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Profession-specific course

Ethics and Professionalism for Podiatrists in Australia

Applying the Podiatry Board's Code of Conduct, Scope and Endorsement Rules

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

Written for

About this course

Podiatry sits at an unusual crossroads. You make clinical decisions about high-risk feet, perform procedures under local anaesthetic, may prescribe scheduled medicines, and often run a small business that sells orthoses, footwear and products. Each of those roles carries its own ethical pressure, and the Podiatry Board has refreshed several key documents since 2025, including new guidance on infection prevention and control, health records, working with assistants and podiatric surgery.

This course turns the shared Code of conduct and the Board's standards into decisions you can make with confidence: whether a treatment is within your scope and endorsement, how to consent a patient for nail surgery, when a foot needs same-day escalation, how to reprocess instruments and keep records that stand up to scrutiny, how to bill Medicare, the NDIS and health funds honestly, and how to advertise without testimonials or unsupported claims.

It is written for Australian practice, with scenarios from private clinics, community health, residential aged care, home visits and sports podiatry, and it notes where the rules differ between states and territories, including the co-regulatory complaint systems run by the Health Care Complaints Commission and the Podiatry Council of NSW in New South Wales and by the Office of the Health Ombudsman in Queensland.

Who this course is for

  • Registered podiatrists in private, community, hospital and aged care settings
  • Podiatric surgeons and podiatrists working alongside surgical teams
  • Podiatrists holding, or planning to apply for, the endorsement for scheduled medicines
  • Clinic owners and managers responsible for assistants, billing and advertising
  • New graduates and podiatrists returning to practice after a break
  • Podiatrists who want structured reflection on ethics for their CPD plan

What you’ll learn

  • Practise within scope with confidence

    Distinguish general scope, the endorsement for scheduled medicines and specialist podiatric surgery, and check local medicines law before acting.

  • Consent and escalate well

    Run tailored consent conversations for procedures and escalate high-risk foot presentations without delay.

  • Keep your systems audit-ready

    Align infection prevention, records and privacy with the Board's 2026 guidance and the Privacy Act.

  • Run an ethical practice

    Bill honestly, manage product conflicts, advertise lawfully and respond professionally if a concern is raised.

Learning objectives

  • Explain how the National Law, the Podiatry Board and Ahpra regulate podiatrists and podiatric surgeons, including the co-regulatory systems in New South Wales and Queensland.
  • Apply the principles of the shared Code of conduct to typical podiatry decisions in clinic, community, aged care and home-visit settings.
  • Distinguish general scope of practice, the endorsement for scheduled medicines and specialist registration in podiatric surgery, and identify where state and territory medicines law adds further limits.
  • Obtain and document valid informed consent for podiatric procedures, including nail surgery, for adults, children and people with impaired decision-making capacity.
  • Recognise high-risk foot presentations and other red flags and escalate them promptly and clearly.
  • Meet current expectations on infection prevention and control, health records and privacy in podiatry practice.
  • Manage billing, product sales, advertising and commercial pressures in line with the Code, Ahpra's advertising guidelines and conflict of interest guidance.
  • Maintain professional boundaries, understand mandatory notification duties and respond professionally if a concern is raised about your practice.

Scenarios covered

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

  • Nail surgery for a person with dementia

    Working out who can lawfully consent for an aged care resident, what to explain and how to document it.

  • The hot, swollen neuropathic foot

    Recognising a possible active Charcot foot and escalating it the same day with clear, explicit urgency.

  • An orthoses sales target

    Responding when bonuses or quotas start to influence clinical recommendations, using the Code and section 136 of the National Law.

  • A testimonial video on social media

    Spotting advertising that breaches section 133 and fixing your website and social channels.

  • Moving interstate with an endorsement

    Checking which scheduled medicines you can actually prescribe under the new jurisdiction's medicines law.

  • Delegating to a podiatry assistant

    Applying the Board's guidance on assistants to residential aged care nail care and escalation.

Course contents

8 sections, 32 lessons, then the final assessment.

  1. Section 1: How Podiatry Is Regulated in Australia4 lessons
    • 1.1 The National Scheme and the Podiatry Board
    • 1.2 Registration, Titles and Specialist Registration
    • 1.3 How Notifications Are Managed
    • 1.4 Ethical Foundations for Podiatric Practice
  2. Section 2: The Code of Conduct in Podiatry Practice4 lessons
    • 2.1 How the Shared Code Applies to Podiatrists
    • 2.2 Person-Centred Care and Working Within Competence
    • 2.3 Culturally Safe and Respectful Practice
    • 2.4 Collaboration, Employers and Practice Culture
  3. Section 3: Scope, Scheduled Medicines and Podiatric Surgery4 lessons
    • 3.1 Scope of Practice and Its Limits
    • 3.2 The Endorsement for Scheduled Medicines
    • 3.3 Podiatric Surgery: Higher Risk, Higher Expectations
    • 3.4 Working With Assistants and Delegation
  4. Section 4: Consent, Communication and Decision-Making4 lessons
    • 4.1 Valid Consent for Podiatric Procedures
    • 4.2 Capacity, Substitute Decisions and Children
    • 4.3 Communicating Risk, Cost and Uncertainty
    • 4.4 Respecting Refusal and Managing Difficult Conversations
  5. Section 5: Clinical Risk, Infection Prevention and Escalation4 lessons
    • 5.1 The High-Risk Foot: A Professional Duty to Escalate
    • 5.2 Infection Prevention and Control
    • 5.3 Blood-Borne Viruses and Practitioner Health Risks
    • 5.4 When Things Go Wrong: Disclosure, Reporting and Learning
  6. Section 6: Health Records, Privacy and Information Sharing4 lessons
    • 6.1 What Good Podiatry Records Look Like
    • 6.2 Privacy Law and Health Records Law
    • 6.3 Sharing Information With Others
    • 6.4 Digital Records, Telehealth and My Health Record
  7. Section 7: Billing, Products, Advertising and Conflicts of Interest4 lessons
    • 7.1 Honest Billing Across Medicare, DVA, NDIS and Health Funds
    • 7.2 Orthoses, Footwear and Product Sales
    • 7.3 Advertising Podiatry Services Lawfully
    • 7.4 Employers, Ownership Models and Speaking Up
  8. Section 8: Boundaries, Notifications, Health and Lifelong Learning4 lessons
    • 8.1 Professional Boundaries in Podiatry
    • 8.2 Mandatory Notifications
    • 8.3 Your Own Health and Responding to a Concern
    • 8.4 CPD, Reflection and Keeping Practice Current
  9. Final assessment and written reflection20 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

    20 scenario-based questions. You need 16 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 3 CPD hours. Anyone can check it on our verification page.

What you keep for your CPD records

  • A certificate of completion recording approximately 3 CPD hours of learning
  • A written reflective account based on three podiatry-specific prompts
  • A quick-reference checklist covering scope, consent, escalation, infection control, records, products and advertising
  • Your assessment result from 20 scenario-based questions

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

Does Ahpra or the Podiatry Board accredit this course?

No. This is an independent education course. It is not accredited by Ahpra, it is not approved by the Podiatry Board of Australia and it is not endorsed by any professional association. You record the actual time you spend against your own CPD plan and decide whether it meets your learning goals.

How many CPD hours can I record?

The course is designed to take about 3 hours including reading, reflection and the assessment. Record the time you actually spend. It is individual learning, so it does not count towards the interactive component of the Board's CPD requirements.

Is it relevant if I hold the endorsement for scheduled medicines?

Yes. A full lesson covers the endorsement, how it interacts with state and territory drugs and poisons law, and the prescribing steps the Board expects. Whether it suits your additional scheduled medicines CPD hours depends on your own learning plan and the Board's current standard.

Does the course cover the 2026 infection prevention and health records changes?

Yes. It explains the shift to a risk-based infection prevention approach from 15 January 2026 and the Board's guidelines on health records that took effect on 28 July 2026, with practical audit prompts.

Is it suitable for podiatric surgeons?

Yes. It includes a lesson on the guidelines for practitioners performing podiatric surgery, patient selection, consent and aftercare, as well as the shared Code issues every podiatrist faces.

Can I use this course for a Board condition or undertaking?

Only if Ahpra or the Board confirms it is acceptable. If you have a condition or undertaking that requires education, check with Ahpra or the Board, and with your lawyer or indemnity insurer, before you enrol.

What does the course say about Medicare, NDIS and health fund billing?

It explains the ethical rules that apply across funders: bill only for services actually provided and documented, never bill a podiatrist item for an assistant's work, and avoid over-servicing. It notes that GP chronic condition management plans replaced the earlier plan and team care items from 1 July 2025, that the Professional Services Review scheme covers podiatrists, and that health funds and the NDIS run their own audits, so you should always check the current item descriptors and funder rules.

How long do I have to finish and what is the pass mark?

The course is self-paced. The final assessment has 20 scenario-based questions and the pass mark is 16 out of 20 (80%). You can review the sections and try again if needed.