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

Ethics and Ethical Standards for Occupational Therapists

Values, Ethical Reasoning and Hard Decisions Under the Occupational Therapy Board's Code

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

About this course

Occupational therapists often work in people's homes, with families, funders and schools all wanting something from the same recommendation. This course helps OTs reason through those competing claims and keep the person's own voice at the centre.

The course starts from values rather than rules, explaining why ethics is more than compliance and what occupational therapy values look like in practice. It then sets out ethical lenses you can use, including relational autonomy and care ethics.

Occupational justice is treated as an ethical commitment, with lessons on waiting lists, triage and honest advocacy within funding limits. The PLACES method gives you a structured way to notice the ethical question, consult, decide and live with the decision. Later sections cover families and culture, children and schools, honesty about functional prognosis and confidentiality in homes, schools and workplaces.

Contested areas of contemporary practice get careful attention: sexuality and intimacy as occupation, monitoring and sensors, AI and digital tools, end-of-life choices and conscientious objection. The course closes with integrity in recommendations, gifts in long relationships, moral distress and speaking up.

What you will learn

  • Separate a legal duty, a conduct standard and an ethical judgement in occupational therapy
  • Analyse a case using relational autonomy, care ethics and other lenses
  • Set transparent, needs-based criteria for waiting lists and funding decisions
  • Work through a dilemma with the PLACES method and record your reasoning in proportion to the stakes
  • Respect family and cultural decision-making while hearing the person, including children, directly
  • Give honest functional prognoses without taking away hope
  • Think through contested areas such as intimacy, sensor monitoring, AI tools and end-of-life choices
  • Notice the pressures, financial and otherwise, that can bend a recommendation, and respond well to gifts

Who this course is for

  • Occupational therapists in community, home and NDIS practice
  • Hospital, rehabilitation and mental health occupational therapists
  • Paediatric and school-based occupational therapists
  • Occupational therapists in aged care, driving and vocational roles
  • Supervisors and educators who discuss ethics with students and graduates

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 7 sections and 23 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

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

1Ethics in Occupational Therapy: Values Before Rules3 lessons
  • Why Ethics Is More Than Compliance
  • The Values of Occupational Therapy
  • Ethical Lenses You Can Use
2Occupational Justice and Fair Allocation3 lessons
  • Occupational Justice as an Ethical Commitment
  • Waiting Lists, Triage and Fair Prioritisation
  • Funding Limits and Honest Advocacy
3Ethical Reasoning in Practice3 lessons
  • Noticing the Ethical Question
  • The PLACES Method
  • Consulting, Deciding and Living With the Decision
4Autonomy, Relationships and Competing Voices4 lessons
  • Relational Autonomy, Families and Culture
  • Children, Young People and Schools
  • Honesty, Hope and Functional Prognosis
  • Confidentiality Dilemmas in Homes, Schools and Workplaces
5Ethically Contested Areas of Contemporary Practice4 lessons
  • Sexuality, Intimacy and Occupation
  • Monitoring, Sensors and Surveillance
  • Artificial Intelligence and Digital Tools
  • End of Life, Values Conflict and Conscientious Objection
6Integrity in Recommendations and Relationships3 lessons
  • Evidence, Novel Therapies and Honest Recommendations
  • Interests, Incentives and the Quiet Pressures on Judgement
  • Gifts, Generosity and Long-Term Relationships
7Moral Distress, Speaking Up and Ethical Character3 lessons
  • Moral Distress and Moral Injury
  • Speaking Up and Ethical Courage
  • Sustaining Ethical Practice Across a Career
8Conclusion, 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 PLACES method?

It is the structured reasoning approach used in the course to work through an occupational therapy dilemma step by step, from noticing the problem to recording and reviewing the decision.

Is this course relevant to NDIS work?

Yes. Many examples involve funded supports, where honest advocacy, conflicts of interest and family expectations create ethical pressure.

Does it cover home monitoring technology?

Yes. A lesson examines sensors and surveillance in the home, balancing safety with privacy and the person's own wishes.

How does it relate to the OT professionalism course?

This course is about ethical reasoning. The professionalism course covers the competency standards, scope, CPD, records, workplace conduct and accountability.

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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