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

Teamwork and Collaboration in Healthcare

Handover, Escalation and Working Safely Across Professions

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

About this course

Many serious incidents involve a team that knew something was wrong but did not act together in time. This course builds the habits that make teams safer: clear handover, reliable escalation, speaking up across a hierarchy and resolving disagreement.

The course explains why teamwork is in your code of conduct, how team failures harm patients, teams beyond the hospital and what makes teams work. Delegation, referral and shared care are covered next, with lessons on delegating to students, assistants and support workers and writing referrals that work.

Clinical handover gets a full section, covering the NSQHS Standards, structured tools, involving patients and families, high-pressure handover in paramedicine, emergency and theatre, and discharge and transfer. Escalation lessons cover recognising deterioration, speaking up across a hierarchy, when a concern is not acted on and receiving a challenge well.

Later sections address professional cultures, resolving disagreement about care, working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and interpreters, civility as a safety practice, briefings, huddles, debriefs, simulation, leading and following, and a personal teamwork plan.

What you will learn

  • Explain what the codes of conduct expect of you as a team member
  • Know the difference between delegation, referral and handover and use the right safeguards for each
  • Write referrals with a clear question, the key facts, urgency and expectations
  • Hand over with a structured tool such as ISBAR and bring patients and families into it
  • Escalate deterioration using agreed criteria, including when a family raises the alarm
  • Raise a safety concern with someone more senior and keep going until it is heard
  • Resolve clinical disagreement and work well with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander colleagues and interpreters
  • Use briefings, huddles and debriefs to learn as a team

Who this course is for

  • Practitioners in hospitals, primary care and community services
  • Paramedics, emergency and theatre teams
  • Allied health practitioners in multidisciplinary teams
  • Team leaders, nurse unit managers and supervisors
  • Students and graduates joining clinical teams

How the course works

  1. Enrol online and the course appears under My Courses in your Probity Courses account, ready to open on a computer, tablet or phone.

  2. Work through 6 sections and 25 short lessons in order, at your own pace. Your place is saved in the browser you use, so you can stop and come back.

  3. Use the key points, scenarios and reflection prompts in each section, and write your own notes as you go; they stay with your course pack.

  4. Finish with a 15-question final assessment. You need 12 correct answers (80%) to pass, and you can retake it after a short pause if needed.

  5. Write your reflective account, submit the short feedback form and your completion is recorded. Download a certificate of completion stating the estimated learning time (about 2 hours); record the time you actually spend.

Course content

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

1Teamwork as a Professional and Safety Obligation4 lessons
  • Why Teamwork Is in Your Code of Conduct
  • How Team Failures Harm Patients
  • Teams Beyond the Hospital: Primary Care, Virtual and Remote Teams
  • What Makes Teams Work
2Delegation, Referral and Shared Care4 lessons
  • Delegation, Referral and Handover: Knowing the Difference
  • Delegating Safely to Students, Assistants and Support Workers
  • Referrals That Work
  • Shared Care and Coordinating Across Services
3Clinical Handover and Transitions of Care5 lessons
  • Handover in the NSQHS Standards
  • Structured Handover Tools
  • Involving Patients and Families in Handover
  • High-Pressure Handover: Paramedicine, Emergency and Theatre
  • Discharge, Transfer and Inter-Service Transitions
4Escalation and Speaking Up4 lessons
  • Recognising and Escalating Deterioration
  • Speaking Up Across a Hierarchy
  • When a Concern Is Not Acted On
  • Receiving a Challenge Well
5Interprofessional Collaboration and Managing Disagreement4 lessons
  • Professional Cultures and Shared Goals
  • Resolving Disagreement About Care
  • Working With Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers, Interpreters and the Wider Team
  • Respect and Civility as Safety Practices
6Building Team Habits That Keep Patients Safe4 lessons
  • Briefings, Huddles and Debriefs
  • Learning Together From Incidents and Simulation
  • Leading and Following Well
  • Your Personal Teamwork Plan
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

What is the two-challenge rule?

A speaking-up technique: if a concern is raised twice and not acknowledged, the person raising it may take action or escalate further. The course explains how and when to use it.

What does CUS stand for?

'I am Concerned', 'I am Uncomfortable', 'This is a Safety issue'. It is a graded way to raise a concern that becomes harder to ignore with each step.

Is the course relevant to private practice?

Yes. Teams exist in primary care and private practice too, and the referral, handover and escalation lessons apply there.

Does it cover family-initiated escalation?

Yes. It explains how patients and families can raise concerns about deterioration and how teams should respond.

Can I count this course towards my CPD?

That is your call under your Board's CPD standard: you choose activities that match your scope and the learning needs in your plan. If this course fits, file the certificate of completion, record the time you actually spend and note one change you will make in practice.

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