Core · ethics
Ethics and Ethical Standards for Physiotherapists
Ethical reasoning for physiotherapists: consent to touch, autonomy, honesty about prognosis and fair treatment.
Physiotherapists · Physiotherapy Board of Australia
Ethics and Professionalism Courses for Physiotherapists in Australia
Physios touch patients as a matter of course, usually with nobody else present, and many of them work far from a clinic: a sports ground, a client's lounge room, a hydrotherapy pool. That shapes where the ethical risks lie. These courses focus on the issues that actually lead to physio complaints, starting with consent to touch, and fit neatly into your 20 hours.
- Grounded in the Code of conduct the Physiotherapy Board applies
- Certificate of completion stating the estimated learning time
- Scenarios from private practice, sport, aged care and home visits
Physiotherapy Board, 2024/25
The shape of complaints about physiotherapists
Notifications are uncommon in physiotherapy: just 0.6% of the profession was notified in 2024/25. The categories below show where the concerns that do arise tend to cluster.
- mandatory notifications concerned sexual misconduct
- 9 of 25
- Physiotherapy Board annual summary 2024/25
Watch
The central risk
Consent to touch is a skill you practise, not a box you tick
Boundary violations are the second largest category of physiotherapy notifications, and more than a third of the year's mandatory notifications related to sexual misconduct. Very few of those cases begin with a practitioner who intends harm. Far more begin with an assessment the patient did not expect: a hand placed near the groin during a hip examination, a request to undress further than the patient understood would be needed, or a session in a closed room with no explanation of what was about to happen.
Protecting patients and yourself here comes down to habits you can learn. Explain why an area needs to be examined before you touch it. Ask, and ask again as the examination moves. Offer draping and a chaperone, and make it easy to say no. Then write down what you explained and what the patient agreed to. None of this slows a good clinician down once it becomes routine, and all of it is exactly what a decision-maker will look for if a patient later says they were uncomfortable.
Scenarios
Four physiotherapy situations and what to learn from each
Composite examples written for this page; none is a real case.
Private practice
A hip assessment the patient found unsettling
A new patient with groin pain is assessed thoroughly and correctly, but nobody tells her why the physio's hand needs to be where it is. She leaves feeling something was wrong and makes a complaint. The clinical work was sound; the communication and consent were not. Start with the boundaries course and the chaperones course.
Sports team
Messages late at night
A team physio begins swapping social messages with a young athlete after a tournament, at first about the injury and then about everything else. The power imbalance and the athlete's age make this a boundary issue long before anything physical happens. Start with the social media course and the boundaries course.
Home visits
A fall the notes cannot account for
An older client falls a week after a series of home sessions. The family asks what was assessed and what advice was given about the bathroom. The physio remembers discussing it, but the notes only say 'mobility review'. Start with documentation and record-keeping.
Billing
Group classes billed as individual sessions
A practice runs small Pilates groups and, to help clients claim more from their insurer, codes each attendance as a one-to-one session. The physio delivering the classes assumes the front desk knows best. Start with probity and financial integrity.
Your code
Your code, and the physiotherapy documents that sit alongside it
Physiotherapists are regulated against the shared Code of conduct, which their Board adopted with effect from 29 June 2022, as did eleven other Boards, among them those for occupational therapy, podiatry, optometry, chiropractic, dental and pharmacy. Compared with the earlier code, the 2022 text says more about bullying and harassment and about clinical governance responsibilities for leaders, and it adds a part titled Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and cultural safety.
The code describes conduct, not clinical capability. For the skills side, the Board refers to the Physiotherapy practice thresholds in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, which were updated in November 2023 to add cultural safety, digital capability and working across professions. Our two core physiotherapy courses work from both documents.
CPD registration standard
Physiotherapy CPD, question by question
The Physiotherapy Board's CPD registration standard has applied since 1 December 2015.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How many hours? | 20 or more in each registration year |
| What counts? | Activities you choose that fit your scope of practice, each logged with a reflection on how it improved your work |
| Registered part-way through? | 5 hours for every three months of registration left in the year |
| How long to keep records? | Five years. The Board audits and can ask for your log and portfolio |
| Who is exempt? | Students and practitioners with non-practising registration |
| Is there an interactive minimum? | The Board's CPD page does not set one, unlike some other professions; check the CPD guidelines for the detail |
| Do providers need to be recognised by the Board? | No. You judge whether an activity meets the standard. Your certificate states the estimated learning time; log the time you actually spend |
Based on the Physiotherapy Board's CPD registration standard and CPD guidelines.
Written for physiotherapists
The two core physiotherapy courses, then the profession course
The first two courses are built on the shared code and the practice thresholds. The third is a three-hour course on ethics and professionalism across physiotherapy settings.
Core · professionalism
Professionalism and Professional Standards for Physiotherapists
Professional standards in practice: scope, records, teamwork, supervision and conduct outside the clinic.
Physiotherapists · in depth
Ethics and Professionalism for Physiotherapists in Australia
A longer course on ethics and professionalism across private practice, hospitals, sport and community work.
Professional Boundaries for Clinicians
Recognising and correcting boundary drift with patients and athletes.
Chaperones and Intimate Examinations: Safe Practice and Board Conditions
Chaperones, intimate and sensitive examinations, and conditions that require them.
Informed Consent and Financial Consent in Australian Practice
Explaining assessment and treatment, and fees, before you begin.
Professionalism in Documentation and Record-Keeping
Notes that show what was assessed, advised and agreed.
Probity and Financial Integrity for Health Practitioners
Honest billing for groups, telehealth and insurer claims.
Professionalism and Boundaries on Social Media
Messaging, social accounts and clients online.
Programs
Choose by the situation you are in
Three programs suit most physiotherapy concerns. Each one adds its courses to your cart together at the total of the course prices.
Professional Boundaries & Conduct
Unprofessional conduct, boundaries, sexual boundaries, chaperones and social media.
Total for 5 courses A$1,185
- Five courses
- Includes chaperones and sexual boundaries
Communication, Consent & Open Disclosure
Communication, informed and financial consent, disclosure and dignity.
Total for 4 courses A$876
- Four courses
- For complaints about explanation or consent
Clinical Competence & Patient Safety
Performance standards, safe care, medicines practice and teamwork.
Total for 5 courses A$1,065
- Five courses
- For assessment or care concerns
Already dealing with a notification or conditions?
Ahpra Notification Response
A notification is open
Seven courses, from the process itself to rebuilding trust.
Program total A$1,323
Probity & Professional Integrity
Billing or honesty concerns
Financial integrity, records, Medicare and privacy.
Program total A$996
Insight, Reflection & Remediation
Showing what has changed
Four courses for a credible reflective account.
Program total A$756
NSW and Queensland
Working in New South Wales or Queensland
In NSW, complaints about physiotherapists are handled by the Physiotherapy Council of New South Wales together with the Health Care Complaints Commission. Its 2024/25 figures show 67 complaints concerning 62 practitioners; 25 were about clinical care and 8 about communication (HPCA: common complaints).
In Queensland, complaints go first to the Office of the Health Ombudsman, which decides after consulting Ahpra whether the Physiotherapy Board manages them. The code and CPD standard are the same wherever you work.
Had a letter? Use the free course first
Ahpra Notifications in 15 Minutes is free and explains the stages, the likely requests and sensible first steps, so you can plan the next fortnight calmly before choosing any further learning.
Start the free courseFurther reading
Course outlines worth reading next
Questions physiotherapists ask
How many CPD hours does a physiotherapist need each year?
At least 20 hours per registration year, chosen to suit your scope of practice and recorded with a reflection. If you register partway through, it is 5 hours for every remaining three months.
Is there a physiotherapy-specific code of conduct?
No. The code you work under is the shared one that several Boards adopted in mid-2022. The practice thresholds then describe the capabilities expected of a physiotherapist.
Will your courses count towards my 20 hours?
Yes, provided you can link the course to your scope of practice and you record a reflection with it. Your certificate states the estimated learning time; record the time you actually spend.
What should I do first if a patient complains about an examination?
Ring your indemnity insurer before responding to anybody. Leave the clinical notes untouched and avoid discussing the complaint with the patient. After that, look honestly at what you explained beforehand and how consent was sought.
Do I have to use a chaperone for sensitive examinations?
The code expects you to respect privacy and dignity and to offer a chaperone where it is appropriate. A chaperone can be mandatory if a Board condition requires one. The chaperones course explains both situations.
Do the courses suit physios outside private practice?
Yes. The scenarios include sports teams, residential care and home visits, where the boundary and documentation risks are often greater than in a clinic.
Are booking targets an ethical problem?
It can be, if targets push you to recommend more treatment than a patient needs. The national interim guidance on conflicts of interest deals with exactly this, and the probity course covers it in detail.
Who deals with a complaint about me in NSW?
The Physiotherapy Council of New South Wales with the Health Care Complaints Commission. Ahpra still manages your registration.
How soon can I start?
As soon as your payment is confirmed. Everything is online and self-paced.
About these courses
How the physiotherapy courses are written
The Probity Courses editorial team bases each course on the practice thresholds, the code and the standards and guidelines published by the Physiotherapy Board, and revises it when those documents change. Courses run online at your own pace, and each ends with a certificate of completion stating the estimated learning time; record the time you actually spend in your CPD log with your reflection.
The Physiotherapy Board of Australia regulates physiotherapists with the support of Ahpra.
Ready to plan this year's physiotherapy CPD?
Start with the two core courses, or go straight to the program that matches your situation.
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