Professionalism in Practice for Health Practitioners
Standards, scope, conduct and accountability under the HPCA Act and your responsible authority's code
3CPD hours
20final questions
80%pass mark
PDFcertificate
What you will learn
Describe professionalism in observable terms across the competence, conduct and health domains used by New Zealand regulators.
Explain the roles of responsible authorities, the HDC, Professional Conduct Committees and the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal under the HPCA Act 2003.
Apply the ten rights in the Code of Rights, and the clause 3 reasonable-actions defence, to everyday practice.
Identify the core professional standards of your own responsible authority and the themes shared across New Zealand codes.
Practise within your scope of practice and any conditions, maintain a current APC and make accurate declarations.
Describe your recertification requirements and the purpose and outcomes of a competence review.
Demonstrate respectful teamwork, culturally safe care and professional leadership under resource pressure.
Judge when conduct outside work or online may reflect on your fitness to practise or bring discredit to your profession.
Explain your duties to notify concerns about a colleague's health (s 45) and competence (s 34) and raise concerns effectively.
Build a remediation plan that shows specific insight, targeted learning and sustained, evidenced change.
About this course
What does professionalism actually require of a registered practitioner in Aotearoa New Zealand, and how do regulators define, measure and enforce it? This course answers that through the HPCA Act 2003, the Code of Rights, and the codes and standards of the medical, nursing, midwifery, dental, pharmacy and allied health authorities. Topics include scope of practice and conditions, annual practising certificates and honest declarations, recertification and competence review, teamwork and cultural safety, conduct outside work and online, your own health and the duty to notify, raising concerns, and what happens when professionalism is questioned.
It is designed for every practitioner regulated under the HPCA Act: doctors and physician associates, nurses and midwives, pharmacists, oral health practitioners and the allied health professions. It suits practitioners who want to strengthen everyday professional practice, those new to practice in New Zealand, and those preparing a reflection or remediation plan after feedback or a concern.
In New Zealand, regulators assess competence, conduct and health together, and a concern can move from an HDC complaint to a Professional Conduct Committee and the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal. Understanding the standards and processes, and showing insight and sustained change, protects consumers and supports your own practice. The course uses New Zealand case examples across professions, knowledge checks and a structured reflective account you can add to your recertification record.
Course facts
CPD value
Approximately 3 CPD hours (estimated learning time including knowledge checks, reflection and assessment)
Audience
Registered health practitioners in New Zealand: doctors and physician associates, nurses, midwives, oral health practitioners, pharmacists and allied health practitioners
Standards covered
Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003; Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers' Rights; Medical Council Good medical practice and statements; Nursing Council Code of Conduct and 2025 standards of competence; Midwifery Council Code of Conduct; Dental Council Standards Framework; Pharmacy Council Code of Ethics 2018; Psychologists Board Code of Conduct; Physiotherapy and Paramedic Council standards
Format
Self-paced, gated lessons with knowledge checks, case studies and reflection
Assessment
20 scenario-based questions, 80% to pass (16 of 20)
Outcome
Certificate of completion and a written reflection for your CPD record
Alignment
Mapped to the professional standards of the responsible authorities under the HPCA Act, including the Medical Council, Nursing Council, Midwifery Council, Dental Council, Pharmacy Council and allied health authorities, and to the HDC Code of Rights
Syllabus
11 sections, 3 CPD hours, 20-question final assessment
1Professionalism in Aotearoa New Zealand3 lessons
What professionalism means for a New Zealand health practitioner
The HPCA Act, responsible authorities and the wider system
The Code of Rights as the floor of professional behaviour
2What each regulator's code expects4 lessons
Doctors: Good medical practice and the Medical Council's statements
Nurses and midwives: the Code of Conduct, standards of competence and the Midwifery Council's Code
Dental, pharmacy and allied health codes
Common threads across the codes
3Scope of practice, practising certificates and competence3 lessons
Registration and scope of practice
Annual practising certificates and honest declarations
Keeping competent: recertification and competence review
4Teamwork, cultural safety and leadership3 lessons
Working with colleagues: respect, incivility and bullying
Cultural safety and Te Tiriti o Waitangi
Leadership, management and practising under pressure
5Conduct outside work and online2 lessons
Conduct outside work and public trust
Social media, online presence and electronic communication
6Health, impairment and notification3 lessons
Your own health and wellbeing as a professional responsibility
Health notifications under sections 45–51 of the HPCA Act
Fatigue, burnout and moral distress
7Raising and responding to concerns2 lessons
Your duty to raise concerns about colleagues and services
How to raise a concern well, and how to receive one
8When professionalism is questioned: process, insight and remediation2 lessons
What happens when professionalism is questioned
Insight, reflection and remediation
9Conclusion and key points1 lesson
Conclusion and key points
10References and further reading1 lesson
References and further reading
11Reflection1 lesson
Your reflective account
Who this course is for
Registered health practitioners in New Zealand: doctors and physician associates, nurses, midwives, oral health practitioners, pharmacists and allied health practitioners.
Continuing professional development record for your portfolio.
Your name, the course title and the CPD hours
Completion date and a unique certificate ID that can be verified
Downloads as a PDF; save it to your portfolio
Fitness To Practice
Certificate of Completion
This certifies that
Your Name
has successfully completed
Professionalism in Practice for Health Practitioners
Completed12 Oct 2026
3CPD hours
Certificate IDFTS-7Q4K-2M9X
Continuing professional development record — New Zealand
Questions about this course
What does the professionalism course say about conduct outside work?
Section 5 helps you judge when private conduct or online activity could call your fitness to practise into question or discredit your profession, which is a ground for a disciplinary charge under the HPCA Act 2003. It uses examples such as social media posts, public statements and convictions, which responsible authorities must be notified of and refer to a Professional Conduct Committee.
Does the course explain my duty to notify concerns about a colleague?
Yes. It covers notifications about a colleague's competence under section 34 and about a practitioner's health under section 45 of the HPCA Act, and what the Medical Council expects when a doctor is worried about a colleague. You learn how to raise a concern factually, proportionately and in good faith, and what happens after a notification reaches the responsible authority.
Is the professionalism course only for doctors?
No. It is written for every practitioner registered under the HPCA Act: from GPs, nurses and midwives to dental, pharmacy and allied health practitioners such as physiotherapists, psychologists and paramedics. It compares the standards of each responsible authority and draws out the shared themes, so you can apply them to your own scope of practice.
Can the professionalism course form part of a remediation plan?
It can. The final section shows how to build a remediation plan with specific insight, targeted learning and sustained, evidenced change. Where your council or the Tribunal has already required education or set conditions, those are set and supervised by them, so check with your regulator, supervisor or lawyer before relying on this course to meet an order.
How many CPD hours is the professionalism course and what does it cost?
It provides 3 CPD hours, costs NZ$139 and is completed online at your own pace with instant access. Scenario-based checks prepare you for a 20-question finish (pass mark 16, or 80%), after which your certificate and reflective template are released. The course is independent and not council-accredited.
Honesty in records, certificates, ACC invoicing, APC declarations and conflicts of interest, mapped to the HPCA Act and your responsible authority's code.
Sexual and non-sexual boundaries, gifts, dual relationships in small communities and social media, with the zone of helpfulness and culturally safe practice.