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

Professionalism for Health Practitioners

Conduct, Accountability and Public Trust Under the Shared Code

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

About this course

Professionalism is judged by what you do, not what you intend, and regulators measure it against a peer standard that is easy to describe and harder to live up to on a long week. This course sets out that standard for every registered profession and gives you practical habits to meet it.

The course begins with professionalism and public trust, the codes that define expected conduct and how professionalism relates to ethics and competence. It then explains the standard you are measured against: the three categories of concern, how the standard is applied, lessons from published decisions and conduct outside work.

Accountability lessons cover owning decisions, registration obligations, honesty when things go wrong, complying with conditions and dealing openly with regulators and employers. Conduct with colleagues covers respect and disagreement, bullying and harassment, raising concerns and supervising and teaching.

Later sections look beyond the consultation: working within the health system, public statements and professional voice, honesty about qualifications and identity, reliability and courtesy. The final section explains why good practitioners drift and how reflection, feedback, wellbeing and leadership sustain professionalism, ending with a personal plan.

What you will learn

  • Describe professionalism as behaviour others can see and link it to public trust
  • Find the code that applies to your profession and its main expectations
  • Separate unsatisfactory performance, unprofessional conduct and professional misconduct
  • Explain how regulators set the expected standard and when private conduct becomes relevant
  • Meet registration obligations and tell Ahpra about notifiable events on time
  • Disagree with colleagues and raise concerns in a professional way
  • Make public statements and describe your qualifications accurately
  • Build a personal plan to keep professionalism strong across your career

Who this course is for

  • Registered practitioners in any profession
  • Practitioners new to Australian practice
  • Graduates moving from student to registrant
  • Supervisors and team leaders
  • Practitioners asked to reflect on professional conduct

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 6 sections and 25 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

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

1What Professionalism Means for a Registered Health Practitioner3 lessons
  • Professionalism and Public Trust
  • The Codes That Define Expected Conduct
  • Professionalism, Ethics and Competence
2The Standard You Are Measured Against4 lessons
  • Unsatisfactory Performance, Unprofessional Conduct and Misconduct
  • How the Standard Is Applied
  • Lessons From Published Decisions
  • Conduct Outside Work
3Accountability in Everyday Practice5 lessons
  • Owning Your Decisions
  • Registration Obligations as Professional Commitments
  • Honesty With Patients When Things Go Wrong
  • Complying With Conditions and Undertakings
  • Dealing Openly With Regulators and Employers
4Professional Conduct With Colleagues and Teams4 lessons
  • Respect, Disagreement and Team Communication
  • Bullying, Harassment and Discrimination
  • Raising Concerns About a Colleague
  • Supervising and Teaching
5Professionalism Beyond the Consultation4 lessons
  • Working Within the Health System
  • Public Statements and Professional Voice
  • Honesty About Qualifications and Identity
  • Presentation, Reliability and Everyday Courtesy
6Sustaining Professionalism Over a Career5 lessons
  • Why Good Practitioners Drift
  • Reflection, Feedback and Peer Contact
  • Wellbeing and Professional Behaviour
  • Leading a Professional Culture
  • A Personal Professionalism Plan
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

Can conduct outside work affect my registration?

Yes, where it reflects on your suitability to practise or on public confidence in the profession. The course explains how tribunals have approached conduct outside practice.

How do unprofessional conduct and professional misconduct differ?

Professional misconduct is the most serious category, involving conduct substantially below the expected standard or showing a practitioner is not fit and proper. The course explains all three categories with examples.

Is this course profession-specific?

No. It applies to all registered practitioners. Profession-specific professionalism courses are also available for many professions.

How is it different from the Ethics for Health Practitioners course?

This course covers conduct standards and accountability. The ethics course focuses on reasoning through dilemmas.

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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