Ethics and professionalism CPD for health practitioners in Australia [email protected]
Sign in Choose courses

Online course · Australia

Professionalism and Professional Standards for Osteopaths

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

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

About this course

Osteopaths have no statutory list of permitted techniques, so professional standards do much of the work of defining safe practice. This course explains the Osteopathy Board's current documents and how to meet them across scope, CPD, records, insurance and clinic systems.

The course begins with what professional standards mean in osteopathy, the Board's current documents and what has changed, registration and holding out, and what you must tell the Board between renewals. Scope follows: practising without a statutory list, expanding your practice safely, communicating with other practitioners and recency after a break.

CPD gets a section of its own, from the standard in detail to planning around real learning needs and keeping records for audit. Clinical records are covered after the retirement of the osteopathy records guideline, including notes that show reasoning, corrections, templates, AI scribes and records when you leave, sell or close a practice.

Later sections cover contractors, employees and owners, indemnity insurance, infection prevention, first aid and workplace safety, titles and qualifications, supervision and limited registration, teamwork, complaints, notifications, conditions, practitioner health and a professional standards self-audit.

What you will learn

  • Explain how Board standards are used as evidence and which documents apply today
  • Meet title, registration and seven-day notice obligations
  • Define and evidence your own scope, extend it safely and satisfy the recency standard
  • Plan and record CPD that would survive an audit
  • Write records that show reasoning, plans, consent and outcomes, including when using templates or AI
  • Allocate responsibilities between contractors and owners and confirm indemnity insurance
  • Run a safe clinic and describe titles and qualifications accurately
  • Handle complaints, conditions or undertakings and your own health professionally

Who this course is for

  • Osteopaths in private practice and multidisciplinary clinics
  • Contractors and clinic owners
  • Osteopaths who supervise students and new practitioners
  • Overseas-trained osteopaths on limited registration
  • Osteopaths returning to practice after time away

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 26 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 15-question final assessment. You need 12 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 2 hours); record the time you actually spend.

Course content

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

1The Professional Standards Framework for Osteopaths4 lessons
  • What Professional Standards Mean in Osteopathy
  • The Board's Current Documents and What Has Changed
  • Registration, the Public Register and Holding Out
  • What You Must Tell the Board Between Renewals
2Scope, Competence and Recency4 lessons
  • Scope Without a Statutory List
  • Expanding Your Practice Safely
  • Professional Communication With Other Practitioners
  • Recency of Practice and Returning After a Break
3CPD That Meets the Standard3 lessons
  • The Osteopathy CPD Standard in Detail
  • Planning CPD Around Real Learning Needs
  • Records and the CPD Audit
4Clinical Records as a Professional Standard4 lessons
  • Record-Keeping Obligations After the Osteopathy Records Guideline
  • Notes That Show Reasoning, Plans and Outcomes
  • Corrections, Templates and AI Scribes
  • Records When You Leave, Sell or Close a Practice
5Practice Settings, Insurance and a Safe Clinic4 lessons
  • Contractors, Employees and Clinic Owners
  • Professional Indemnity Insurance in Practice
  • Infection Prevention, First Aid and Workplace Safety
  • Titles, Qualifications and Describing Yourself
6Supervision, Teaching and Teamwork3 lessons
  • Supervising Students and New Practitioners
  • Overseas-Trained Osteopaths and Limited Registration
  • Delegation, Teamwork and Respectful Workplaces
7Accountability When Standards Are Questioned4 lessons
  • Complaints Handling as Professional Practice
  • Notifications, Conditions and Undertakings
  • Practitioner Health and Fitness to Practise
  • A Professional Standards Self-Audit
8Conclusion, 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

Was the Osteopathy Board's clinical records guideline retired?

Yes, on 30 November 2025. The course explains where record-keeping expectations now come from and how to meet them.

Who is responsible for records in a clinic with contractors?

The course explains how responsibilities are usually split between contractors and clinic owners and why agreements should state them clearly.

Does it cover limited registration?

Yes. A lesson covers overseas-trained osteopaths on limited registration and the supervision that goes with it.

How does it differ from the osteopathy ethics course?

This course covers standards, scope, CPD, records and accountability; the ethics course covers reasoning in hard cases.

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.

Related courses

A$189About 2 hours
Enrol