An aunty asking at the shop
A practitioner's aunty asks at the community store how a cousin is going after his clinic visit. Saying nothing feels rude; saying anything breaches his privacy.
- Privacy and health records
- Professional boundaries
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioners · ATSIHP Board
Ethics and Professionalism Courses for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioners in Australia
Practitioners in this profession often work in the communities they belong to, treating relatives, neighbours and Elders. That brings real strengths to care and some particular ethical questions: keeping confidences when everyone knows everyone, managing family obligations, and working safely within scope in remote clinics. These courses are written with that practice in mind.
- Grounded in the code the ATSIHP Board applies
- Certificate of completion stating the estimated learning time
- Written for community, remote and clinic settings
The profession
A small, growing profession with community at its centre
The register grew by 5.8% in 2024/25 to 1,028 practitioners, including 135 people registering for the first time. Practitioners are trained in primary health care and often work in Aboriginal community controlled health services, remote clinics and hospitals.
Since June 2022 the profession has worked under the shared Code of conduct, common to twelve Boards, and its professional capabilities describe what a practitioner must be able to do. The code's section on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and cultural safety applies across all twelve professions that use it, but this is the profession where practitioners most often bring lived cultural knowledge to that standard.
Watch
Scenarios
Ethical questions that come up in community practice
Composite examples written for teaching; none is a real case.
Medicines for a relative
A relative asks the practitioner to pass on medicines from the clinic for another family member who will not come in.
- Safe medicines practice
- Ethics for ATSIHPs
The only clinician for hours
In a remote clinic with no doctor on site, a practitioner is asked to do something outside their scope while waiting for a retrieval.
- Clinical competence and patient safety
- Teamwork and escalation
A community Facebook post
A community page posts about an accident, and people tag the practitioner asking for updates on the injured.
- Social media and boundaries
- Privacy
Approach
How we approach these courses
Start from the code and capabilities
Courses are built on the shared code and the Board's professional capabilities.
Use community settings
Scenarios reflect community controlled services, remote clinics and hospital work.
Respect cultural knowledge
Courses treat cultural safety as defined by the people receiving care, and recognise the cultural authority practitioners bring.
Keep it practical
Plain English, short sections and examples you can discuss with colleagues.
CPD registration standard
What the Board's CPD standard asks for
Health Ministers signed off the current standard on 30 June 2019.
| Requirement | What it means |
|---|---|
| Hours | 20 or more each year, meeting the standard's criteria, including that the learning aims to improve patient outcomes and experiences |
| Interactive learning | 5 of the 20 hours with other practitioners, in learning that runs both ways. Self-paced courses do not count towards these 5 |
| Portfolio | Goals, planned activities, and a reflection on what each activity changed |
| Starting partway through | 5 hours for every three months of registration left in the period |
| What does not count | Anything a Board or tribunal has ordered you to complete, such as education, mentoring or supervision under a condition or undertaking |
| Records | Keep them for five years |
Source: ATSIHP Board CPD registration standard.
Ministerial Council wording, explained
Registration standards are developed by each National Board and then put to the Health Ministers' Ministerial Council. That is a step in the National Law, not a statement about any training provider. Our courses are CPD-aligned, and your own judgement under the standard decides what counts.
Written for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioners
The two core courses, then the profession course
Start with the two courses written for this profession. The third is a three-hour course on ethics and professionalism in community, remote and hospital practice.
Core · ethics
Ethics and Ethical Standards for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioners
Ethical reasoning in community practice: confidentiality, consent, family and fairness.
Core · professionalism
Professionalism and Professional Standards for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioners
Professional standards: scope, supervision, records, teamwork and conduct online.
ATSIHP · in depth
Ethics and Professionalism for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioners
A longer course on ethics and professionalism across community controlled, remote and hospital settings.
Cultural Safety in Practice: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health
Cultural safety in practice, for working with colleagues from other professions.
Privacy, Health Records and My Health Record in Australian Practice
Keeping confidences in small communities and online.
Professional Boundaries for Clinicians
Treating relatives and managing family expectations.
Teamwork and Collaboration in Healthcare
Escalating concerns and working with visiting clinicians.
Professionalism in Documentation and Record-Keeping
Clear records in busy clinics.
Effective Communication with Patients and Families
Explaining options and gaining consent in plain language.
Program
Communication, Consent & Open Disclosure
A four-course program on the conversations at the heart of good care.
Includes 4 courses
- Effective Communication with Patients and Families About 2 hours · A$189
- Informed Consent and Financial Consent in Australian Practice About 3 hours · A$309
- Open Disclosure in Healthcare Practice About 2 hours · A$189
- Dignity, Respect and Non-Discrimination in Healthcare About 2 hours · A$189
- Effective communication with patients and families
- Informed and financial consent
- Open disclosure
- Dignity, respect and non-discrimination
A$876 is the total of the four course prices. No discount is applied.
Learning together counts towards your interactive hours
Self-paced courses are individual learning, but you can work through a course and then discuss its scenarios with colleagues at a team meeting or supervision session. That discussion, if it meets the standard's criteria, can count as interactive learning in its own right.
If a concern is raised
Notifications are rare in this profession
In 2024/25, Ahpra received 8 notifications about 6 practitioners, and the national total including NSW and Queensland was 18 notifications about 12 practitioners. Fifteen were finalised and 93.3% of those needed no further regulatory action. Should a letter ever reach you, talk to your employer's support services or your indemnity provider, and consider the free course on notifications for an overview of the process.
Strategy
Cultural safety across the National Scheme
Ahpra and the National Boards have a National Scheme Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Cultural Safety Strategy, and cultural safety is now part of the codes and capability documents of most professions. Courses on cultural safety written for other professions can be useful for practitioners who supervise or teach colleagues.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practice Board of Australia regulates the profession with the support of Ahpra.
Further reading
Course outlines for this profession
- Ethics and Ethical Standards for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health PractitionersCore course outline
- Professionalism and Professional Standards for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health PractitionersCore course outline
- Ethics and Professionalism for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health PractitionersThree-hour profession course
- Cultural Safety in PracticeFor multidisciplinary teams
- Ahpra Notifications in 15 MinutesFree overview
Questions from practitioners
How many CPD hours do I need?
At least 20 hours a year, with 5 or more in an interactive setting with other practitioners, recorded in a portfolio with your goals and reflections.
Do your courses count as interactive CPD?
No. They are self-paced. They can count towards your other 15 hours, and discussing a course with colleagues may count as interactive learning if it meets the criteria.
Can I count education required by a condition?
No. Learning that a Board or tribunal has ordered sits outside your CPD hours.
I treat my own family. Is that allowed?
In many communities it cannot be avoided. The code asks you to think carefully about objectivity and confidentiality, to involve another practitioner where you can, and to record your decisions. The core ethics course works through this.
How do I handle questions from relatives about another patient?
Politely decline to share information without the patient's consent, and offer to pass on a message. The privacy course gives practical wording for these conversations.
Are the courses written for non-Aboriginal readers?
The two core courses and the profession course are written for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioners and their settings. The separate cultural safety course is written for colleagues in other professions.
Can a health service enrol its whole team?
Yes. Use the multi-course page or contact us to arrange enrolments and invoicing.
Plan your 20 hours for the year
Start with the two core courses and add the topics that fit your community and role.
Sources
Official sources used on this page
- atsihealthpracticeboard.gov.au · Registration Standards / cpd reg std.aspx
- atsihealthpracticeboard.gov.au · News / 2022 06 29 Code of conduct in effect.aspx
- atsihealthpracticeboard.gov.au · Codes Guidelines / Professional capabilities
- ahpra.gov.au · about ahpra / aboriginal and torres strait islander health strategy