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

Professionalism and Professional Standards for Doctors

Good Medical Practice, CPD and Conduct Expectations for Medical Practitioners

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

About this course

Most doctors who end up in difficulty with the Medical Board were competent clinicians who let something slip: a CPD plan never written, a certificate that stretched the truth, a change of scope nobody checked. This course works through the standards that define medical professionalism in Australia and shows how to meet them as part of ordinary working life.

Section one sets out who regulates doctors and how, then explains the professional performance framework that sits behind the CPD standard and the registration standards every doctor renews against. From there the course moves into scope of practice, with practical guidance on working at the edge of your competence in emergencies or rural settings and on supervision from both sides.

A full section is given to CPD and recency. It explains what a CPD home expects, how to split hours between educational activities, reviewing performance and measuring outcomes, and how to write a professional development plan that reflects real learning needs. Later sections cover respectful team culture, honesty in certificates, reports, referrals and CVs, conflicts of interest, public comment and online conduct, medical records, the seven-day notice obligations and how to respond if a concern is raised.

The course closes with doctors' health as a professional responsibility and a personal professionalism self-audit you can complete and keep with your certificate of completion.

What you will learn

  • Know who sets and enforces standards for doctors, including the different pathways in NSW and Queensland
  • Read Good medical practice as a working guide for clinical, teaching, research and management roles
  • Write down what your scope of practice is today and plan any change with the right support and evidence
  • Turn the 50-hour CPD requirement into a plan built on your real learning needs and performance data
  • Work out what recency means for you after part-time work, parental leave or time away from medicine
  • Produce certificates, medico-legal reports and CVs that are accurate and stay within your expertise
  • Meet the seven-day notice rules and recognise when the mandatory notification thresholds are reached

Who this course is for

  • Doctors in general practice, hospitals and private specialist rooms
  • Doctors changing scope, returning from leave or moving between roles
  • International medical graduates on provisional, limited or specialist pathways
  • Supervisors who need a clear summary of what the Board expects of trainees
  • Doctors who want a structured refresher on registration obligations

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

1The Framework That Defines Medical Professionalism4 lessons
  • The National Law and the Role of the Medical Board
  • Good Medical Practice as the Professional Standard
  • The Registration Standards Every Doctor Must Meet
  • The Professional Performance Framework
2Scope of Practice and the Limits of Competence4 lessons
  • Defining Your Scope of Practice
  • Extending or Changing Scope Safely
  • Working at the Edge of Scope: Emergencies, Rural Practice and Gaps in Service
  • Supervision: Responsibilities on Both Sides
3CPD, Recency and Maintaining Professional Performance4 lessons
  • The CPD Registration Standard for Doctors
  • Writing a Professional Development Plan That Means Something
  • Recency of Practice, Breaks and Returning to Work
  • Performance Over a Career: Feedback, Transitions and Knowing When to Change
4Conduct Expectations in Everyday Professional Life4 lessons
  • Respectful Culture and Accountability Within Teams
  • Honesty in Certificates, Reports, Referrals and CVs
  • Conflicts of Interest and Commercial Dealings
  • Public Comment, Online Conduct and Treating Those Close to You
5Records, Reporting Obligations and Accountability4 lessons
  • Medical Records as Professional Evidence
  • What You Must Tell the Board, and When
  • Responding to Concerns, Complaints and Investigations
  • Participating in Clinical Governance
6Doctors' Health and Sustaining Professionalism3 lessons
  • Your Own Health as a Professional Responsibility
  • When a Colleague's Health or Performance Is a Concern
  • A Personal Professionalism Self-Audit
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 explain the CPD home system?

Yes. It explains how the Medical Board's CPD standard works with CPD homes, the 50-hour annual requirement and its three types of activity, and how to plan CPD that is relevant to your scope rather than simply collecting hours.

What must I tell the Medical Board within seven days?

The course lists the events covered by section 130 of the National Law, such as being charged with or convicted of certain offences, withdrawal or restriction of your Medicare billing privileges or hospital rights, and no longer having appropriate professional indemnity cover, and explains how to give notice.

Is this the same as the ethics course for doctors?

No. This course deals with conduct, standards, CPD, scope and records. The ethics course for doctors focuses on dilemmas such as conscience, confidentiality and end-of-life care. They are designed to complement each other.

Is it useful if I am returning after a career break?

Yes. The recency of practice section explains how the standard applies after a break, when you may need a re-entry plan, and how to describe your scope honestly when you come back.

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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