Your facility is reviewing your clinical privileges or a procedure performed outside them
A renewal, transfer or good standing application has raised questions about a declaration
The DHA, DOH or MOHAP has asked about your social media posts or promotional material
Written for UAE licensing·Updated 2 November 2026
What you will learn
Name the instruments, federal, emirate and authority level, that define what professional conduct means for a UAE physician.
Summarise the legal duties every physician carries under the federal profession and medical liability laws.
Keep your licence current and your good standing intact when you renew, move between authorities or take time out of practice.
Plan a CPD cycle that meets your own authority's physician rules and leaves an honest record you could show an auditor.
Stay inside your licence title, specialty and granted privileges, and know how emergencies change the position.
Supervise and teach juniors safely, and use the right route when an incident or a colleague worries you.
Treat colleagues from every background with respect and avoid discrimination in a multinational team.
Check your posts, advertising and behaviour away from work against the rules that apply in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and federally.
Make every record, certificate, claim and declaration of interest accurate, and tell patients without delay when they have been harmed.
Explain how a concern about a physician is investigated and penalised, how to challenge a decision in time, and how to sustain good practice afterwards.
Who this course is for
Physicians licensed, or applying to be licensed, by the DHA, DOH, MOHAP, SHA or in Dubai Healthcare City, including supervisors, medical directors and doctors whose conduct or privileges are under review.
Structured learning and a written reflection to show insight after a complaint, an investigation or a licensing authority inquiry.
Routine CPD
Focused learning on a core standard of practice, with a certificate and reflection for your portfolio.
About this course
For a UAE physician, professionalism is not only a matter of attitude. It is written into licence conditions, renewal rules, clinical privileges, advertising rules and penalty schedules, and it shows up on the good standing certificate you need each time you apply to another authority. This course takes you through that framework: Federal Law No. 5 of 2019 and its Executive Regulations, the medical liability law, Dubai's Executive Council Resolution No. 49 of 2024, Dubai's 2025 ethics and conduct standards, the conduct rules of MOHAP, the DOH and the SHA, and the national qualification requirements (PQR) shared by the authorities.
It suits GPs, specialists and consultants working in hospitals and clinics of every kind, doctors preparing for their first UAE licence, and those who supervise others or run a medical department. It is also built for doctors whose conduct is under review. After a patient complaint, a DHA, DOH or MOHAP inquiry, a Medical Liability Committee referral or an internal review of privileges, it helps you understand the standard you are being measured against and show, through a written reflection and a practical plan, how you have addressed it.
The nine sections follow the shape of a career: obtaining and keeping a licence honestly, meeting each authority's CPD rules, practising within your title and privileges, working in multinational teams, conduct online and outside work, integrity in records and money, and what happens when a concern is raised. Scenarios come from hospitals and clinics across the emirates, and the course closes with a 20-question scenario assessment and your reflective account.
How this course helps after a concern
Many concerns about physicians in the UAE are not about clinical skill at all. They start with an inaccurate renewal declaration, a procedure outside granted privileges, a promotional post published without a permit or a gap in CPD records. When your facility, the DHA, the DOH or MOHAP raises one of these, this course helps you identify the exact professional standard involved, explain how it applies to your licence and show a reviewer that you now have systems in place to keep within it.
The certificate gives the title, 3 hours (estimated) and the completion date, which you can attach to a response to a privileges review or a licensing inquiry. The reflective account lets you connect the standard to your own record: what you declared, what you did, what has changed and how you will keep it that way across moves between emirates. For physicians with no open concern, the course supports a renewal cycle, and your licensing authority decides how any learning counts towards your CPD or a requirement it has set.
What you will have at the end
A certificate of completion with the course title, 3 hours (estimated) and your completion date
A CPD plan built from your own learning needs, with a record you could show an auditor
A check of your licence title, specialty and granted privileges against what you actually do
A review of your posts and promotional material against Dubai, Abu Dhabi and federal rules
A reflective account setting out the standard, your shortfall and the changes you now sustain
A scenario from UAE practice
Promotional videos from a Dubai polyclinic
Consider a general practitioner in a busy Dubai polyclinic who starts posting short videos on a personal account to explain common conditions. Over time the videos begin to feature grateful patients, a discount code for the clinic and claims that a particular treatment works for everyone. No advertising permit has been sought, and two patients appear on camera without written consent for public use of their images.
A competitor clinic reports the account and the DHA asks the facility for an explanation. The doctor had assumed that a personal account sat outside the advertising rules and that verbal agreement from patients was enough. The facility's medical director now has to decide whether to restrict the doctor's activity while the matter is looked at, and the doctor's next good standing certificate may reflect the outcome.
Section 6 sets out how the social media and advertising rules apply to personal accounts, why permits come first and what content is never allowed. Section 8 explains how such a concern is handled and the grievance deadlines that follow a decision. A reflection could show the posts removed, consent processes rebuilt and a commitment to submit future material for a permit first.
Illustrative example, not a real case.
Is this course right for you?
Your facility is reviewing your clinical privileges or a procedure performed outside them
A renewal, transfer or good standing application has raised questions about a declaration
The DHA, DOH or MOHAP has asked about your social media posts or promotional material
You are moving between emirates and need to understand licensing, CPD and good standing rules
You supervise juniors or lead a department and want the professional duties set out clearly
You want physician-specific professionalism learning to plan alongside your renewal CPD
Course details
Learning time
3 hours (estimated study time, including section knowledge checks, reflection and the final assessment)
Standards covered
Federal Law No. 5 of 2019 and Cabinet Resolution No. 67 of 2020; Federal Decree-Law No. 4 of 2016 and Cabinet Resolution No. 40 of 2019; Dubai Executive Council Resolution No. 49 of 2024; DHA Standards for Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (2025); DHA Manual for Licensing Healthcare Professionals; DOH Licensing Procedural Manual and CPD Standard; MOHAP Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (2017); Unified Healthcare Professional Qualification Requirements (PQR), 3rd version
Format
Online and self-paced on any device, with UAE case studies, a knowledge check after each section and reflection prompts; 12 months' access
Assessment
20 scenario-based questions, 80% to pass (16 of 20)
Outcome
Fitness To Practice certificate of completion showing the course title, CPD hours and date, plus a structured reflective account for your portfolio
1Professional practice for physicians licensed in the UAE3 lessons
Defining professionalism for a physician holding a UAE licence
Federal, emirate and facility layers of regulation
Conduct codes and the legal obligations placed on physicians
2Your licence, standing and career history2 lessons
Honest declarations when applying for and renewing a licence
Certificates of good standing, career breaks and past findings
3Keeping up to date throughout your career2 lessons
Each regulator's continuing education rules for physicians
Designing development activity that improves your care
4Practising within your licence and supervising others2 lessons
How licence category, specialty and privileges set your limits
Overseeing juniors, delegating tasks and teaching learners
5Professional relationships across nationalities2 lessons
Courtesy and clear communication with colleagues from many countries
Raising the alarm about incidents, systems and unsafe colleagues
6Online presence, promotion and private life3 lessons
Using social platforms without breaching professional standards
Marketing your services within the legal limits
Behaviour away from work and looking after your health
7Day-to-day honesty and answerability3 lessons
Truthful notes, medical reports and certification
Insurance claims, kickbacks, gifts and competing interests
Being open after errors and keeping proper boundaries
8Complaints, investigations and possible sanctions3 lessons
Liability review and disciplinary action as separate routes
Sanctions from warnings to revocation and interim suspension
Conducting yourself well once a complaint is under way
9Learning from shortfalls and staying professional long term2 lessons
What insight and remediation look like to UAE regulators
Maintaining high standards through each stage of your career
10Summary of essential points1 lesson
Summary of essential points
11Source list and further reading1 lesson
Source list and further reading
12Reflecting on your practice1 lesson
Composing your written reflection
Section by section
Professional practice for physicians licensed in the UAETurns professionalism from an ideal into behaviour regulators can observe, maps the federal laws, emirate instruments and authority standards that apply to physicians, and sets out the statutory duties every doctor carries alongside the patient's own rights and responsibilities.
Your licence, standing and career historyCovers the PQR and primary source verification, honest renewal declarations, expiry and inactivity rules, and what good standing certificates reveal to other authorities. It also explains the return requirements that apply after a gap in clinical practice.
Keeping up to date throughout your careerCompares physician CPD rules across authorities, including cycle length, formal and specialty shares and online learning, then shows how to plan learning from real needs and build a portfolio that would stand up to an audit.
Practising within your licence and supervising othersExplains the three layers of scope, licence title, specialty and facility privileges, how the emergency exception really works and where scope problems arise. It then covers safe supervision, delegation and teaching, and supervision used as a remedial measure.
Professional relationships across nationalitiesApplies non-discrimination rules to colleagues as well as patients, treats handover and team communication as safety issues, and explains how to report incidents and raise concerns about a colleague through the right route, with protection for good-faith reporting.
Online presence, promotion and private lifeSets out the social media rules for personal and clinic accounts, the permit-first approach to advertising and its content limits, and how conduct outside work, outside activities and your own health remain part of being fit to practise.
Day-to-day honesty and answerabilityCovers what a record must show and why it must never be altered, honest sick leave and medical certificates, insurance claims, commissions, gifts and conflicts of interest, and the professional essentials of candour and boundaries with patients.
Complaints, investigations and possible sanctionsExplains the medical liability and disciplinary tracks, the penalty scales under federal law and Dubai's Resolution No. 49 of 2024, suspension during investigation and grievance deadlines, then sets out a professional response for the first 48 hours and beyond.
Learning from shortfalls and staying professional long termDescribes what insight looks like to a reviewer, the remedial tools UAE law provides and how to build a targeted plan, then looks at habits that sustain professionalism through changes of post, emirate, seniority and periods of pressure.
Summary of essential pointsSummarises the ten points to take away, from keeping your licence and learning in order and staying within scope to treating colleagues fairly and responding to concerns with honesty.
Source list and further readingLists the federal, MOHAP, DHA, Dubai, DOH, Sharjah and Dubai Healthcare City sources behind the course, with a reminder to check current versions and that the Arabic text prevails over translations.
Reflecting on your practiceTakes you through writing your reflective account: the details to note at the top, the marks of a useful reflection and a short checklist to run before you file it or share it with an adviser.
Assessment and certificate
Final assessment
20scenario-based questions
Pass mark 80%: 16 correct out of 20
Knowledge checks in each section as you go
Tests whether you can apply the standards, not recall a page
Not passed yet? Review the sections and retake it
Certificate of completion
A certificate of completion for your learning portfolio.
Your name, the course title and the estimated learning time (record the time you actually spend)
Completion date and a unique certificate ID that can be verified
Ready to download as a PDF as soon as you complete the course
Fitness To Practice
Certificate of Completion
This certifies that
Your Name
has successfully completed
Professional Standards for Physicians in the UAE
Fitness To PracticeCompleted12 Oct 2026
3hours (estimated)
Certificate IDFTS-7Q4K-2M9X
Digitally signed & stamped on issue
Continuing professional development record — United Arab Emirates
Your reflective account
The course includes a structured reflective account template: guided prompts to record what you learned, how you will apply it and how the change will show in your practice. It gives you written evidence of insight after a concern, and a ready record for your CPD portfolio.
Write it in your own words and leave out anything that could identify a patient, a colleague or a case. If you have an open complaint or case, talk to your adviser before reflecting on it in writing.
Questions about this course
Does the course explain good standing certificates?
Yes. Section 2 explains what a good standing certificate is, why it must be recent when you apply to another authority, and how disciplinary history and open cases can appear on it. In Dubai, for example, a doctor with a case still open receives a Current Status Certificate rather than a standard certificate. The section also covers honest declarations in licensing and renewal applications.
Does it compare physician CPD requirements across authorities?
Yes. It sets out how the DHA counts points per year, how the DOH counts credits over a two-year licence and what MOHAP asks for at renewal, and shows how to plan learning around your own needs. Your licensing authority decides how any learning counts towards your CPD or a requirement it has set. That applies to this course too.
My facility is reviewing my clinical privileges. Is this relevant?
Yes. Section 4 covers licence title, specialty and clinical privileges and the limits on working outside them, and Section 8 explains how a concern can move from a facility to a licensing authority. The course can help you show that you understand the standard and have taken steps to stay within it. It does not replace advice from your employer, insurer or lawyer.
What penalties can be imposed on a physician?
Under Federal Law No. 5 of 2019 they range from a written notice or warning to a fine, temporary suspension and revocation of the licence. Dubai applies its own scale under Executive Council Resolution No. 49 of 2024, which can also require training, supervised practice or reassessment. The course explains these, your right to be heard and the short grievance deadlines.
Does it cover social media and advertising?
Yes. Section 6 applies DHA, DOH and federal rules to posts, patient images, testimonials and self-promotion, and looks at conduct outside work and your own health as part of being fit to practise.
Can I take it before I start work in the UAE?
Yes. It works as a practical orientation to how UAE licensing authorities define professional conduct, how licences, privileges and CPD operate, and where the rules differ from one emirate to another.
How long does it take and how is it assessed?
Plan on around three hours, at your own pace, with 12 months' access on any device. Each section closes with a quick check of understanding, and the course ends with 20 scenario questions; a score of 16 or more (80%) is a pass. You then download your certificate and complete a structured reflective account.
How this course was built
Official sources only
Every legal and regulatory point comes from primary sources: UAE federal health laws, the licensing authorities' codes, standards and policies, and official government guidance. Anything we cannot confirm is left out.
Original, edition by edition
Lessons, scenarios and assessment questions are written by us for each edition separately, then checked for accuracy, teaching quality and fair assessment before publication.
Reviewed when rules change
When a code, standard or law changes, the affected courses are reviewed and updated. Reported errors in legal or regulatory facts are corrected first.
Consent and substitute consent, confidentiality, honest certificates, end-of-life limits and complaints, for physicians licensed by the DHA, DOH, MOHAP, SHA or DHCR.
Records that hold up when someone else reads them: what to write, consent and refusal, labelled late entries, template pitfalls, reports, sick notes, retention and keeping the file intact.
Complaint routes in each emirate, the committee process, deadlines, the first 72 hours, building a chronology and writing an honest, structured response.
Completed12 Oct 2026