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

Ethics and Professionalism for Osteopaths in Australia

Applying the Osteopathy Board's Code to Consent, Touch, Evidence and Advertising

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

About this course

Osteopathy relies on touch and on patients' trust in treatment they often cannot evaluate themselves. This three-hour course applies the Osteopathy Board's Code and capabilities to consent, boundaries, evidence, advertising and records.

The course explains how osteopathy is regulated, the registration standards you renew against, the shared Code and the capabilities, and the themes that recur in notifications. Informed consent gets a full section, including explaining the risks of spinal manipulation, children and impaired capacity, financial consent and documentation.

Touch, draping and boundaries are covered in depth: why boundaries matter in a hands-on profession, undress and sensitive areas, chaperones and culture, sexual misconduct and dual relationships. Evidence, scope and clinical reasoning lessons cover evidence-informed practice, red flags and referral, adjunct techniques and cultural safety.

Later sections address section 133 and the advertising guidelines, testimonials and social media, commercial pressure, health funds and billing, records, privacy and telehealth, sharing information with third parties, complaints, open disclosure, notifications and wellbeing.

What you will learn

  • Explain how the National Law, the Board, the shared Code and the capabilities shape your obligations
  • Seek consent before and during treatment, with extra care for manipulation, sensitive areas and children
  • Manage undress, draping, chaperones and boundaries in a hands-on profession
  • Be honest about the strength of evidence and work within scope and competence
  • Spot warning signs of serious pathology and get the patient to the right practitioner
  • Review your website and social posts for testimonials, claims and titles that breach section 133
  • Keep notes that satisfy the Code and privacy law and hold them for as long as your state requires
  • Respond to complaints and notifications with insight and look after yourself and colleagues

Who this course is for

  • Osteopaths in private and multidisciplinary practice
  • Osteopaths treating children, pregnant patients or athletes
  • Clinic owners responsible for advertising and billing
  • Supervisors of students and new graduates
  • Osteopaths reflecting on a complaint or notification

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 28 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 20-question final assessment. You need 16 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 3 hours); record the time you actually spend.

Course content

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

1The Regulatory Framework for Osteopaths in Australia4 lessons
  • How Osteopathy Is Regulated
  • Registration Standards You Renew Against
  • The Shared Code of Conduct and the Capabilities
  • What Goes Wrong: Notification Themes
2Informed Consent in Osteopathic Practice4 lessons
  • What Valid Consent Requires
  • Explaining Risk, Including Spinal Manipulation
  • Children, Young People and Impaired Capacity
  • Financial Consent and Documenting Consent
3Touch, Draping and Professional Boundaries4 lessons
  • Why Boundaries Matter in a Hands-On Profession
  • Undress, Draping and Sensitive Areas
  • Chaperones, Culture and Communication
  • Sexual Misconduct, Dual Relationships and the Law
4Evidence, Scope and Clinical Reasoning4 lessons
  • Evidence-Informed Osteopathy
  • Red Flags, Referral and Working with Others
  • Scope, Competence and Adjunct Techniques
  • Cultural Safety and Equitable Care
5Advertising, Social Media and Commercial Practice4 lessons
  • Section 133 and the Advertising Guidelines
  • Testimonials, Reviews and Social Media
  • Commercial Pressures and Conflicts of Interest
  • Health Funds, Medicare and Billing Integrity
6Records, Privacy and Telehealth4 lessons
  • What a Good Osteopathic Record Contains
  • Privacy, Retention and Access
  • Telehealth and Digital Tools
  • Sharing Information with Third Parties
7Notifications, Accountability and Wellbeing4 lessons
  • When a Concern Is Raised
  • Complaints, Open Disclosure and Learning
  • Speaking Up, Supporting Colleagues and Staying Well
  • Reflective Practice and Building a Safer Practice
8Conclusion, 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 explain how to discuss the risks of spinal manipulation?

Yes. A lesson covers explaining material risks, including rare serious risks, in a way patients can understand, and recording the discussion.

Is advertising covered with osteopathy examples?

Yes. It applies section 133 and the advertising guidelines to osteopathic websites, social media and claims, using Ahpra's published examples as a guide.

Does it cover treating children?

Yes. Consent for children and young people is covered, along with the involvement of parents and the child's own voice.

How does it compare with the two-hour osteopathy courses?

This three-hour course combines ethics and professional standards. The two-hour courses go deeper on ethical reasoning and on standards, CPD and records.

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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