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

Ethics and Professionalism for Occupational Therapists in Australia

Applying the Occupational Therapy Board's Code and Competency Standards

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

About this course

Occupational therapists write reports that unlock funding, assess driving, recommend equipment and visit people at home, often alone. This three-hour course applies the Occupational Therapy Board's Code of conduct and competency standards to those everyday responsibilities.

The course begins with the regulation of occupational therapy: the Board and the National Law, the Code and competency standards, the CPD, recency and insurance standards, scope and the protected title. Ethical reasoning follows, built on occupation, autonomy and justice, dignity of risk, competing loyalties and reasoning through a dilemma.

Consent lessons cover informed consent, capacity and supported decision-making, children and families, and documentation. Reports get a full section on honest and useful reporting, NDIS assessments and recommendations, insurance, workers' compensation and medicolegal work, and driving assessments. A section on conflicts of interest, pricing and advertising covers Ahpra's interim guidance on commercial conflicts.

Later sections address working in people's homes and communities, lone working, restrictive practices in equipment and environments, safeguarding, records, communication, telehealth, supervision and delegation, cultural safety, practitioner health and planning your ethical development.

What you will learn

  • Explain how the National Law, the Code, the competency standards and registration standards apply to OTs
  • Balance dignity of risk with duty of care using a structured reasoning process
  • Seek consent before you assess, visit, share information or write a report, and help people make their own choices
  • Report on function and need in a way a planner, insurer, court or licensing body can trust
  • Set fees transparently and declare any interest in the products you recommend
  • Keep boundaries in home visits and long community relationships
  • Identify when equipment or environmental changes amount to a restrictive practice
  • Respond to safeguarding concerns and supervise others safely

Who this course is for

  • Occupational therapists in NDIS, aged care and community practice
  • Hospital and rehabilitation occupational therapists
  • Driver assessors and medicolegal occupational therapists
  • Paediatric and school-based therapists
  • Practice owners and supervisors

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 32 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

1Regulation of Occupational Therapy in Australia4 lessons
  • The Occupational Therapy Board and the National Law
  • The Code of Conduct and the Competency Standards
  • Registration Standards: CPD, Recency and Insurance
  • Scope of Practice and Protected Title
2Ethical Reasoning in Occupational Therapy4 lessons
  • Core Values: Occupation, Autonomy and Justice
  • Dignity of Risk and Duty of Care
  • Competing Loyalties: Clients, Families, Funders and Employers
  • Reasoning Through a Dilemma
3Consent, Capacity and Supported Decision-Making4 lessons
  • Informed Consent in Occupational Therapy
  • Capacity and Supported Decision-Making
  • Children, Young People and Families
  • Documenting Consent
4Assessments, Reports and Funders4 lessons
  • Writing Reports That Are Honest and Useful
  • NDIS Assessments and Recommendations
  • Insurance, Workers' Compensation and Medicolegal Work
  • Driving Assessments and Reporting
5Conflicts of Interest, Pricing and Advertising4 lessons
  • Recognising Conflicts of Interest in Occupational Therapy
  • Ahpra's Interim Guidance on Commercial Conflicts
  • Fair Pricing and Financial Arrangements
  • Advertising Occupational Therapy Services
6Boundaries, Home Visits, Restrictive Practices and Safeguarding4 lessons
  • Working in People's Homes and Communities
  • Personal Safety and Lone Working
  • Restrictive Practices in Equipment and Environments
  • Safeguarding and Responding to Abuse or Neglect
7Records, Communication, Telehealth and Supervision4 lessons
  • Occupational Therapy Records That Stand Up
  • Communication and Avoiding Complaints
  • Telehealth in Occupational Therapy
  • Supervision and Delegation
8Culture, Wellbeing and Accountability4 lessons
  • Culturally Safe Occupational Therapy
  • Your Health, Your Practice and Mandatory Notifications
  • If a Concern Is Raised About You
  • Planning Your Ethical Development
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

Does the course cover restrictive practices in equipment?

Yes. A lesson explains when bed rails, sensor mats, locked doors and similar recommendations may amount to restrictive practices and what that means for consent and authorisation.

Is driver assessment reporting included?

Yes. It covers honest driving assessments, reporting obligations and handling disagreement with the person being assessed.

Does it reflect the interim guidance on commercial conflicts?

Yes. The September 2026 interim guidance from Ahpra on financial and commercial conflicts is applied to occupational therapy, including relationships with equipment suppliers.

How is it different from the two-hour OT courses?

This three-hour course combines ethics and professionalism with a strong focus on reports, home visits and safeguarding. The two-hour courses go deeper on ethical reasoning and on standards respectively.

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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