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

Ethics and Professionalism for Podiatrists in Australia

Applying the Podiatry Board's Code of Conduct, Scope and Endorsement Rules

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

About this course

Podiatry spans routine care, high-risk foot services, nail surgery, scheduled medicines and surgical podiatry, each with its own professional expectations. This three-hour course applies the Podiatry Board's Code of conduct across that range.

The course explains the National Scheme and the Podiatry Board, registration, titles and specialist registration, how notifications are managed and the ethical foundations of podiatric practice. It applies the shared Code to podiatry, including person-centred care, cultural safety and collaboration with employers.

Scope gets a full section covering its limits, the endorsement for scheduled medicines, podiatric surgery and working with assistants. Consent lessons cover nail surgery and other procedures, capacity, children and communicating risk and cost. A clinical risk section covers the high-risk foot, infection prevention under the 2026 guidance, blood-borne viruses and disclosure when things go wrong.

Later sections cover health records and privacy, information sharing, telehealth and My Health Record, honest billing across Medicare, DVA, the NDIS and health funds, orthoses and product sales, advertising, boundaries, mandatory notifications, your own health and CPD.

What you will learn

  • Know who regulates podiatrists and surgical podiatrists and how concerns are handled in each state
  • Apply the shared Code to typical decisions in clinics, aged care and home visits
  • Distinguish general scope, the scheduled medicines endorsement and specialist registration in podiatric surgery
  • Obtain and record valid consent for procedures such as nail surgery, including for children and people with impaired capacity
  • Act quickly on an ulcer, ischaemia, infection or other warning sign and make the referral stick
  • Meet current expectations on infection control, health records and privacy
  • Manage billing, product sales, advertising and conflicts of interest within the rules
  • Keep professional boundaries and stay composed if your practice is questioned

Who this course is for

  • Podiatrists working in clinics, residential aged care, community health and patients' homes
  • Podiatrists who prescribe scheduled medicines under an endorsement
  • Surgical podiatrists and podiatrists who refer for surgery
  • High-risk foot and diabetes service podiatrists
  • Clinic owners responsible for billing and product sales

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 8 sections and 32 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

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

1How Podiatry Is Regulated in Australia4 lessons
  • The National Scheme and the Podiatry Board
  • Registration, Titles and Specialist Registration
  • How Notifications Are Managed
  • Ethical Foundations for Podiatric Practice
2The Code of Conduct in Podiatry Practice4 lessons
  • How the Shared Code Applies to Podiatrists
  • Person-Centred Care and Working Within Competence
  • Culturally Safe and Respectful Practice
  • Collaboration, Employers and Practice Culture
3Scope, Scheduled Medicines and Podiatric Surgery4 lessons
  • Scope of Practice and Its Limits
  • The Endorsement for Scheduled Medicines
  • Podiatric Surgery: Higher Risk, Higher Expectations
  • Working With Assistants and Delegation
4Consent, Communication and Decision-Making4 lessons
  • Valid Consent for Podiatric Procedures
  • Capacity, Substitute Decisions and Children
  • Communicating Risk, Cost and Uncertainty
  • Respecting Refusal and Managing Difficult Conversations
5Clinical Risk, Infection Prevention and Escalation4 lessons
  • The High-Risk Foot: A Professional Duty to Escalate
  • Infection Prevention and Control
  • Blood-Borne Viruses and Practitioner Health Risks
  • When Things Go Wrong: Disclosure, Reporting and Learning
6Health Records, Privacy and Information Sharing4 lessons
  • What Good Podiatry Records Look Like
  • Privacy Law and Health Records Law
  • Sharing Information With Others
  • Digital Records, Telehealth and My Health Record
7Billing, Products, Advertising and Conflicts of Interest4 lessons
  • Honest Billing Across Medicare, DVA, NDIS and Health Funds
  • Orthoses, Footwear and Product Sales
  • Advertising Podiatry Services Lawfully
  • Employers, Ownership Models and Speaking Up
8Boundaries, Notifications, Health and Lifelong Learning4 lessons
  • Professional Boundaries in Podiatry
  • Mandatory Notifications
  • Your Own Health and Responding to a Concern
  • CPD, Reflection and Keeping Practice Current
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

Is the surgical podiatrist title change covered?

Yes. The course explains the specialist title 'surgical podiatrist', which replaced the earlier title from 5 October 2026, and how to describe specialist practice accurately.

Does it cover consent for nail surgery?

Yes. A lesson covers valid consent for podiatric procedures, including nail surgery, and how to document it for adults, children and people with impaired capacity.

Is the 2026 infection control guidance included?

Yes. It reflects the Podiatry Board's guidance on infection prevention and control that replaced its earlier guidelines from 15 January 2026.

How does this compare with the two-hour podiatry courses?

This three-hour course combines ethics and professional standards across clinical risk, scope and business practice. The two-hour courses go deeper on ethical reasoning and on standards and records respectively.

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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