Ethics and professionalism CPD for osteopaths

Patients who see an osteopath are usually in pain, often anxious and frequently partly undressed. They let you touch them on the understanding that every touch has a clinical purpose that has been explained and agreed. That trust, and the power imbalance that comes with your knowledge and control of the consultation, is why consent, draping and boundaries sit at the centre of osteopathic professionalism.

Osteopaths are registered by the Osteopathy Board of Australia under the National Law, supported by Ahpra. The Board's purpose is protecting the public, not promoting osteopathy; that is the role of professional associations. In New South Wales, complaints are managed by the Health Care Complaints Commission with the Osteopathy Council of NSW, and in Queensland the Office of the Health Ombudsman decides which matters go to Ahpra and the Board.

'Osteopath' is a protected title, and osteopathy has no recognised specialties. Every osteopath holds general registration (or provisional, limited or non-practising registration), so nobody may describe themselves as a specialist osteopath in any area, however much further training they have completed.

Since 29 June 2022, osteopaths have practised under the shared Code of conduct adopted by twelve National Boards. It does not apply to doctors, nurses, midwives or psychologists, who have their own codes. The 2022 revision added principles for situations the Code does not cover, a section on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and cultural safety, content on bullying, harassment and clinical governance, and reminders that business targets must not undermine the Code.

Alongside the Code, the Capabilities for osteopathic practice (2019) describe seven roles: osteopath; professional and ethical practitioner; communicator; critical reflective practitioner and lifelong learner; educator and health promoter; collaborative practitioner; and leader and manager. They are used to design education and assess overseas-qualified practitioners, and they can also be considered in conduct matters. They make a useful self-assessment tool when you plan CPD.

The Board's Statement on paediatric care, updated in December 2024, treats anyone under 18 as a child. Title protection does not set a fixed scope, but you must practise within your own education, training and competence, and you should not claim to provide, or provide, care for babies and children unless you can do so safely. Serious conditions need immediate referral or co-management. Skills fade if not used, so a return to paediatric work after a gap deserves planned learning first.

Consent in osteopathy is often treated as a single moment at the start of a first appointment. A typical session may move from case history to standing observation, palpation with the patient partly undressed, soft tissue work, articulation and a manipulative thrust. Each step has its own purpose, intimacy and risk, so consent should be checked again whenever the technique, body region or level of undress changes.

• Material risks. Following Rogers v Whitaker, risk is judged from the patient's position. Temporary soreness is common; rare but serious events such as arterial dissection after cervical manipulation, or rib fracture in people with low bone density, are material for many patients.
• Screening first. An unusual headache with unsteadiness means no treatment today and same-day medical assessment. A patient cannot meaningfully consent to a technique whose risks have not been assessed.
• Sensitive areas. Work near the adductors, coccyx, sacroiliac joint, rib cage or pubic symphysis needs a specific explanation, explicit consent and ongoing checks. Internal techniques require specific training, a clear rationale, documented consent, a chaperone offer, competence and insurance cover, or referral instead.
• Financial consent. Explain fees, packages, cancellation terms and any Medicare or health fund rebate before costs are incurred.
• Specific notes. 'Consent obtained' says little. 'Discussed C-spine HVLA, soreness and rare vascular risk; offered mobilisation; patient chose mobilisation only' says a great deal.

Informed Consent and Financial Consent in Australian Practice and Chaperones and Intimate Examinations take these themes further.

Ethics and Professionalism for Osteopaths in Australia is an estimated three hours of self-paced learning for new graduates, contractors and clinic owners, with fictional Australian case illustrations, reflection points, a reflective account and a 20-question scenario assessment (pass mark 16 out of 20). It works through the regulatory framework and registration standards; valid and ongoing consent, including for children and adults with impaired capacity; undress, draping, chaperones and trauma-aware care; sexual misconduct, dual relationships and recent National Law reforms; evidence-informed practice, cranial and visceral claims, red flags, dry needling and imaging requests; section 133 and Ahpra's osteopathy advertising examples; billing integrity; records, privacy, telehealth and AI scribes; and responding to a notification with insight.

It addresses content in several of the Board's mandatory topic areas, including the Code and National Law, informed consent, professional boundaries, advertising, evidence-based practice and record keeping. You decide whether, and how much of, your time on it fits your mandatory topic hours.

Amendments to the National Law that took effect in December 2025 made it an offence to threaten, intimidate or take reprisals against a person who makes, intends to make or assists with a notification, and an offence to enter into a non-disclosure agreement that prevents someone from notifying a health regulator. From April 2026, tribunal findings of professional misconduct involving sexual misconduct are recorded permanently on the public register, including retrospectively, subject to limited exceptions. People whose registration was cancelled now need a reinstatement order from a tribunal before applying to re-register.

Mandatory notification duties apply too: if, in the course of practice, you form a reasonable belief that another practitioner has engaged in sexual misconduct in connection with practice, you must notify Ahpra. Thresholds differ for treating practitioners, and Western Australia has a different arrangement. Our sexual boundaries course and professional boundaries course cover these duties in depth.