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

Bullying, Harassment and Respectful Workplaces in Australian Healthcare

Positive Duty, Psychosocial Safety and Professional Conduct Towards Colleagues

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

About this course

Bullying and harassment in health care harm staff and, through them, patients. Employers now carry a positive duty to prevent sexual harassment, and National Boards treat serious workplace misconduct as a registration matter. This three-hour course covers the law, the standards and the everyday behaviour that make a respectful workplace.

The course begins with why workplace behaviour is a patient safety issue, what bullying is and is not, harassment and hostile environments, and who is involved. It then explains the legal framework: work health and safety law and psychosocial hazards, the positive duty under the Sex Discrimination Act and external pathways such as the Fair Work Commission.

A section on professional regulation covers what the codes expect, when bullying becomes a regulatory matter and conduct in group chats and social media. Psychosocial safety lessons cover hazards in health settings, risk management and what individuals can contribute. Team conduct lessons cover communication under pressure, feedback and performance concerns, inclusion and racism.

Later sections help you respond as a target or bystander, speak up about behaviour that affects care, respond well as a manager (from the first conversation to preventing victimisation), and reflect on your own behaviour if the concern is about you.

What you will learn

  • Use the legal meanings of bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination and incivility correctly
  • Distinguish reasonable management action from bullying
  • Recognise psychosocial hazards and the duty of employers and workers to manage them
  • Explain what the positive duty requires of employers and where the Fair Work Commission fits
  • Know when workplace behaviour becomes a matter for a National Board
  • Stay respectful under pressure and give feedback that is specific and fair
  • Step in as a bystander and escalate conduct that puts patients at risk
  • Handle a complaint fairly, protect the complainant from victimisation and reflect on your own conduct

Who this course is for

  • Registered practitioners in every profession
  • Managers, team leaders and heads of department
  • Supervisors, educators and senior clinicians
  • Practice owners with employees or contractors
  • Practitioners asked by an employer or Board to look at their own behaviour

How the course works

  1. Once you enrol, open the course from My Courses whenever it suits you. It runs in your browser on desktop or mobile, with nothing to install.

  2. Read 25 lessons grouped into 8 sections. Each lesson unlocks when you finish the one before, and your progress is kept in your browser between visits.

  3. Pause on the worked scenarios and reflection prompts. Anything you type is kept in your course pack, which you can download in Word format or print to PDF.

  4. Complete the final assessment of 20 scenario-based questions with a pass mark of 80% (16 of 20). Retakes are allowed.

  5. After the reflective account and feedback, the course is marked complete in your account and your certificate of completion becomes available. It states the estimated learning time (about 3 hours); log the time you actually spend.

Course content

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

1Understanding Bullying, Harassment and Incivility4 lessons
  • Why Workplace Behaviour Is a Patient Safety Issue
  • What Bullying Is, and What It Is Not
  • Harassment, Discrimination and Hostile Environments
  • Who Is Involved: Colleagues, Patients, Students and Leaders
2The Legal Framework for Respectful Workplaces3 lessons
  • Work Health and Safety Law and Psychosocial Hazards
  • The Positive Duty Under the Sex Discrimination Act
  • The Fair Work Commission and Other External Pathways
3Professional Regulation and the National Scheme3 lessons
  • What the National Board Codes Expect
  • When Bullying Becomes a Regulatory Matter
  • Online Conduct, Group Chats and Social Media
4Psychosocial Safety and Risk Management3 lessons
  • Psychosocial Hazards in Health Care Settings
  • Managing the Risk: Identify, Assess, Control, Review
  • What Individual Practitioners Can Contribute
5Respectful Professional Conduct in Teams3 lessons
  • Respectful Communication Under Pressure
  • Feedback, Performance Concerns and Teaching
  • Inclusion, Cultural Safety and Racism
6Responding as a Target or Bystander3 lessons
  • If You Are Being Bullied or Harassed
  • Being an Effective Bystander
  • Speaking Up About Behaviour That Affects Patient Care
7Managers and Leaders: Responding Well3 lessons
  • Receiving a Complaint: The First Conversation
  • Choosing a Proportionate Response
  • Preventing Victimisation and Learning From Complaints
8Reflecting on Your Own Behaviour3 lessons
  • When the Concern Is About You
  • Understanding Why It Happened
  • Demonstrating Sustained Change
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

What is the positive duty?

Since December 2022 the Sex Discrimination Act has placed a proactive obligation on employers: they must take reasonable and proportionate steps to stop sexual harassment and related conduct before it happens, not just respond to complaints. The course explains what that means for health workplaces.

Is performance feedback bullying?

No, provided it is a reasonable management step done in a reasonable way. The course explains the difference and how to give feedback fairly.

Can a National Board act on workplace bullying?

Yes. Serious or repeated bullying or harassment can amount to unprofessional conduct or professional misconduct, and Boards have taken action in such cases.

I have been told my behaviour is a problem. Is this course for me?

Yes. A section focuses on reflecting on your own behaviour, understanding why it happened and demonstrating sustained change.

How should I record this course in my CPD log?

Log the date, the course name and the time you actually spend; the certificate shows only the estimated learning time. Add two or three lines on what you will do differently, and file the certificate next to your reflective account.

Who runs this course?

Probity Courses, an education provider with no affiliation to Ahpra, the National Boards or any regulator. Your Board's own codes and guidelines always take precedence over course material.

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