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Profession-specific course

Ethics and Professionalism for Physiotherapists in Australia

Applying the Physiotherapy Board's Code of Conduct to Everyday Practice

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

Written for

About this course

Physiotherapists make ethical decisions all day without calling them that: whether to try a technique you have only watched, whether another block of passive treatment is justified, how to manage undressing and touch, what to write in a report an insurer or employer will read, and how to respond when a coach, practice owner or patient wants a different answer. Most notifications about physiotherapists come from these ordinary moments, especially clinical care, boundaries, communication and documentation.

This course applies the shared Code of conduct and the Physiotherapy practice thresholds that took effect on 1 January 2024 to the realities of physiotherapy in Australia. It covers competence and scope, overservicing, consent, boundaries in a hands-on profession, cultural safety, records and third-party reports, advertising, conflicts of interest, sports practice, notifications, supervision and your own wellbeing, with practical scripts and checklists.

It is written specifically for physiotherapists, using the Physiotherapy Board's own documents and its 2024/25 notification data, and it reflects Ahpra's September 2026 interim guidance on financial and commercial conflicts of interest. Each section ends with key points and apply-it questions you can use straight away in your clinic, team meeting or supervision session.

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 physiotherapists in private practice, hospitals, aged care, community and sport
  • Clinic owners and senior physiotherapists who set treatment, billing and advertising policies
  • New graduates and early-career physiotherapists building safe habits
  • Physiotherapists adopting new techniques such as dry needling, pelvic health or vestibular rehabilitation
  • Supervisors of students, new graduates and allied health assistants
  • Physiotherapists returning to practice or preparing for a CPD audit
  • Physiotherapists who want a structured refresher after a complaint or notification

What you’ll learn

  • Practise within competence

    Decide when a technique is within your individual scope and what training, supervision and insurance you need first.

  • Protect boundaries and consent

    Use explanation, draping, chaperones and specific consent in hands-on care, and manage dual relationships, gifts and social media.

  • Write records and reports that stand up

    Keep contemporaneous notes and write honest reports for insurers, Medicare and the NDIS without shaping findings.

  • Run an ethical practice

    Advertise lawfully, disclose conflicts to each patient, supervise safely and know when and how notifications apply.

Learning objectives

  • Explain how the National Law, Ahpra, the Physiotherapy Board and the co-regulatory bodies in New South Wales and Queensland regulate physiotherapy.
  • Apply the shared Code of conduct and the 2024 practice thresholds to decisions about competence, scope and evidence-informed care.
  • Recognise and avoid overservicing, and communicate treatment plans, costs and options honestly.
  • Obtain valid consent for physiotherapy interventions, including for children, young people and adults who need decision support.
  • Maintain professional boundaries in hands-on care, including undressing, draping, sensitive examinations and dual relationships.
  • Provide culturally safe and respectful care and contribute to a workplace free of bullying and harassment.
  • Keep accurate records and write honest reports for insurers, Medicare, the NDIS and other third parties.
  • Advertise a physiotherapy service lawfully and manage financial and commercial conflicts of interest.
  • Describe mandatory notification thresholds, how to respond to a notification and your responsibilities as a supervisor.

Scenarios covered

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

  • Dry needling after a week of shadowing

    A practice owner asks a new graduate to start needling without formal training. You test the request against competence, risk, consent and insurance.

  • Six months of passive treatment

    A patient keeps booking weekly sessions with no measurable change. You work through reassessment, honest discussion and discharge or referral.

  • Assessing groin pain

    A hip assessment requires examination near a sensitive area. You practise the explanation, draping, chaperone offer and consent record.

  • The report the worker wants

    An injured worker asks you to understate his lifting capacity in a report to the insurer. You plan an honest report and a supportive conversation.

  • The package target

    A clinic introduces daily targets for selling treatment packages. You apply the code, the September 2026 interim guidance and section 136.

  • Dazed on the field

    A teenage player takes a heavy knock late in a match and the coach wants him back on. You decide, communicate and document under pressure.

Course contents

8 sections, 30 lessons, then the final assessment.

  1. Section 1: How Physiotherapy Is Regulated in Australia4 lessons
    • 1.1 The National Law, Ahpra and the Physiotherapy Board
    • 1.2 The Code of Conduct and How It Applies to Physiotherapists
    • 1.3 The Physiotherapy Practice Thresholds
    • 1.4 Registration Standards You Declare Against
  2. Section 2: Good Care, Competence and Scope of Practice4 lessons
    • 2.1 Working Within Your Competence
    • 2.2 Evidence, Treatment Plans and Overservicing
    • 2.3 Medicines, Referral and the Limits of Physiotherapy Practice
    • 2.4 Access, Emergencies and Ending a Therapeutic Relationship
  3. Section 3: Communication, Consent and Open Disclosure4 lessons
    • 3.1 Communication That Supports Real Choice
    • 3.2 Informed Consent for Physiotherapy Interventions
    • 3.3 Children, Young People and Adults Who Need Decision Support
    • 3.4 Open Disclosure and Complaints
  4. Section 4: Professional Boundaries in a Hands-On Profession4 lessons
    • 4.1 Why Boundaries Matter in Physiotherapy
    • 4.2 Undressing, Draping, Sensitive Areas and Chaperones
    • 4.3 Dual Relationships, Gifts and Social Media
    • 4.4 Sexual Misconduct and Its Consequences
  5. Section 5: Cultural Safety and Respectful Practice3 lessons
    • 5.1 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Cultural Safety
    • 5.2 Respectful Practice for All Communities
    • 5.3 Bullying, Harassment and a Safe Workplace
  6. Section 6: Records, Privacy, Telehealth and Third-Party Work4 lessons
    • 6.1 Clinical Records That Stand Up
    • 6.2 Privacy and Confidentiality
    • 6.3 Telehealth and Digital Competence
    • 6.4 Reports and Funded Care: Insurers, Medicare and the NDIS
  7. Section 7: Advertising, Business and Sports Practice3 lessons
    • 7.1 Advertising a Physiotherapy Service
    • 7.2 Financial and Commercial Dealings
    • 7.3 Sports and Team Physiotherapy
  8. Section 8: Notifications, Supervision and Practitioner Health4 lessons
    • 8.1 Mandatory and Voluntary Notifications
    • 8.2 When a Notification Is Made About You
    • 8.3 Supervision, Students and New Graduates
    • 8.4 Practitioner Health and Wellbeing
  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 estimated learning time
  • A written reflective account focused on your own physiotherapy practice
  • A quick-reference guide for consent, boundaries, reports and advertising
  • Apply-it activities you can add to your CPD portfolio and learning plan

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 accredit or approve this course?

No. It is an independent educational course. It is not accredited, not approved and not endorsed by Ahpra, the Physiotherapy Board of Australia or any professional body. You decide whether it fits your CPD plan and record the time you actually spend.

Which code of conduct applies to physiotherapists?

Physiotherapists are bound by the shared Code of conduct used by twelve National Boards, which took effect in June 2022. The course explains how its principles apply to hands-on assessment, exercise prescription and rehabilitation, alongside the practice thresholds.

What are the physiotherapy practice thresholds?

They describe the minimum competence for initial and continuing registration in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. The current version took effect on 1 January 2024, and is organised around seven roles, with stronger content on cultural safety, digital competence and collaboration.

What are the most common complaints about physiotherapists?

In the Physiotherapy Board's 2024/25 data, clinical care was the most common concern, followed by boundary violation, communication, behaviour and documentation. The course is built around these themes.

Can I use patient reviews in my clinic's advertising?

Not if they are testimonials about clinical aspects of care, such as how treatment fixed a condition. Section 133 of the National Law prohibits these, along with misleading claims, unreasonable expectations of benefit and inducements without clear terms.

Do I have to disclose that I profit from products I recommend?

Yes. The code and Ahpra's September 2026 interim guidance expect you to disclose financial or commercial interests to each patient as part of informed consent and to recommend on clinical need alone. A notice on a website is not enough.

Will this course satisfy a condition on my registration?

Not by itself. Education conditions usually require a course to be nominated and accepted by Ahpra before you start. Confirm with Ahpra or the Board, and your lawyer or insurer, before relying on any course.

Does the course cover the recency of practice and CPD review?

Yes, briefly. Fourteen National Boards consulted in 2026 on revised recency of practice and CPD registration standards. The current Physiotherapy Board standards continue to apply until any revised standards commence, and the course explains how to keep a CPD portfolio that shows planning, learning and reflection.

How long does the course take?

About 3 hours, including the reading, apply-it questions, reflective account and a 20-question assessment with a pass mark of 16. Record the time you actually spend.