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Online course · Australia

Professionalism and Professional Standards for Optometrists

Conduct, Scope, Records, CPD and Accountability Under the Optometry Board's Standards

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

About this course

Optometry is moving towards broader prescribing, and the professional standards around scope, delegation and records matter more as that happens. This course sets out what the Optometry Board expects now and how to prepare for the changes ahead.

The course starts with what professional standards mean for an optometrist, the register and keeping the Board informed, and honest renewal declarations. Scope comes next: the endorsement in law and on the register, documenting your personal scope and preparing for scope change.

Supervision and delegation are covered for unregistered staff, students, graduates and limited registrants, along with accountability in locum, contractor and corporate roles. A full section on records explains what a professional optometric record shows, correcting and protecting records, imaging, retention, transfer and practice closure.

The final sections cover CPD planning, recency after a break, professional indemnity insurance, self-reporting and duties to report, responding to a concern about you, and professional conduct in advertising, social media, cosmetic work and the workplace.

What you will learn

  • Map the laws, standards, Code and guidance that define professional practice in optometry
  • Keep register details and renewal declarations accurate and know how concerns are categorised
  • Explain how the scheduled medicines endorsement works and write down your personal scope
  • Get ready for any widening of prescribing rights, such as the proposal to add oral medicines
  • Delegate to unregistered staff and supervise students and limited registrants with clear accountability
  • Keep, correct, protect and retain optometric records and images properly
  • Plan CPD, meet the recency standard and confirm your indemnity insurance
  • Tell the Board about notifiable events in time and handle a concern about your practice calmly

Who this course is for

  • Optometrists in independent, corporate and hospital practice
  • Optometrists holding or seeking the scheduled medicines endorsement
  • Locums, contractors and optometrists working across sites
  • Optometrists who supervise students, graduates or limited registrants
  • Optometrists returning to practice after a break

How the course works

  1. After checkout the course is added to My Courses in your account, so you can start straight away on any device with a modern browser.

  2. Move through 6 sections (18 lessons in total) in your own time; lessons open in sequence and the player remembers where you stopped on that device.

  3. Each section ends with key points and prompts for reflection. Your notes can be downloaded as a Word course pack or printed for your portfolio.

  4. Sit the 15-question assessment at the end. Score 80% or more (12 of 15) to pass; answer options are reshuffled if you retake.

  5. Complete the reflective account and feedback to finish. Your certificate of completion shows the estimated learning time (about 2 hours), and you record the time you actually spend in your CPD log.

Course content

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

1The Professional Standards Framework3 lessons
  • What Professional Standards Mean for an Optometrist
  • The Register and Keeping the Board Informed
  • Renewal and Honest Declarations
2Scope of Practice and the Scheduled Medicines Endorsement3 lessons
  • The Endorsement in Law and on the Register
  • Defining and Documenting Your Personal Scope
  • Preparing for Scope Change
3Supervision, Delegation and Working in Teams3 lessons
  • Delegating to Unregistered Staff
  • Supervising Students, Graduates and Limited Registrants
  • Locums, Contractors and Corporate Employment
4Records That Meet Professional Standards3 lessons
  • What a Professional Optometric Record Shows
  • Correcting, Amending and Protecting Records
  • Retention, Transfer and Practice Closure
5CPD, Recency and Professional Indemnity Insurance3 lessons
  • Building a CPD Plan That Meets the Standard
  • Recency of Practice and Returning After a Break
  • Professional Indemnity Insurance
6Accountability When Concerns Arise3 lessons
  • Self-Reporting and Duties to Report
  • When a Concern Is Raised About You
  • Professional Conduct Beyond the Consulting Room
7Conclusion, 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

Does the course cover the proposal to extend prescribing to oral medicines?

Yes. It explains the status of the proposal and how to prepare professionally, without assuming changes that have not yet taken effect.

Who is accountable when an optical dispenser makes an error?

The course explains how accountability works when tasks are delegated to unregistered staff and what the supervising optometrist must still check.

Is imaging covered in the records section?

Yes. It covers storage, retention and sharing of retinal photographs, OCT scans and other images as part of the clinical record.

Is it different from the optometry ethics course?

Yes. This course covers standards, scope, records, CPD and accountability; the ethics course covers decision-making in hard cases.

What evidence do I get when I finish?

You receive a certificate of completion stating the estimated learning time, and you can download a course pack holding your learning record, a revision sheet and your own reflections. Your CPD log should show the time you actually spend.

Does completing the course satisfy a condition or undertaking?

Not automatically. Where a Board has set education as a condition or undertaking, the course usually has to be nominated and accepted first, so check with Ahpra or the Board, and your legal adviser or defence organisation, before you enrol.

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