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Profession-specific course

Ethics and Professionalism for Medical Radiation Practitioners in Australia

Applying the Medical Radiation Practice Board's Code to Imaging, Radiation Therapy and Nuclear Medicine

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

Written for

About this course

Medical radiation practitioners make dozens of ethical decisions every shift, usually without calling them that. Whether to query a duplicate CT request, how to ask a teenager about pregnancy, what to say when a frightened patient asks "Can you see anything?", whether to accept a gift at the end of a six-week course of radiation therapy, or whether to open a famous patient's images out of curiosity: each is a question of professionalism, and each is covered by the Medical Radiation Practice Board's Code of conduct, its professional capabilities and its registration standards.

The 3rd edition of the Board's professional capabilities took effect on 30 March 2026, organising practice around six roles from the professional and ethical role to leader and steward. This course applies those roles, and the Code of conduct, to real situations in diagnostic radiography, radiation therapy and nuclear medicine. It connects radiation protection principles to ethics, explains how state radiation licensing sits alongside registration, and gives you practical scripts, checklists and records guidance for consent, identification, unexpected findings, incidents, privacy, CPD and AI.

The course is written for working practitioners rather than students. It assumes you know your modality and focuses on the professional judgement around it: what to do when a request does not make sense, when a patient withdraws consent on the table, when a colleague cuts corners, when a new technology or extended role is offered, and when something goes wrong. Each section ends with key points and a practical activity, and the reflective account at the end is structured so that you can file it directly in your CPD records as evidence of learning and planned change.

Who this course is for

  • Diagnostic radiographers in hospitals, private imaging, emergency, theatre and rural services
  • Radiation therapists in public and private radiation oncology services
  • Nuclear medicine technologists, including those working in PET and theranostics
  • Practitioners with provisional registration and their supervisors
  • Chief radiographers, therapists and educators planning team professionalism training
  • Practitioners returning to practice who want to refresh their knowledge of current standards
  • Medical radiation practitioners preparing for an extended or advanced practice role who want a professional and ethical grounding first

What you’ll learn

  • Apply the 2026 capabilities

    Use the six roles of the current professional capabilities and the Code of conduct to guide decisions, plan CPD and reflect on your practice.

  • Act on safety with confidence

    Identify patients reliably, ask about pregnancy and breastfeeding sensitively, escalate unexpected findings and respond properly to unintended exposures.

  • Communicate and protect privacy

    Explain before you touch, obtain consent for each procedure, avoid giving diagnoses, and access images only for authorised purposes.

  • Stay accountable

    Practise within division and competence, meet CPD and recency requirements, keep honest records and use AI and new technology critically.

Learning objectives

  • Explain the Board's code, capabilities and registration standards and how radiation safety law sits alongside them.
  • Apply justification and optimisation as ethical duties, and question requests professionally.
  • Obtain consent appropriate to each procedure in imaging, radiation therapy and nuclear medicine.
  • Carry out identification, pregnancy and breastfeeding checks and respond to unintended exposures.
  • Communicate respectfully, escalate significant unexpected findings and protect the privacy of images.
  • Maintain boundaries in long therapeutic relationships and practise safely with radiopharmaceuticals.
  • Meet CPD and recency requirements, keep accurate records and use AI responsibly.
  • Speak up about unsafe practice and contribute as a team member, educator and steward.

Scenarios covered

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

  • The duplicate CT

    A request arrives for a scan the patient had two days ago. You will see how justification works as a shared ethical duty and how to query a referrer professionally.

  • The pneumothorax at 2 am

    A radiographer sees a significant finding with no radiologist on site. You will apply the Board's guidance on communicating unexpected findings without diagnosing.

  • The wrong-direction shift

    A radiation therapist discovers a setup error after a fraction. You will work through escalation, reporting and open disclosure.

  • The celebrity scan

    Curiosity leads to opening images without a clinical reason. You will see why audit trails catch this and what it means for registration.

  • The birthday invitation

    A patient finishing radiation therapy invites his therapist to a party. You will explore boundaries in long therapeutic relationships.

  • The AI contour

    An auto-contouring tool misses part of an organ at risk. You will apply the Board's statement that professional obligations continue when using AI.

Course contents

7 sections, 30 lessons, then the final assessment.

  1. Section 1: The Profession and Its Standards4 lessons
    • 1.1 Medical Radiation Practice Under the National Scheme
    • 1.2 The Board's Standards: Code, Capabilities and Registration Standards
    • 1.3 Radiation Safety Regulation Alongside Registration
    • 1.4 What Concerns About Medical Radiation Practitioners Involve
  2. Section 2: Ethical Foundations in Imaging and Radiation Therapy4 lessons
    • 2.1 Justification and Optimisation as Ethical Principles
    • 2.2 Autonomy and Consent in Medical Radiation Practice
    • 2.3 Questioning a Referral Professionally
    • 2.4 Fairness, Access and Resource Pressure
  3. Section 3: Identification, Pregnancy and Safe Exposures5 lessons
    • 3.1 Right Patient, Right Examination, Right Side
    • 3.2 Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Enquiries
    • 3.3 Unintended Exposures, Incidents and Open Disclosure
    • 3.4 MRI Safety, Contrast and Medicines
    • 3.5 Carers, Comforters and Staff Protection
  4. Section 4: Communication, Dignity and Privacy4 lessons
    • 4.1 Communicating in a Busy Department
    • 4.2 Communicating Findings Within Your Role
    • 4.3 Privacy of Images, Records and Information
    • 4.4 Children, People with Disability and Culturally Safe Care
  5. Section 5: Radiation Therapy and Nuclear Medicine Practice4 lessons
    • 5.1 Radiation Therapy: Long Courses, Close Relationships and Treatment Accuracy
    • 5.2 Nuclear Medicine: Radiopharmaceuticals and Radiation Safety Advice
    • 5.3 Theranostics, New Technology and Expanding Scope
    • 5.4 Serious Illness, Distress and Difficult Conversations
  6. Section 6: Professional Accountability5 lessons
    • 6.1 Scope, Supervision and Practising Within Competence
    • 6.2 CPD and Recency of Practice
    • 6.3 Records and Documentation
    • 6.4 Artificial Intelligence and New Technology
    • 6.5 Registration Obligations, Declarations and Indemnity
  7. Section 7: Speaking Up, Teamwork and Leadership4 lessons
    • 7.1 Raising Concerns About Unsafe Practice
    • 7.2 Working With Radiologists, Oncologists, Physicists and Referrers
    • 7.3 Health, Fatigue and Fitness for Practice
    • 7.4 Leader and Steward: Students, Sustainability and Improvement
  8. 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 for your CPD logbook
  • Your written reflective account mapped to the professional capabilities
  • A quick-reference professional checkpoint list for daily practice
  • Scripts for querying requests, answering patients' questions about results and escalating findings

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 Medical Radiation Practice Board accredit or approve this course?

No. This is independent CPD-aligned education; it is not accredited, not approved and not endorsed by Ahpra, the Board or any professional body. You decide whether it fits your CPD plan and record the actual time you spend, keeping your certificate and reflection.

Does this course count as substantive CPD?

The Board leaves that judgement to you: substantive CPD has significant intellectual or practical content relevant to your current or emerging practice. Many practitioners will find a 3-hour structured course with assessment and reflection meets that description, but you should decide based on your own plan.

Is the course relevant to all three divisions?

Yes. It covers shared obligations and includes dedicated content and scenarios for diagnostic radiography, radiation therapy and nuclear medicine technology.

Does it cover the new 2026 professional capabilities?

Yes. The course is built around the 3rd edition of the professional capabilities, which took effect on 30 March 2026, and uses its six roles throughout.

Will it help with radiation licensing requirements?

It explains how state and territory radiation licensing and national radiation protection codes sit alongside your registration, but it is not a radiation safety licensing course. Check your regulator's requirements directly.

Can I use it if I have a condition on my registration?

Completing it does not by itself satisfy any condition or undertaking. Confirm with Ahpra or the Board, and your lawyer or indemnity insurer, whether a particular course is acceptable before relying on it.

What do patients most often complain about in medical imaging?

Many concerns about medical radiation practitioners are not about technique at all. They involve feeling rushed or exposed during positioning, unclear explanations, dismissive comments, privacy breaches or not being told what happens next. The course focuses heavily on these everyday professional behaviours because they are where most preventable concerns start.

How long does the course take?

About 3 hours including reading, scenarios, a written reflection and a 20-question scenario-based assessment with an 80% pass mark. Record the time you actually spend.