Thi Tran
Graduate Medical Education
600 S. Paulina, Suite 403 AAC
Chicago, IL 60612
312-942-0312
Thi_A_Tran@rush.edu