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Core course for every profession

Professionalism and Boundaries on Social Media for Health Practitioners

Online Conduct, Patient Privacy and Advertising Risks

  • 2 CPD hoursEstimated learning time
  • 15-question assessmentPass mark 80%
  • Online, self-pacedStart any time
  • CertificateFor your CPD records

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About this course

A single post can undo years of careful practice. A selfie with a patient's X-ray in the background, a reply to a bad review that mentions a diagnosis, a frustrated message in a 'closed' group, a reposted patient story about a great result: each is easy to do in a moment and each has led to complaints and regulatory action. Ahpra's guidance is clear that your code applies online, and that even a personal account can be considered if it raises concerns about fitness to practise.

At the same time, social media is part of modern practice. Practitioners use it to share health information, connect with colleagues, support communities and promote services. The aim is not to stay offline but to know exactly where the lines are: what counts as identifying a patient, when a comment becomes a testimonial, how to handle a friend request from a patient, and what regulators treat as protected opinion versus conduct of concern.

This course gives you practical checks you can apply before you post, scripts for common situations, a personal audit checklist and a governance model for practice accounts, all grounded in Ahpra's guidance, section 133 of the National Law and privacy law, with cases from across the professions.

Written and reviewed by

Written by

Dr Hannah Whitmore PhD, MSc, RN

Nursing Education & Professional Practice

Reviewed by (legal reviewer)

Professor James Ellington LLB, LLM, PhD

Healthcare Law, Ethics & Professional Regulation

Reviewed by (editorial team)

Editorial Team Member

Healthcare ethics, professional conduct, patient safety and evidence-based education.

Last reviewed

Our authors and reviewers check course content for accuracy and currency. Completing a course does not guarantee any particular outcome with Ahpra, a National Board, a tribunal or an employer.

Who this course is for

  • Registered practitioners in any profession who use social media personally or professionally
  • Practitioners who run or contribute to a practice's social media, website or online advertising
  • Practice owners and managers responsible for staff social media policies and agency content
  • Practitioners in rural, remote and small communities where online and offline lives overlap
  • Practitioners who speak publicly on health topics or have a large online following
  • Practitioners reflecting on an online conduct issue (check with your Board whether a course is suitable)

What you’ll learn

  • Post with confidence

    Use a quick pre-posting check to protect patient privacy, professionalism and public trust.

  • Keep boundaries online

    Handle friend requests, messages, small-community overlap and online harassment safely.

  • Stay inside the advertising rules

    Recognise testimonials, misleading claims, inducements and therapeutic goods risks in social content.

  • Govern and recover

    Audit your accounts, set up practice account governance and respond quickly when something goes wrong.

Learning objectives

  • Explain how the National Law, codes and Ahpra's social media guidance apply to professional and private accounts.
  • Distinguish protected expression from online conduct likely to attract regulatory action.
  • Prevent indirect identification of patients in posts, images and comments.
  • Manage clinical images, messaging apps and privacy breaches in line with privacy law.
  • Respond to online reviews without breaching confidentiality.
  • Maintain professional boundaries with patients online and respond to unwanted contact.
  • Share accurate health information and avoid discriminatory or culturally unsafe content.
  • Recognise testimonials and other advertising risks on social media, including therapeutic goods promotion.
  • Audit your online presence and govern professional accounts safely.

Scenarios covered

Practice situations you reason through, step by step, in the course.

  • The selfie with a background

    A radiographer's workplace selfie shows an identifiable X-ray on a screen. You will learn to spot indirect identifiers in images, captions and metadata.

  • The one-star review

    A patient posts that a physiotherapist made his pain worse. You will draft a reply that protects confidentiality and invites resolution.

  • The closed group vent

    A nurse describes a 'nightmare family' in a regional nurses' group. You will see why closed groups are not confidential and where to debrief instead.

  • The friend request

    A current patient sends a request and later a clinical question by direct message. You will practise boundary-preserving responses.

  • The happy patient repost

    A practice reposts a patient's story about fast pain relief. You will identify the testimonial problem and fix the content process.

  • The immunity claim

    A practitioner posts that treatment 'boosts immunity'. You will apply evidence and public health expectations to health content.

Course contents

6 sections, 20 lessons, then the final assessment.

  1. Section 1: The Rules That Apply Online3 lessons
    • 1.1 Your Obligations Do Not Stop at the Screen
    • 1.2 Freedom of Expression and When Regulators Act
    • 1.3 Platforms, Features and Hidden Risks
  2. Section 2: Protecting Patient Privacy Online4 lessons
    • 2.1 Indirect Identification
    • 2.2 Clinical Images, Consent and Devices
    • 2.3 Privacy Law, Data Breaches and Messaging Apps
    • 2.4 Responding to Online Reviews
  3. Section 3: Professional Boundaries Online3 lessons
    • 3.1 Friend Requests, Follows and Direct Messages
    • 3.2 Small Communities and Overlapping Lives
    • 3.3 Unwanted Contact and Online Harassment
  4. Section 4: Professional Conduct, Colleagues and Public Debate3 lessons
    • 4.1 Talking About Colleagues and Workplaces
    • 4.2 Health Information, Misinformation and Public Health
    • 4.3 Discrimination, Racism and Cultural Safety Online
  5. Section 5: Advertising Risks on Social Media3 lessons
    • 5.1 Section 133 and the Advertising Guidelines Online
    • 5.2 Reviews, Patient Stories and User-Generated Content
    • 5.3 Influencers, Product Promotion and Cosmetic Content
  6. Section 6: Building a Safe Social Media Practice4 lessons
    • 6.1 Personal Audit and Settings
    • 6.2 Professional Accounts and Workplace Policies
    • 6.3 Using Social Media Well
    • 6.4 When Something Goes Wrong
  7. Final assessment and written reflection15 questions

Assessment and certificate

  1. Work through the course

    Study each section at your own pace, including the case illustrations and apply-it questions.

  2. Pass the assessment

    15 scenario-based questions. You need 12 correct (80%) to pass.

  3. Write your reflection

    A short written reflection on how the learning applies to your own practice.

  4. Download your certificate

    Shows your name, the course, the date and 2 CPD hours. Anyone can check it on our verification page.

What you keep for your CPD records

  • A certificate of completion recording approximately 2 CPD hours of learning
  • A written reflective account based on an audit of your own social media
  • A pre-posting checklist and a quick-reference guide to reviews, images and advertising
  • A template for practice social media governance and staff expectations

How certificates and CPD records workVerify a certificate

Primary sources

The course is built on these official documents. Check them for the current version.

Questions about this course

Is this course recognised by Ahpra or a National Board?

No. It is not accredited, not approved and not endorsed by Ahpra or any National Board. It is independent education based on the published guidance. You record the time you actually spend and decide whether it fits your CPD plan.

Can Ahpra act on what I post on my personal account?

Yes, in some circumstances. Ahpra's guidance says National Boards may consider private social media activity if it raises concerns about your fitness to hold registration, even if you do not identify yourself as a practitioner. Holding or expressing views is not, of itself, a reason for investigation.

Can I share positive Google reviews on my website or Instagram?

Not if they comment on clinical aspects of your service. Using testimonials in advertising a regulated health service breaches section 133 of the National Law. Reviews on independent sites you do not control are generally treated differently from content you share or highlight.

Is it okay to accept friend requests from patients?

For current patients it is usually best to decline and explain your policy kindly. The course covers former patients, small communities and how to redirect clinical questions to practice channels.

Can I use a messaging app to send clinical photos to colleagues?

Only if your organisation approves the app for clinical communication and it keeps images secure and out of personal galleries. Consumer messaging apps can store data overseas, sync to personal devices and sit outside the clinical record. The course explains safer alternatives and how privacy law, including the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme, applies.

Does this course cover cosmetic procedure advertising?

It flags the stricter cosmetic advertising guidelines, including those effective from 2 September 2025, but practitioners working in cosmetic practice should study those guidelines in detail as well.

What should I do if I have already posted something risky?

Remove it promptly, assess whether anyone could be harmed or identified, follow your workplace's privacy breach process, seek advice from your insurer or defence organisation, and reflect on what to change. Do not delete content that is the subject of a complaint without advice.

Will this course satisfy a condition on my registration?

Only your Board can decide that. If you have a condition or undertaking, confirm with Ahpra or your Board, and with your lawyer or medical defence organisation, before you enrol.

How long does it take and how is it assessed?

About 2 hours including reflection. You answer 15 scenario-based multiple-choice questions with a pass mark of 12 out of 15 and write a short reflective account.

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