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

Professionalism and Professional Standards for Nurses and Midwives

Applying the NMBA Codes of Conduct and Standards for Practice in Everyday Care

  • About 2 hours
  • 15 scenario questions
  • Reflective account
  • Certificate of completion
  • Online, self-paced

About this course

The NMBA document set is large, and most nurses and midwives only open it when something has already gone wrong. This course untangles that document set, shows which piece answers which question, and turns it into habits you can use on an ordinary shift.

The course begins with the regulatory picture: who sets the standards, how they are used when practice is questioned, and what happens when conduct or performance falls short. It then works through the structure of the codes of conduct and how each domain shows up in ordinary practice, from legal compliance and person-centred care to boundaries, online conduct and your own health.

Separate lessons cover the registered nurse, enrolled nurse, midwife and nurse practitioner standards, current endorsements, the decision-making framework, delegation and supervision, speaking up when scope or staffing is unsafe, the registration standards you declare against each year, meaningful CPD, recency and dual registration. The final section brings in documentation, medicines accountability, recognising deterioration and what to do when care goes wrong.

Practical scenarios, self-assessment prompts and a reflective account help you turn standards into habits and keep evidence for your CPD portfolio.

What you will learn

  • Describe how nursing and midwifery are regulated nationally and how the NSW and Queensland systems differ
  • See how the NMBA codes, practice standards, decision-making framework and registration standards connect
  • Use each domain of the codes of conduct as a check on routine care and professional behaviour
  • Self-assess against the standards that match your registration: RN, EN, midwife or nurse practitioner
  • Decide whether an activity is within scope, delegate it safely and record the decision
  • Keep CPD and recency evidence in a form that would satisfy an audit and declare it honestly
  • Document care, account for medicines and escalate a deteriorating patient without delay

Who this course is for

  • Registered and enrolled nurses in hospitals, aged care and the community
  • Midwives, including those with an endorsement for scheduled medicines
  • Nurses and midwives returning to practice or changing setting
  • Graduate nurses and midwives in their first years of registration
  • Nurse unit managers and educators who supervise and delegate

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 6 sections (23 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 15-question assessment at the end. Score 80% or more (12 of 15) 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 2 hours), and you record the time you actually spend in your CPD log.

Course content

7 sections · About 2 hours · 15-question final assessment

1How Nursing and Midwifery Are Regulated3 lessons
  • The National Law, the NMBA and Ahpra
  • The NMBA Document Set and How It Is Used
  • When Conduct or Performance Falls Short
2The Codes of Conduct in Everyday Practice4 lessons
  • Structure and Status of the Codes
  • Legal Compliance and Person-Centred Practice
  • Professional Behaviour: Boundaries, Conflicts and Online Conduct
  • Teaching, Research and Your Own Health
3Standards for Practice: Registered Nurses, Enrolled Nurses, Midwives and Nurse Practitioners4 lessons
  • Registered Nurse Standards for Practice
  • Enrolled Nurse Standards and the RN Relationship
  • Midwife Standards for Practice
  • Nurse Practitioners and Endorsements
4Scope of Practice, Delegation and Supervision4 lessons
  • The Decision-Making Framework
  • Delegating and Accepting Delegation
  • Practising Safely in New, Remote and Expanded Roles
  • Speaking Up When Scope or Staffing Is Unsafe
5Registration Standards, CPD and Honest Declarations4 lessons
  • The Registration Standards You Declare Against
  • CPD That Means Something
  • Recency, Returning to Practice and Dual Registration
  • Declarations, Audits and Notice of Certain Events
6Documentation, Medicines and Accountability for Care4 lessons
  • Records as a Professional Standard
  • Medicines Accountability
  • Recognising and Escalating Deterioration
  • When Things Go Wrong
7Conclusion, Final Assessment and Reflection4 lessons
  • Conclusion and key points
  • References and quick-reference guide
  • Final assessment (15 questions, 80% pass mark)
  • Your reflective account

Assessment and certificate

  • Certificate of completion stating the estimated learning time (about 2 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 enrolled nurse scope?

Yes. It explains the EN standards for practice, the relationship between enrolled and registered nurses, and how the decision-making framework applies when an EN is asked to take on an activity.

Will it help me prepare for a CPD audit?

It explains what the NMBA CPD standard requires, how to plan learning around your needs, what records to keep and how to make an honest declaration at renewal.

Does it cover midwives as well as nurses?

Yes. The midwife standards for practice and midwifery scope are covered alongside nursing, with examples from midwifery settings.

Is there anything about delegation to assistants in nursing?

Yes. The course covers delegating to unregulated health workers and assistants, the accountability that stays with the nurse, and how to say no when a delegation is not safe.

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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