After an Ahpra notification, you can do an online course on the subject of the concern raised about you, such as boundaries with a patient or a colleague, communication, clinical records, prescribing, privacy or honesty, and a course on insight, reflection or remediation. Complete the course, keep the dated certificate, and write a reflection on what you have learned and what you now do differently. Ahpra says: "We consider any steps taken by you or your workplace to strengthen your practice." A course on the concern, with a written reflection, can be one of those steps, whether the matter is a notification, a complaint or an investigation. The same course can then be recorded as CPD where it is relevant to your practice.
These are not Ahpra's own courses. Healthcare Ethics Australia is an independent provider, and Ahpra's name is used here to describe the notification process the courses are written for.
If you are not sure where to start, Remediation for Fitness to Practise covers how to build a remediation plan that answers each part of the concern, and Dealing with a Complaint or Investigation Professionally covers what the Board looks for in a response. Each is A$200 (A$140 with Bulk Buy 10) for 2 CPD hours, self-paced, with a dated certificate on completion. All 43 online courses are on the Online Courses page.
Ahpra courses by the concern raised
Match the course to the subject of the concern, then add a course on insight, reflection or remediation if you need help showing what you have understood and changed.
Courses for a notification, complaint or investigation
When a concern is raised, Ahpra says: "Every concern we receive is assessed for potential risk to the public by a delegate of the National Board for that profession." In the weeks that follow, it lists three steps it takes, the third of which is: "We consider any steps taken by you or your workplace to strengthen your practice."
A course on the concern gives you three things to put with your response:
- Insight. What went wrong, why it mattered to the patient or colleague involved, and which standard in your Board's code it relates to.
- Reflection. A written account of what happened, what you learned from the course, and what you now do differently in your practice.
- Steps taken. A dated certificate naming the course and its 2 CPD hours, which shows when you completed it.
In Ahpra’s record keeping case study, the practitioner showed a sound understanding of patient assessment, but their assessment of the patient was not supported by their clinical records. The practitioner "undertook self-directed learning in relation to clinical record keeping with the support of their legal representative". The Board found that the practitioner’s record keeping "was below standard", and "decided to take no further action as the practitioner had already taken appropriate steps to fix the concern". The Board weighs any steps with everything else in the matter.
If you practise in New South Wales, the Health Professional Councils Authority says Councils "will consider your response to the complaint, whether the incident was serious and if it's likely to happen again". It adds: "They'll review your reflection on what happened, and any steps you've taken since the incident to prevent similar issues."
Speak to your indemnity insurer or professional association before you send anything. Ahpra's own page on what to expect names "indemnifiers and/or professional associations and colleges" as sources of support. For each stage of the process, read our guide on how to respond to an Ahpra notification.
Courses for conditions on your registration
Ahpra describes a condition as something that "restricts a practitioner's practice in some way". If conditions are on your registration because of a concern, a course on that concern can support the reflection and evidence you gather while the conditions are in place. It does not meet, replace or shorten any condition. Read the wording of each condition and do what it says, in the time it allows.
For what conditions mean and how a review works, read Conditions on your Ahpra registration. For which conditions a course can support when you apply for a review, read Ethics course for Ahpra conditions.
Courses for CPD
The National Boards set the CPD hours for their professions. For example:
- Doctors. The Medical Board of Australia says doctors need to "do 50 hours CPD each calendar year, split across a range of activities", and "log CPD activities with your CPD home".
- Nurses and midwives. The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia says nurses and midwives must "complete Continuing professional development (CPD) each year". Its CPD fact sheet sets a minimum of 20 hours for a registered nurse, an enrolled nurse or a midwife, with more hours for some registration types, such as a practitioner registered as both a nurse and a midwife. The CPD must be "directly relevant to a nurse or midwife’s context of practice".
Each of our courses is 2 CPD hours and ends with a dated certificate naming the course. You can record it against your Board's standard where it is relevant to your practice. The CPD guide for your profession, starting with the ethics CPD guide for Australian health practitioners, sets out your own Board's hours.
Ahpra courses for your profession
Each profession page lists the courses for that profession, grouped by the concern raised, with that Board’s CPD hours:
- Doctors (Medical Board of Australia)
- Nurses and midwives (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia)
- Dentists and dental practitioners (Dental Board of Australia)
- Pharmacists (Pharmacy Board of Australia)
- Psychologists (Psychology Board of Australia)
- Physiotherapists (Physiotherapy Board of Australia)
- Optometrists (Optometry Board of Australia)
- Chiropractors (Chiropractic Board of Australia)
- Osteopaths (Osteopathy Board of Australia)
- All other health practitioners: choose your National Board
How to choose and use a course
- Read your notice. Note the words used for the concern and any dates you must meet.
- Match the course to the concern. For a concern about boundaries with a patient or a colleague, choose a boundaries course; for a prescribing concern, a prescribing course. Use the table above or the page for your profession.
- Complete it early, so your reflection can describe changes you have put into practice.
- Write a reflection. Our guide on how to write a reflection for Ahpra sets out the structure, and what Ahpra means by insight and remediation explains what the Board looks for.
- With your adviser, put the certificate and your reflection with your response. Put the certificate and reflection with your response, and record the course in your CPD log.
What the courses include and cost
Each online course is self-paced and written to the codes of conduct, guidelines and standards of the practitioner's own National Board. It ends with an assessment and a dated certificate issued by Healthcare Ethics Courses. Written and reviewed by Dr Shehzad Iqbal (MBBS, MRCS, MRCGP).
- One course: A$200 (A$140 with Bulk Buy 10) for 2 CPD hours.
- Five courses: A$800 as a Bulk Buy.
- Ten courses: A$1,400, on the Bulk Buy page.
Sources and further reading
- Ahpra: What to expect if a concern is raised about you
- Ahpra: Possible outcomes (including the record keeping case study)
- Health Professional Councils Authority (NSW): A complaint has been made about me
- Medical Board of Australia: CPD, what do I need to do?
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia: Fact sheet, continuing professional development
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia: Understanding CPD for nurses and midwives
Frequently asked questions
What courses can I do after an Ahpra notification?
A course on the subject of the concern, such as boundaries with a patient or a colleague, communication, clinical records, prescribing, privacy or honesty, and a course on insight, reflection or remediation. Complete it, keep the dated certificate and write a reflection on what you have changed. Ahpra says it considers any steps taken by you or your workplace to strengthen your practice.
Are these Ahpra’s own courses?
No. Healthcare Ethics Australia is an independent provider. Ahpra’s name is used to describe the notification process the courses are written for. Each course is written to the codes of conduct, guidelines and standards of the practitioner’s own National Board.
Can I use the same course for a notification and for CPD?
Yes, for both. In a response, a course on the concern with a written reflection can be one of the steps you have taken to strengthen your practice. For CPD, you record it against your National Board’s CPD standard where it is relevant to your practice. Each course gives 2 CPD hours.
How much do the courses cost?
Each online course is A$200 (A$140 with Bulk Buy 10) for 2 CPD hours, self-paced, with a dated certificate issued by Healthcare Ethics Courses on completion. As a Bulk Buy of 2 or more, five courses are A$800 and ten are A$1,400.
Will a course decide the outcome of my notification?
No. The National Board, or its delegate, decides the outcome, and it weighs a course with everything else in the matter. Healthcare Ethics Australia cannot promise any outcome. Speak to your indemnity insurer or professional association about your own response.
This article is published by Healthcare Ethics Australia for general information. It is not legal advice and does not replace advice from your indemnity insurer, professional association or a lawyer about your own matter.