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

Ethics, Scope and Medicines Documentation for Paramedics

Applying the Paramedicine Board's Standards to Decisions, Drugs and Records

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

About this course

Registration made paramedics personally accountable for decisions that used to sit with their service. This three-hour course brings ethics, scope, medicines law and documentation together, so you can make sound calls on scene and show your reasoning on paper.

The course opens with the move from employer-regulated to nationally registered practice, the Code of conduct, the Professional capabilities, registration standards and annual declarations. Ethical reasoning in out-of-hospital care follows, with a rapid decision approach, duty of care on and off duty, and resource pressure and moral distress.

Consent, capacity and refusal are covered in practical depth, including refusal of treatment or transport, children and advance care planning. Scope lessons explain what scope means for a registered paramedic, practice outside jurisdictional ambulance services, extended and advanced roles and dual registration.

Two sections focus on medicines: where your authority comes from, Schedule 8 and Schedule 4 custody, clinical practice guidelines and deviation, medicine errors, what a good medicine entry contains, drug registers, discrepancies, recognising diversion and correcting records. The final sections cover patient care records, handover, privacy, conduct off duty and online, open disclosure, fatigue and trauma, and responding to complaints.

What you will learn

  • See how national registration, employer governance and state law combine to shape paramedic practice
  • Apply the Code and the Professional capabilities to everyday clinical and conduct decisions
  • Use a fast, structured ethical approach in time-critical care
  • Judge capacity at the scene, handle refusal of care or transport, and work with minors and advance care directives
  • Explain scope in terms of competence, standards, authorisation and legal permission
  • Know the legal source of your authority for each scheduled medicine you carry
  • Write medicine entries, keep drug registers and act correctly on discrepancies and suspected diversion
  • Write patient care records that another clinician, a coroner or the Board could follow without you there

Who this course is for

  • Registered paramedics in ambulance services
  • Paramedics in private, industrial, event and remote settings
  • Paramedics holding a second registration or role
  • Clinical educators and team leaders who manage drug registers
  • Paramedics who want a refresher on medicines documentation

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

1The Regulatory Frame for Registered Paramedics4 lessons
  • From Employer-Regulated to Nationally Registered
  • The Code of Conduct and Professional Capabilities
  • Registration Standards and Annual Declarations
  • Notifications and Accountability
2Ethical Reasoning in Out-of-Hospital Care4 lessons
  • Ethical Principles in an Uncontrolled Environment
  • A Rapid Ethical Decision Approach
  • Duty of Care On and Off Duty
  • Resource Pressure, Fairness and Moral Distress
3Consent, Capacity and Refusal4 lessons
  • Consent in Emergency and Urgent Care
  • Assessing Capacity on Scene
  • Refusal of Treatment or Transport
  • Children, Young People and Advance Care Planning
4Scope of Practice4 lessons
  • What Scope Means for a Registered Paramedic
  • Working Outside Jurisdictional Ambulance Services
  • Extended, Advanced and Changing Roles
  • Dual Registration and Practising in Two Roles
5Medicines: The Legal and Professional Framework4 lessons
  • Where a Paramedic's Medicines Authority Comes From
  • Schedule 8 and Schedule 4 Medicines: Custody and Control
  • Clinical Practice Guidelines and Deviation
  • Medicine Errors and Adverse Events
6Medicines Documentation and Drug Diversion4 lessons
  • What a Good Medicine Entry Contains
  • Drug Registers, Checks and Discrepancies
  • Recognising and Responding to Drug Diversion
  • Correcting Records and Late Entries
7Patient Care Records, Privacy and Requests for Information4 lessons
  • The Patient Care Record as a Clinical and Legal Document
  • Handover and Non-Transport Documentation
  • Privacy, Confidentiality and Requests for Information
  • Professional Conduct Off Duty and Online
8Professional Accountability and Practitioner Wellbeing4 lessons
  • Open Disclosure and Learning After Adverse Events
  • Fatigue, Trauma and Practitioner Health
  • Speaking Up, Teamwork and Leadership
  • Responding to Complaints and Notifications
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 explain where my authority to carry Schedule 8 medicines comes from?

Yes. It explains how state and territory drugs and poisons laws, employer authorities and clinical practice guidelines combine, and why the answer can differ between services and jurisdictions.

My drug register does not balance. What happens next?

The course sets out the steps for responding to a discrepancy, including reporting, documentation and when diversion should be suspected.

Is it relevant outside state ambulance services?

Yes. A lesson covers private, event, industrial and remote work, where medicines authority and governance often look different.

How does it differ from the separate paramedic ethics and professionalism courses?

This is a three-hour combined course with a strong focus on scope and medicines documentation. The two-hour courses go deeper on ethical reasoning and on registration 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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