Ethical Practice CPD: Simple Ways to Meet the Requirement Using Work You're Already Doing
For many doctors, the Ethical Practice Program Level Requirement feels like something extra. Another box to tick. Another module to complete. Another requirement to leave until late in the year.
It is also one of the most misunderstood components of CPD.
Many clinicians assume they need to undertake formal study in medical ethics or complete dedicated ethics courses to meet the requirement. Others struggle to think of examples from their own practice and conclude that ethical issues simply do not arise often enough in their work.
The reality is quite different.
Ethical practice is woven through almost every aspect of medicine. The Medical Board of Australia's Code of Conduct makes clear that professional behaviour encompasses far more than major ethical dilemmas.[1] Respectful communication, informed consent, confidentiality, professional boundaries, cultural safety, managing conflicts of interest, responding to adverse events, and making decisions in partnership with patients are all examples of ethical practice.[1]
Most doctors encounter ethical issues every day. The challenge is usually not finding suitable activities. It is recognising them, learning from them, trying to improve and recording them appropriately.
Ethics is part of everyday practice
When people hear the phrase "medical ethics", they often think of complex end-of-life decisions or debates about resource allocation. While these situations are certainly important, they represent only a small part of ethical practice.
The Code of Conduct recognises that being a good doctor is not simply about clinical knowledge and technical skill. It is also about how you communicate, behave, make decisions, and exercise professional judgement.[1]
This means that opportunities for Ethical Practice CPD are often hiding in plain sight.
Every time you explain risks and benefits to a patient, you are engaging with autonomy and informed consent.
Every time you protect confidential information, you are exercising ethical responsibilities.
Every time you navigate differing opinions between family members and healthcare teams, consider cultural perspectives, manage professional boundaries, disclose an adverse event, or provide respectful care to a vulnerable patient, there is an ethical dimension to your work.
While these are not CPD activities in their own right, they can be used as a substrate for your learning - for example, by reflecting on the event and finding ways to learn and improve.
Educational Activities are the obvious option
Educational activities are probably the easiest way to meet the requirement.
You may choose to complete one of Osler's pre-approved Ethical Practice resources(opens in a new tab) or undertake learning on topics such as informed consent, confidentiality, professional boundaries, mandatory reporting, cultural safety, end-of-life care, conflicts of interest, or responding to complaints.
Podcasts, journal articles, webinars, conference sessions, and online learning modules can all contribute. Importantly, external activities can only be counted if they are solely or substantially related to Ethical Practice. This is critical, especially if you are audited.
However, educational activities are only one option.
Some of the richest opportunities for Ethical Practice CPD come from Reviewing Performance and Measuring Outcomes activities.
Reflecting on difficult situations can be powerful Ethical Practice CPD
Ethical practice often becomes most visible when situations feel uncomfortable or uncertain.
Perhaps you conducted a family meeting where there was disagreement about treatment goals. Maybe you realised after a consent discussion that the patient had not fully understood the information provided. Perhaps a colleague gave you feedback about your communication style, or a complaint highlighted issues that had not previously occurred to you.
These experiences provide excellent opportunities for Reviewing Performance activities.
The educational value lies not simply in describing what happened, but in asking deeper questions.
Did I truly understand the patient's perspective?
Did I communicate clearly and respectfully?
Did my own assumptions influence the discussion?
What could I have done differently?
What have I learned that will change my future practice?
A self reflection on a difficult family meeting, an adverse event, or a challenging interaction can be highly meaningful Ethical Practice CPD because it examines the professional behaviours that sit at the heart of good medical practice.
Measuring outcomes can also satisfy the requirement
Many doctors assume that Measuring Outcomes activities require audits or research projects.
Again, the reality is often simpler.
Perhaps you introduced a teach-back approach during consent discussions and wanted to see whether patient understanding improved.
Maybe you reviewed how often interpreters were being documented when caring for patients with limited English proficiency.
You might examine whether documentation of advance care planning has improved or follow up the outcome of an open disclosure process.
These activities involve evaluating the outcomes of behaviours and systems that have a clear ethical dimension.
They are practical, meaningful, and often directly relevant to improving patient care.
Examples that many doctors are already doing
A general practitioner discussing with a colleague the confidentiality of adolescent patients may be considered Ethical Practice CPD.
An emergency physician reflecting on assessing capacity in an intoxicated patient.
An intensivist receiving feedback on a difficult end-of-life discussion.
A surgeon performing their role in the open disclosure process following a complication.
A radiologist developing a practice guidelines on how to communicate significant incidental findings.
The opportunities extend well beyond clinical medicine.
Researchers may reflect on consent processes, conflicts of interest, authorship decisions, or data integrity.
Medical educators may reflect on providing feedback, supporting struggling learners, or ensuring fairness in assessment.
Medical administrators may reflect on complaint management, staff wellbeing, transparency of decision-making, or creating psychologically safe workplaces.
Ethical practice is not confined to one specialty or role. It is part of professional life in healthcare.
How should these activities be recorded in Osler?
This is an area that often causes confusion.
Although an Ethical Practice activity may involve reflection, feedback, a patient case review, an audit, or an educational activity, it currently needs to be recorded as a CPD Activity in Osler in order to be counted towards the Program Level Requirement for Ethical Practice.
For example, you might:
Reflect on a difficult end-of-life discussion
Receive feedback on your communication during a family meeting
Review a complaint relating to informed consent
Analyse an interesting case involving capacity or substitute decision-making
Follow up the outcome of an open disclosure process
Complete learning on confidentiality, professional boundaries, or cultural safety
All of these activities may contribute towards the Ethical Practice requirement, provided they are solely or substantially related to ethical practice and are recorded as CPD Activities.
The process is straightforward.
Create a new CPD Activity, record the title and description, enter the time spent, select the appropriate CPD category—Educational Activities, Reviewing Performance, or Measuring Outcomes—and indicate that the activity satisfies the Ethical Practice Program Level Requirement.
The description does not need to be lengthy.
For example:
"Reflected on a family meeting regarding withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment. Considered how differing family values influenced decision-making and identified opportunities to improve communication and exploration of patient wishes."
Or:
"Received feedback following a consent discussion for a high-risk procedure. Reflected on techniques to assess patient understanding and planned to incorporate teach-back into future consultations."
Or:
"Reviewed documentation of interpreter use in patients with limited English proficiency and identified opportunities to improve cultural safety and informed consent processes."
The important thing is not producing a long narrative. It is demonstrating that the activity focused primarily on ethical practice and resulted in learning or improvement, and documenting what has changed.
Summary
Perhaps the biggest misconception about the Ethical Practice requirement is that it represents something separate from everyday medicine.
It does not.
Ethical practice is embedded in how doctors communicate, make decisions, respond to uncertainty, manage professional responsibilities, and interact with patients and colleagues.
Most doctors are already undertaking suitable activities throughout the year.
The challenge is recognising these moments, learning from them, and recording them appropriately.