Ethics and professionalism CPD for health practitioners in Australia [email protected]
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Online course · Australia

Ethics and Professionalism for Chinese Medicine Practitioners in Australia

Applying the Chinese Medicine Board's Code to Herbs, Acupuncture, Consent and Records

  • About 3 hours
  • 20 scenario questions
  • Reflective account
  • Certificate of completion
  • Online, self-paced

About this course

Chinese medicine practice involves needles, herbs, dispensing and advertising, each covered by its own Chinese Medicine Board guideline. This three-hour course brings them together with the Code of conduct so you can practise safely and explain your decisions.

The course opens with the regulatory landscape: divisions and protected titles, the Board's codes and guidelines, notifications and co-regulation, and everyday obligations. Ethical foundations follow, integrating Chinese medicine values with the Code, evidence and honesty, and working alongside conventional care.

Consent gets a full section, including the material risks of acupuncture and herbs, consent across language and culture, and financial consent for treatment courses. Herbal medicine safety covers the Board's guidelines, prescriptions and labelling, scheduled, toxic, prohibited and substituted herbs, dispensing and patent medicines, adverse events and endangered species. Infection prevention covers needles, sharps, cupping, gua sha, moxibustion and responding to injury.

Later sections address boundaries in hands-on practice, communication across cultures, cultural safety, commercial conflicts, advertising and therapeutic claims, titles and 'Dr', records under the 2026 guidelines, privacy, translation tools and AI, mandatory notifications and accountability.

What you will learn

  • Explain the divisions of the register, the protected titles and the rules against holding out
  • Identify which codes, guidelines and standards apply to your practice and how they are used
  • Integrate Chinese medicine with patients' conventional care honestly
  • Obtain consent that covers the material risks of acupuncture, related practices and herbs
  • Prescribe, label and dispense herbs in line with the Board's guidelines
  • Apply infection control to acupuncture, cupping, gua sha and moxibustion, and respond to injury
  • Advertise lawfully without testimonials or unsupported claims
  • Keep records that meet the Board's 2026 guidelines and manage supply conflicts

Who this course is for

  • Acupuncturists and Chinese herbal medicine practitioners
  • Chinese herbal dispensers
  • Practitioners who supply herbs they prescribe
  • Clinic owners responsible for advertising and records
  • Practitioners working with interpreters or across languages

How the course works

  1. After checkout the course is added to My Courses in your account, so you can start straight away on any device with a modern browser.

  2. Move through 8 sections (34 lessons in total) in your own time; lessons open in sequence and the player remembers where you stopped on that device.

  3. Each section ends with key points and prompts for reflection. Your notes can be downloaded as a Word course pack or printed for your portfolio.

  4. Sit the 20-question assessment at the end. Score 80% or more (16 of 20) to pass; answer options are reshuffled if you retake.

  5. Complete the reflective account and feedback to finish. Your certificate of completion shows the estimated learning time (about 3 hours), and you record the time you actually spend in your CPD log.

Course content

9 sections · About 3 hours · 20-question final assessment

1The Regulatory Landscape for Chinese Medicine4 lessons
  • Registration, Divisions and Protected Titles
  • The Board's Codes, Guidelines and Registration Standards
  • Notifications, Ahpra and the Co-regulatory States
  • Everyday Obligations of Registration
2Ethical Foundations: Integrating Two Traditions4 lessons
  • Professional Values in Chinese Medicine and in the Code
  • Evidence, Tradition and Honesty
  • Working Alongside Conventional Medical Care
  • A Practical Approach to Ethical Dilemmas
3Informed Consent for Acupuncture and Herbal Treatment5 lessons
  • What Valid Consent Requires
  • Material Risks of Acupuncture and Related Practices
  • Material Risks of Chinese Herbal Medicine
  • Consent Across Language, Culture and Capacity
  • Fees, Treatment Courses and Financial Consent
4Safe Practice of Chinese Herbal Medicine5 lessons
  • The Guidelines for Safe Practice of Chinese Herbal Medicine
  • Prescriptions, Nomenclature and Labelling
  • Scheduled, Toxic, Prohibited and Substituted Herbs
  • Dispensing, Assistants and Patent Medicines
  • Adverse Events, Endangered Species and Supply Ethics
5Acupuncture and Related Practices: Infection Prevention and Physical Safety4 lessons
  • The Infection Prevention and Control Framework
  • Needles, Hand Hygiene and Sharps
  • Cupping, Gua Sha, Moxibustion and Reusable Equipment
  • Recognising and Responding to Injury and Incidents
6Boundaries, Communication and Cultural Safety4 lessons
  • Professional Boundaries in Hands-on Practice
  • Communication Across Cultures and Languages
  • Culturally Safe Practice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Patients
  • Commercial Conflicts of Interest
7Advertising, Titles and Therapeutic Claims4 lessons
  • The Legal Framework for Advertising Chinese Medicine
  • Claims About Conditions and Outcomes
  • Testimonials, Reviews and Social Media
  • Titles, "Dr" and Qualifications
8Records, Privacy and Accountability4 lessons
  • The 2026 Guidelines on Patient Health Records
  • Privacy, Retention, Translation Tools and AI
  • Mandatory Notifications and Practitioner Health
  • Accountability, Reflection and Continuous Improvement
9Conclusion, Final Assessment and Reflection4 lessons
  • Conclusion and key points
  • References and quick-reference guide
  • Final assessment (20 questions, 80% pass mark)
  • Your reflective account

Assessment and certificate

  • Certificate of completion stating the estimated learning time (about 3 hours); record the time you actually spend.
  • A written reflective account you can keep with your CPD records.

Questions about this course

Does the course cover the herbal medicine guidelines?

Yes. It works through the Board's guidelines for safe practice of Chinese herbal medicine and its nomenclature and labelling requirements.

Can I use the title Dr?

The course explains when 'Dr' may be used without misleading patients, including making clear you are not a medical practitioner.

Is infection control for cupping and moxibustion included?

Yes. A lesson covers cupping, gua sha, moxibustion and reusable equipment as well as needles and sharps.

How does it compare with the two-hour Chinese medicine courses?

This three-hour course combines ethics and professional standards with detail on herbs, acupuncture safety and advertising. The two-hour courses go deeper on ethical reasoning and on standards and dispensary systems.

What evidence do I get when I finish?

You receive a certificate of completion stating the estimated learning time, and you can download a course pack holding your learning record, a revision sheet and your own reflections. Your CPD log should show the time you actually spend.

Does completing the course satisfy a condition or undertaking?

Not automatically. Where a Board has set education as a condition or undertaking, the course usually has to be nominated and accepted first, so check with Ahpra or the Board, and your legal adviser or defence organisation, before you enrol.

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