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Ethics & Professionalism CPD Courses for Optometrists in Australia

Online ethics and professionalism education for optometrists, written with reference to Optometry Board of Australia standards and the Optometry Board code of conduct. Self-paced, scenario-based, with a dated certificate you record against your own CPD requirement.

OnlineSelf-paced~2 hours per courseScenario assessmentCertificate on completionA$99 per course
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Version 2.0  ·  Last reviewed 9 September 2026  ·  OptomB: 20 hrs/yr (30 if therapeutic-endorsed)

Programs

Programs built around a specific concern — or routine CPD

Each program is a set of courses in a deliberate order, enrolled in once. Prefer to pick your own? Browse all courses individually.

If a notification has been made about you, contact your professional indemnity insurer first. These programs are education. They support your own reflection and give you a dated record of learning completed. They do not satisfy, discharge or resolve any regulatory requirement, condition or undertaking.
Most enrolled after a notification

Notification & Investigation Response

6 courses12 hours1 enrolment

Choose this if: You have received a notification or investigation letter.

Program outline

  1. 01Fitness to Practise for Healthcare Professionals2 hrs
  2. 02How to Deal with a Notification or Investigation2 hrs
  3. 03Module on Insight2 hrs
  4. 04Module on Reflection2 hrs
  5. 05Module on Remediation2 hrs
  6. 06Rebuilding Trust of Patients, Public, and the National Boards2 hrs

Why this program

  • Covers the process end to end, from first letter to outcome
  • Builds insight, reflection and remediation in the order a Board weighs them
  • Produces a dated written record of the learning you completed

A dated certificate and reflection document for every course, the moment you pass. You record the hours against your own OptomB requirement.

A$594One payment. All 6 courses unlocked.
Enrol in this program
The three a Board weighs most

Insight, Reflection & Remediation

4 courses8 hours1 enrolment

Choose this if: You need to evidence insight, reflection and remediation.

Program outline

  1. 01Fitness to Practise for Healthcare Professionals2 hrs
  2. 02Module on Insight2 hrs
  3. 03Module on Reflection2 hrs
  4. 04Module on Remediation2 hrs

Why this program

  • The three elements assessed in almost every matter, on their own
  • Explains why description is not reflection
  • A structured written reflection you keep

A dated certificate and reflection document for every course, the moment you pass. You record the hours against your own OptomB requirement.

A$396One payment. All 4 courses unlocked.
Enrol in this program
Competence concerns

Clinical Competence & Patient Safety

6 courses12 hours1 enrolment

Choose this if: The concern relates to the standard of clinical care.

Program outline

  1. 01Ensuring Clinical Competence and Patient Safety2 hrs
  2. 02Clinical Competence & Patient Safety (AU)2 hrs
  3. 03How to Ensure a Mistake or Misconduct is Not Repeated2 hrs
  4. 04Professionalism in Documentation for Healthcare Professionals2 hrs
  5. 05Module on Insight2 hrs
  6. 06Module on Remediation2 hrs

Why this program

  • Addresses the most common notification concern in Australia
  • Covers escalation, the step that usually failed
  • Ends with the safeguards a Board looks for

A dated certificate and reflection document for every course, the moment you pass. You record the hours against your own OptomB requirement.

A$594One payment. All 6 courses unlocked.
Enrol in this program
Boundary concerns

Professional Boundaries & Conduct

5 courses10 hours1 enrolment

Choose this if: The concern relates to professional boundaries or conduct.

Program outline

  1. 01Ethical Boundaries with Patients and Colleagues2 hrs
  2. 02Professional Boundaries for Clinicians2 hrs
  3. 03Professionalism and Boundaries in the Use of Social Media2 hrs
  4. 04Module on Insight2 hrs
  5. 05Module on Remediation2 hrs

Why this program

  • Covers boundary drift, not just the rules
  • Includes digital contact, messaging and social media
  • Pairs the topic with documented insight and remediation

A dated certificate and reflection document for every course, the moment you pass. You record the hours against your own OptomB requirement.

A$495One payment. All 5 courses unlocked.
Enrol in this program
Communication & consent

Communication, Consent & Open Disclosure

6 courses12 hours1 enrolment

Choose this if: The concern relates to communication, consent or an adverse event.

Program outline

  1. 01Ensuring Effective Communication as Healthcare Professionals2 hrs
  2. 02Open Disclosure in Healthcare Practice2 hrs
  3. 03Ensuring Dignity and Non-Discrimination as Healthcare Professionals2 hrs
  4. 04Ensuring Teamwork and Collaboration for Healthcare Professionals2 hrs
  5. 05Module on Insight2 hrs
  6. 06Module on Remediation2 hrs

Why this program

  • Addresses the second most common notification concern
  • Covers open disclosure and consent as a process
  • Practical techniques, not communication theory

A dated certificate and reflection document for every course, the moment you pass. You record the hours against your own OptomB requirement.

A$594One payment. All 6 courses unlocked.
Enrol in this program
Honesty & records

Probity & Professional Integrity

6 courses12 hours1 enrolment

Choose this if: The concern relates to records, billing or honesty.

Program outline

  1. 01Financial Integrity for Healthcare Professionals2 hrs
  2. 02Professionalism in Documentation for Healthcare Professionals2 hrs
  3. 03Professional Ethics2 hrs
  4. 04Ensuring Confidentiality in Healthcare Practice2 hrs
  5. 05Module on Insight2 hrs
  6. 06Module on Remediation2 hrs

Why this program

  • Covers the area where matters escalate fastest
  • Records, billing, declarations and conflicts in one program
  • Explains what a reviewer looks for in a file

A dated certificate and reflection document for every course, the moment you pass. You record the hours against your own OptomB requirement.

A$594One payment. All 6 courses unlocked.
Enrol in this program
Routine CPD

Ethics & Professionalism Complete Program

10 courses20 hours1 enrolment

Choose this if: No concern has been raised and you are logging routine CPD.

Program outline

  1. 01Ethics for Healthcare Professionals2 hrs
  2. 02Professionalism for Healthcare Professionals2 hrs
  3. 03Ensuring Confidentiality in Healthcare Practice2 hrs
  4. 04Ensuring Effective Communication as Healthcare Professionals2 hrs
  5. 05Professional Boundaries for Clinicians2 hrs
  6. 06Professionalism in Documentation for Healthcare Professionals2 hrs
  7. 07Financial Integrity for Healthcare Professionals2 hrs
  8. 08Ethical Boundaries with Patients and Colleagues2 hrs
  9. 09Fitness to Practise for Healthcare Professionals2 hrs
  10. 10Module on Reflection2 hrs

Why this program

  • Ten courses covering every major notification theme
  • The cheapest point to address any of this: before a concern
  • A certificate and reflection for every course

A dated certificate and reflection document for every course, the moment you pass. You record the hours against your own OptomB requirement.

A$990One payment. All 10 courses unlocked.
Enrol in this program
Full catalogue

All 25 courses available to optometrists

Every course is A$99, approximately two hours, self-paced, with a scenario-based assessment and a dated certificate.

25 courses
No courses match that search.

Ethical reasoning and decision-making

The reasoning every code of conduct assumes you can apply, including consent, capacity and difficult decisions.

Ethics for Healthcare Professionals

A practical grounding in the ethical standards expected of every registered health practitioner, built around the situations you actually meet in day-to-day practice rather than abstract theory. You'll work through common dilemmas step by step, learning a method you can apply under real pressure. By the end you'll be able to reason through a difficult call and show your thinking clearly to a patient, a colleague or a reviewer.

2 CPD hoursSelf-pacedCertificateAssessment
What you'll cover

By the end you'll be able to:

  • Apply the core principles of autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice
  • Work through a structured method for resolving ethical dilemmas
  • Recognise when ethical principles conflict, and reason transparently
  • Understand how ethics, law and professional standards relate
  • Document an ethical decision so it stands up to later review

You keep: certificate, assessment result, a guided reflection and an action-plan template.

Evidence of learning. Whether it is accepted for a specific regulatory purpose is decided by your Board. You record the hours against your own requirement.
A$99 · approx. 2 hours
Add to cartCourse outline

Medical Ethics for Healthcare Professionals

The harder end of clinical ethics — consent, capacity, end-of-life and substitute decision-making — worked through realistic Australian scenarios rather than theory. You'll learn how to approach a decision when the answer is not obvious and the stakes are high. By the end you'll be able to make a difficult call, explain it, and record it in a way that withstands scrutiny.

2 CPD hoursSelf-pacedCertificateAssessment
What you'll cover

By the end you'll be able to:

  • Treat consent as a process rather than a signature
  • Assess capacity and work with substitute decision-makers
  • Navigate end-of-life and other high-stakes decisions
  • Balance competing duties when principles conflict
  • Document a complex ethical decision defensibly

You keep: certificate, assessment result, a guided reflection and an action-plan template.

Evidence of learning. Whether it is accepted for a specific regulatory purpose is decided by your Board. You record the hours against your own requirement.
A$99 · approx. 2 hours
Add to cartCourse outline

Professional Ethics

Understand the ethical principles that sit underneath every regulatory decision, explained in plain terms without the jargon. You'll see how professional ethics differs from personal ethics, and why that distinction matters in practice. By the end you'll be able to recognise an ethical issue early and reason through it before it becomes a problem.

2 CPD hoursSelf-pacedCertificateAssessment
What you'll cover

By the end you'll be able to:

  • Distinguish professional ethics from personal ethics
  • Identify the principles behind regulatory decisions
  • Recognise an ethical issue before it escalates
  • Apply ethical reasoning to everyday practice
  • Explain your reasoning in professional terms

You keep: certificate, assessment result, a guided reflection and an action-plan template.

Evidence of learning. Whether it is accepted for a specific regulatory purpose is decided by your Board. You record the hours against your own requirement.
A$99 · approx. 2 hours
Add to cartCourse outline

Confidentiality, communication and respect

Communication was the second most common concern raised in notifications nationally in 2024/25. This group addresses it directly.

Ensuring Confidentiality in Healthcare Practice

Handle patient and client information exactly as the National Law and your code of conduct require, including the practical failure points that cause most real breaches. You'll learn where confidentiality ends, when disclosure is permitted, and how to manage third-party requests. By the end you'll be clear on your obligations and confident handling sensitive information.

2 CPD hoursSelf-pacedCertificateAssessment
What you'll cover

By the end you'll be able to:

  • Apply confidentiality obligations under the National Law
  • Manage consent to disclose and third-party requests
  • Handle records and messaging securely
  • Recognise the everyday situations that cause breaches
  • Respond correctly to a request for information

You keep: certificate, assessment result, a guided reflection and an action-plan template.

Evidence of learning. Whether it is accepted for a specific regulatory purpose is decided by your Board. You record the hours against your own requirement.
A$99 · approx. 2 hours
Add to cartCourse outline

Ensuring Effective Communication as Healthcare Professionals

Prevent the miscommunication that sits behind a large share of complaints and notifications. You'll learn concrete techniques for difficult conversations, delivering unwelcome news, checking understanding and safety-netting. By the end you'll be able to run a hard conversation without escalating it and reduce your complaint risk day to day.

2 CPD hoursSelf-pacedCertificateAssessment
What you'll cover

By the end you'll be able to:

  • Structure and run a difficult conversation
  • Deliver unwelcome news clearly and compassionately
  • Check understanding rather than assuming it
  • Use safety-netting to prevent a concern escalating
  • Respond to a complaint without making it worse

You keep: certificate, assessment result, a guided reflection and an action-plan template.

Evidence of learning. Whether it is accepted for a specific regulatory purpose is decided by your Board. You record the hours against your own requirement.
A$99 · approx. 2 hours
Add to cartCourse outline

Ensuring Dignity and Non-Discrimination as Healthcare Professionals

Meet the expectations on respect, cultural safety and equitable care that apply to every patient you see. You'll learn to recognise unconscious bias, make reasonable adjustments, and deliver care that is fair and inclusive. By the end you'll be able to identify and correct the everyday situations where dignity or equity slips.

2 CPD hoursSelf-pacedCertificateAssessment
What you'll cover

By the end you'll be able to:

  • Apply cultural safety in everyday practice
  • Recognise and address unconscious bias
  • Make reasonable adjustments for equitable access
  • Respect dignity across every interaction
  • Deliver fair, inclusive care to every patient

You keep: certificate, assessment result, a guided reflection and an action-plan template.

Evidence of learning. Whether it is accepted for a specific regulatory purpose is decided by your Board. You record the hours against your own requirement.
A$99 · approx. 2 hours
Add to cartCourse outline

Ensuring Teamwork and Collaboration for Healthcare Professionals

Share care safely across a team — handover, delegation, supervision and speaking up when something is wrong. You'll learn what can be delegated and to whom, how to hand over cleanly, and how to escalate a concern. By the end you'll be able to work safely in shared-care and multidisciplinary settings.

2 CPD hoursSelf-pacedCertificateAssessment
What you'll cover

By the end you'll be able to:

  • Delegate appropriately and understand who stays accountable
  • Hand over care cleanly and completely
  • Supervise and support less experienced colleagues
  • Escalate a concern through the right pathway
  • Speak up effectively when something is wrong

You keep: certificate, assessment result, a guided reflection and an action-plan template.

Evidence of learning. Whether it is accepted for a specific regulatory purpose is decided by your Board. You record the hours against your own requirement.
A$99 · approx. 2 hours
Add to cartCourse outline

Professional boundaries

Boundary concerns rarely begin as violations. They begin as small departures from the professional frame that were not named early enough.

Ethical Boundaries with Patients and Colleagues

Read the warning signs of a boundary problem before it ever becomes a notification. You'll learn to recognise the drift pattern that precedes most boundary concerns, in yourself and in colleagues, and how to re-establish the professional frame. By the end you'll be able to spot and correct a boundary risk early.

2 CPD hoursSelf-pacedCertificateAssessment
What you'll cover

By the end you'll be able to:

  • Distinguish a boundary crossing from a violation
  • Recognise the drift pattern that precedes concerns
  • Spot warning signs in yourself and colleagues
  • Re-establish the professional frame when it slips
  • Manage boundaries in high-risk situations

You keep: certificate, assessment result, a guided reflection and an action-plan template.

Evidence of learning. Whether it is accepted for a specific regulatory purpose is decided by your Board. You record the hours against your own requirement.
A$99 · approx. 2 hours
Add to cartCourse outline

Professional Boundaries for Clinicians

Hold the therapeutic boundary under real pressure, both in person and online. You'll work through dual relationships, small-community practice, digital contact and the situations where boundaries quietly erode. By the end you'll be able to manage the relationships and channels where boundary problems most often begin.

2 CPD hoursSelf-pacedCertificateAssessment
What you'll cover

By the end you'll be able to:

  • Hold the therapeutic boundary under pressure
  • Manage dual relationships in small communities
  • Handle digital contact and after-hours messaging
  • Recognise where boundaries quietly erode
  • Re-establish a professional frame when needed

You keep: certificate, assessment result, a guided reflection and an action-plan template.

Evidence of learning. Whether it is accepted for a specific regulatory purpose is decided by your Board. You record the hours against your own requirement.
A$99 · approx. 2 hours
Add to cartCourse outline

Professionalism and Boundaries in the Use of Social Media

Use social media and advertising without putting your registration at risk. You'll learn the testimonial restrictions, patient-privacy rules and advertising obligations under the National Law that catch practitioners out. By the end you'll be able to post and advertise safely across every channel you control.

2 CPD hoursSelf-pacedCertificateAssessment
What you'll cover

By the end you'll be able to:

  • Meet advertising obligations under the National Law
  • Apply testimonial restrictions correctly
  • Protect patient privacy in online content
  • Post without identifying patients or breaching privacy
  • Review third-party and clinic channels for compliance

You keep: certificate, assessment result, a guided reflection and an action-plan template.

Evidence of learning. Whether it is accepted for a specific regulatory purpose is decided by your Board. You record the hours against your own requirement.
A$99 · approx. 2 hours
Add to cartCourse outline

Professionalism for Healthcare Professionals

Understand what professionalism actually looks like day to day, beyond the clinical task itself. You'll cover reliability, respect, scope of practice and professional behaviour toward colleagues. By the end you'll be able to demonstrate the consistent conduct your Board expects.

2 CPD hoursSelf-pacedCertificateAssessment
What you'll cover

By the end you'll be able to:

  • Demonstrate reliability and professional behaviour
  • Work within your scope of practice
  • Behave professionally toward colleagues and students
  • Understand what your code expects day to day
  • Reinforce consistent professional conduct

You keep: certificate, assessment result, a guided reflection and an action-plan template.

Evidence of learning. Whether it is accepted for a specific regulatory purpose is decided by your Board. You record the hours against your own requirement.
A$99 · approx. 2 hours
Add to cartCourse outline

Probity, honesty and records

Boards treat honesty as non-negotiable. Billing, disclosure and record-keeping sit here, and a dishonest response escalates a matter faster than the original conduct.

Financial Integrity for Healthcare Professionals

Handle billing, gifts and conflicts of interest transparently and defensibly. You'll learn how to disclose and manage a conflict, keep declarations current, and ensure your financial conduct stays above question. By the end you'll be able to structure your commercial relationships so they withstand scrutiny.

2 CPD hoursSelf-pacedCertificateAssessment
What you'll cover

By the end you'll be able to:

  • Manage billing and claiming transparently
  • Disclose and manage conflicts of interest
  • Handle gifts and commercial relationships correctly
  • Keep declarations current and complete
  • Keep financial conduct defensible under review

You keep: certificate, assessment result, a guided reflection and an action-plan template.

Evidence of learning. Whether it is accepted for a specific regulatory purpose is decided by your Board. You record the hours against your own requirement.
A$99 · approx. 2 hours
Add to cartCourse outline

Professionalism in Documentation for Healthcare Professionals

Keep clinical records that stand up to scrutiny — contemporaneous, accurate and complete. You'll learn what a reviewer actually looks for in a file, and how to amend a record correctly rather than in a way that looks like concealment. By the end you'll be able to produce documentation that protects both your patient and you.

2 CPD hoursSelf-pacedCertificateAssessment
What you'll cover

By the end you'll be able to:

  • Keep contemporaneous, accurate and complete records
  • Record clinical reasoning, not just findings
  • Amend a record correctly and transparently
  • Understand what a reviewer looks for in a file
  • Produce documentation that withstands audit

You keep: certificate, assessment result, a guided reflection and an action-plan template.

Evidence of learning. Whether it is accepted for a specific regulatory purpose is decided by your Board. You record the hours against your own requirement.
A$99 · approx. 2 hours
Add to cartCourse outline

Open Disclosure in Healthcare Practice

Run an open disclosure conversation properly after something goes wrong. You'll learn how to say sorry safely, give a factual account, and document the follow-up in line with what patients and boards expect. By the end you'll be able to handle the conversation after an adverse event without escalating it.

2 CPD hoursSelf-pacedCertificateAssessment
What you'll cover

By the end you'll be able to:

  • Follow the open disclosure process step by step
  • Apologise safely after an adverse event
  • Give a prompt, factual account of what happened
  • Explain what happens next to the patient
  • Document the disclosure and follow-up correctly

You keep: certificate, assessment result, a guided reflection and an action-plan template.

Evidence of learning. Whether it is accepted for a specific regulatory purpose is decided by your Board. You record the hours against your own requirement.
A$99 · approx. 2 hours
Add to cartCourse outline

Rebuilding Trust of Patients, Public, and the National Boards

Rebuild professional standing after a concern has been raised. You'll work through a clear approach to repairing trust with patients, colleagues and your Board, and demonstrating genuine change. By the end you'll be able to show the steps that rebuild confidence in your practice.

2 CPD hoursSelf-pacedCertificateAssessment
What you'll cover

By the end you'll be able to:

  • Rebuild trust with patients and the public
  • Repair standing with colleagues and your Board
  • Demonstrate genuine, documented change
  • Communicate your remediation credibly
  • Sustain the changes you have made

You keep: certificate, assessment result, a guided reflection and an action-plan template.

Evidence of learning. Whether it is accepted for a specific regulatory purpose is decided by your Board. You record the hours against your own requirement.
A$99 · approx. 2 hours
Add to cartCourse outline

Competence, patient safety and medicines

Clinical care was the single most common concern in notifications nationally in 2024/25. These courses address the professional dimensions of safe practice.

Clinical Competence & Patient Safety (AU)

Keep clinical care to the standard boards assess most often, in a specifically Australian context. You'll learn to recognise, escalate and document clinical risk before it becomes a patient-safety event. By the end you'll be able to maintain safe practice to the standard most commonly examined.

2 CPD hoursSelf-pacedCertificateAssessment
What you'll cover

By the end you'll be able to:

  • Recognise clinical risk early
  • Escalate risk through the right pathway
  • Document risk and your response
  • Meet Australian patient-safety expectations
  • Keep care to the standard boards assess most

You keep: certificate, assessment result, a guided reflection and an action-plan template.

Evidence of learning. Whether it is accepted for a specific regulatory purpose is decided by your Board. You record the hours against your own requirement.
A$99 · approx. 2 hours
Add to cartCourse outline

Ensuring Clinical Competence and Patient Safety

Recognise, escalate and document clinical risk before it ever reaches a patient. You'll learn to build the safe systems and safeguards that reduce avoidable harm, individually and as a team. By the end you'll be able to identify and act on risk before it becomes an incident.

2 CPD hoursSelf-pacedCertificateAssessment
What you'll cover

By the end you'll be able to:

  • Recognise risk before it reaches a patient
  • Escalate and communicate a concern effectively
  • Build safe systems of work
  • Document risk and the action taken
  • Reduce avoidable harm across a team

You keep: certificate, assessment result, a guided reflection and an action-plan template.

Evidence of learning. Whether it is accepted for a specific regulatory purpose is decided by your Board. You record the hours against your own requirement.
A$99 · approx. 2 hours
Add to cartCourse outline

Prescribing Guidance and Standards for Healthcare Professionals

Prescribe and handle medicines within your scope, and record the reasoning behind every decision. You'll cover documentation, review, monitoring and safe supply, including where scrutiny is rising. By the end you'll be able to make and defend a prescribing decision and record it properly.

2 CPD hoursSelf-pacedCertificateAssessment
What you'll cover

By the end you'll be able to:

  • Prescribe and supply within your scope
  • Document the reasoning behind a decision
  • Review and monitor ongoing medicines
  • Handle controlled drugs safely
  • Defend a prescribing decision on the record

You keep: certificate, assessment result, a guided reflection and an action-plan template.

Evidence of learning. Whether it is accepted for a specific regulatory purpose is decided by your Board. You record the hours against your own requirement.
A$99 · approx. 2 hours
Add to cartCourse outline

How to Ensure a Mistake or Misconduct is Not Repeated

Build the systems and safeguards that stop a mistake or misconduct from recurring. You'll learn to think through root causes and close the loop properly after an incident, in the way a board wants to see. By the end you'll be able to put concrete safeguards in place that prevent recurrence.

2 CPD hoursSelf-pacedCertificateAssessment
What you'll cover

By the end you'll be able to:

  • Analyse the root cause of an incident
  • Design safeguards that prevent recurrence
  • Close the loop after an adverse event
  • Evidence the changes you have made
  • Show a board the systems now in place

You keep: certificate, assessment result, a guided reflection and an action-plan template.

Evidence of learning. Whether it is accepted for a specific regulatory purpose is decided by your Board. You record the hours against your own requirement.
A$99 · approx. 2 hours
Add to cartCourse outline

Fitness to practise, notifications and reflective practice

These courses explain the process and support your own reflection. They do not satisfy any regulatory requirement. If a notification has been made about you, contact your indemnity insurer first.

Fitness to Practise for Healthcare Professionals

Understand exactly what a National Board means by fitness to practise — across health, conduct and performance. You'll learn how each limb is assessed and what your obligations are through the process. By the end you'll be clear on the framework and how it applies to you.

2 CPD hoursSelf-pacedCertificateAssessment
What you'll cover

By the end you'll be able to:

  • Understand the three limbs: health, conduct, performance
  • Know how each limb is assessed
  • Understand your obligations in the process
  • Recognise what triggers a fitness-to-practise concern
  • Prepare for or respond to a notification

You keep: certificate, assessment result, a guided reflection and an action-plan template.

Evidence of learning. Whether it is accepted for a specific regulatory purpose is decided by your Board. You record the hours against your own requirement.
A$99 · approx. 2 hours
Add to cartCourse outline

Module on Insight

Develop and articulate genuine insight into what happened and why it mattered — the single factor a board weighs most. You'll learn how insight differs from an apology, and how to demonstrate real understanding. By the end you'll be able to show a regulator understanding rather than just regret.

2 CPD hoursSelf-pacedCertificateAssessment
What you'll cover

By the end you'll be able to:

  • Understand what insight means to a board
  • Distinguish insight from apology
  • Demonstrate genuine understanding of what happened
  • Articulate why a concern mattered
  • Show the understanding a board looks for

You keep: certificate, assessment result, a guided reflection and an action-plan template.

Evidence of learning. Whether it is accepted for a specific regulatory purpose is decided by your Board. You record the hours against your own requirement.
A$99 · approx. 2 hours
Add to cartCourse outline

Module on Reflection

Turn an incident into documented, credible reflective practice that carries weight. You'll learn reflective models that work, how to be specific, and how to avoid the generic statements that fall flat. By the end you'll be able to write a reflective account a board will accept.

2 CPD hoursSelf-pacedCertificateAssessment
What you'll cover

By the end you'll be able to:

  • Use reflective models that actually work
  • Write with the specificity a board expects
  • Avoid generic, low-value reflective statements
  • Turn an incident into a credible record
  • Build a reflective record for your portfolio

You keep: certificate, assessment result, a guided reflection and an action-plan template.

Evidence of learning. Whether it is accepted for a specific regulatory purpose is decided by your Board. You record the hours against your own requirement.
A$99 · approx. 2 hours
Add to cartCourse outline

Module on Remediation

Evidence the concrete steps you've taken so that a concern will not recur. You'll learn to turn insight into a verifiable change in your practice, documented in a way a board can accept. By the end you'll be able to show real, specific remediation rather than an intention.

2 CPD hoursSelf-pacedCertificateAssessment
What you'll cover

By the end you'll be able to:

  • Turn insight into a verifiable practice change
  • Evidence the concrete steps you have taken
  • Make a change specific rather than aspirational
  • Document remediation a board can accept
  • Demonstrate the concern will not recur

You keep: certificate, assessment result, a guided reflection and an action-plan template.

Evidence of learning. Whether it is accepted for a specific regulatory purpose is decided by your Board. You record the hours against your own requirement.
A$99 · approx. 2 hours
Add to cartCourse outline

How to Deal with a Notification or Investigation

A calm, staged walkthrough of the notification process, from the first letter through to outcome. You'll learn what is expected of you at each stage and how to respond in a considered way. By the end you'll understand the process and be able to approach it methodically.

2 CPD hoursSelf-pacedCertificateAssessment
What you'll cover

By the end you'll be able to:

  • Understand the stages from first letter to outcome
  • Know what is expected at each stage
  • Respond in a considered, structured way
  • Avoid the common early mistakes
  • Approach the process calmly and methodically

You keep: certificate, assessment result, a guided reflection and an action-plan template.

Evidence of learning. Whether it is accepted for a specific regulatory purpose is decided by your Board. You record the hours against your own requirement.
A$99 · approx. 2 hours
Add to cartCourse outline

How to Avoid a Complaint or Notification

Learn the everyday habits and records that keep concerns from ever reaching a board. You'll cover preventative communication, documentation and follow-up that reduce your risk before anything is raised. By the end you'll have a practical, preventative approach to your own practice.

2 CPD hoursSelf-pacedCertificateAssessment
What you'll cover

By the end you'll be able to:

  • Build the everyday habits that prevent concerns
  • Communicate to reduce complaint risk
  • Document and follow up preventatively
  • Recognise and defuse risk early
  • Take a proactive approach to your practice

You keep: certificate, assessment result, a guided reflection and an action-plan template.

Evidence of learning. Whether it is accepted for a specific regulatory purpose is decided by your Board. You record the hours against your own requirement.
A$99 · approx. 2 hours
Add to cartCourse outline
Why this matters  ·  for optometrists

Optometry sits at the junction of clinical care and retail sales, and much of its regulatory exposure flows from that: pressure to sell against clinical need, missed or delayed referral of pathology detected in an eye examination, therapeutic prescribing within scope, and advertising claims. The clinical duty is the same whether or not a sale follows.

Read your Board's standards directly: Optometry Board of Australia.
CPD explained

20 hours of CPD each year, or 30 if therapeutically endorsed

Under the Optometry Board's CPD registration standard, optometrists must complete a minimum of 20 hours of CPD each registration year. Therapeutically endorsed optometrists must complete 30 hours, of which at least 10 relate to a scheduled medicines endorsement. A minimum of 5 hours must be interactive, and a maximum of 5 hours of non-scientific content can count. A learning plan and portfolio are required.

01

Write a learning plan

A learning plan and portfolio are required, identifying goals against your scope and any therapeutic endorsement.

You write it
02

Choose activities

At least 5 hours must be interactive. Ethics and professionalism generally count as non-scientific.

Our courses sit here
03

Complete your hours

20 hours, or 30 if therapeutically endorsed with at least 10 relating to scheduled medicines.

You calculate it
04

Reflect and retain

Reflect on each activity and keep evidence for five years.

You retain the certificate
This is the key point for optometrists: a maximum of 5 hours of non-scientific content can count toward your annual total. Ethics and professionalism education generally falls in that non-scientific category, so it is claimable but capped. Buying more than 5 hours of it in a year will not all be claimable.

Can this count toward my CPD?

Usually, yes, as an educational activity relevant to your scope. But the decision is not ours, and no National Board pre-approves individual courses.

Before you rely on any hours from this or any provider

  • Ethics and professionalism generally count as non-scientific, capped at 5 hours per year.
  • At least 5 hours must be interactive, which these self-paced courses are not.
  • Therapeutically endorsed? You need 30 hours, with 10 relating to scheduled medicines.
  • Keep a learning plan and portfolio, and retain evidence for five years.
  • Record the hours you actually spent, not a number printed on a certificate.
Audience

Which optometrists these courses are written for

Independent and practice-owner optometrists

Optometrists managing the tension between clinical care and retail sales, and the conflicts that creates.

Corporate and retail optometrists

Optometrists in high-volume retail settings managing scope, referral and documentation under commercial pressure.

Therapeutically endorsed optometrists

Endorsed optometrists prescribing scheduled medicines, with additional CPD and prescribing-record obligations.

New graduates and returners

Optometrists consolidating professional standards, including those new to Australian practice.

Case-based learning

Six optometrists scenarios worked through in full

Each case follows the same structure: scenario, the core issue, and a better response. Cases are composites written for teaching and do not describe identifiable people or matters.

Case 01 · Referral

A pathology sign not referred

An optometrist notes a sign suggestive of a serious condition but does not refer, or refers without appropriate urgency, and the patient deteriorates.

Core issue
Detecting and appropriately referring ocular and systemic disease is a core duty, and a delayed referral is a common notification.
Better response
Refer with appropriate urgency, communicate the concern clearly, document the finding and the referral, and safety-net.
Case 02 · Probity

A sale pushed against clinical need

A patient is sold a high-margin product or an unnecessary upgrade that the clinical assessment does not support.

Core issue
Commercial incentive must not override clinical need, and the clinical record must support what is recommended.
Better response
Recommend on clinical grounds, disclose that a product is optional, and separate the clinical advice from the sale.
Case 03 · Consent

Dilating drops without explained consent

Diagnostic drops are instilled without explaining the effects on vision and driving, and the patient drives home impaired.

Core issue
Consent requires the patient to understand the effects, including the practical consequences.
Better response
Explain the effects and duration, confirm the patient understood, and document consent and the driving advice given.
Case 04 · Scope

Therapeutic prescribing beyond endorsement or evidence

An optometrist prescribes or continues a scheduled medicine outside their endorsement, or without the review the medicine requires.

Core issue
Therapeutic prescribing is scope-limited and record-intensive, and prescribing outside it is a conduct matter.
Better response
Prescribe only within your endorsement and the evidence, document the decision, and review as the medicine requires.
Case 05 · Records

A clinical record that did not support the examination billed

A comprehensive examination is claimed, but the record does not evidence the components the item requires.

Core issue
Records must substantiate the service billed, and a pattern of mismatch is assessed as intent.
Better response
Record every component of the examination performed, sufficient to substantiate what was billed.
Case 06 · Advertising

An outcome claim about a treatment or lens

A practice advertises a specific outcome from a treatment or lens type, based on impressions rather than evidence.

Core issue
Outcome claims about regulated health services must be substantiated, and testimonials are restricted.
Better response
Remove or substantiate the claim, and review testimonial and third-party review content the practice controls.
Author & medical reviewer

Who writes and reviews this content

Dr Richard
Dr Richard
Course author and medical reviewer
MBBSFRACGPPG Cert Healthcare Law & EthicsLLM (Healthcare Law & Ethics), University of Melbourne

A practising clinician with over 21 years of experience and postgraduate training in healthcare law and ethics. He writes the content, selects the case material, and checks every regulatory statement against the regulator's own published document before it goes live.

Last reviewed 9 September 2026  ·  Full profile
Answers

OptomB CPD, accreditation and course questions

Is ethics CPD required for Australian optometrists?
No standalone ethics course is required. What is required is CPD relevant to your scope of practice. Ethics and professionalism learning sits within that, and it addresses the areas that generate the most regulatory concern.
Can an ethics course count toward my CPD?
Generally yes, as an educational activity relevant to your scope, provided you record it correctly. The Optometry Board of Australia does not pre-approve activities, so the classification and record are yours.
How many CPD hours do optometrists need?
A minimum of 20 hours per registration year, or 30 if therapeutically endorsed with at least 10 relating to scheduled medicines. At least 5 hours must be interactive, and a maximum of 5 hours of non-scientific content can count.
Do ethics courses count as scientific or non-scientific?
Ethics and professionalism education generally falls in the non-scientific category, which is capped at 5 hours per year. It is claimable but limited, so plan accordingly.
Do optometrists need a CPD home?
No. The CPD home requirement applies to medical practitioners. Optometrists record their own CPD against the Optometry Board's standard.
Is this course Ahpra accredited?
No. Ahpra does not accredit CPD courses, and no National Board accredits individual commercial activities. Treat any provider claiming an Ahpra-accredited course with caution.
Is this course approved by the Optometry Board of Australia?
No. The Optometry Board of Australia sets registration standards and publishes codes and guidelines. It does not approve or endorse individual commercial courses. Our content is written with reference to its published standards.
What evidence do I receive?
A dated certificate showing your name, course title, version, completion date, nominal duration and assessment outcome, plus a downloadable reflection document and a permanent course record.
Can a course help after a notification?
It can support your own reflection and gives you a dated record. It does not satisfy or resolve any regulatory requirement. If a notification has been made about you, contact your professional indemnity insurer first.
Primary sources

Read the regulator directly

Their site is the authority. Where anything here differs from a current published standard, the published standard governs.

Optometry Board of Australia — CPD standard

The registration standard that applies to you.

Codes and guidelines

The code these courses are written against.

Ahpra — notifications

The official explanation of the process.

Compare all seven programs

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Start with the course your CPD plan needs

All 25 courses written for Australian practice. A$99 each, no subscription, certificate on completion. Record the hours against your own OptomB requirement.

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Ahpra Courses is an independent education provider. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or accredited by Ahpra, the Optometry Board of Australia, any other National Board, or any accreditation authority. Our courses are educational activities. They are not accredited CPD and do not guarantee that any hours will be accepted against your registration requirement. Nothing here is legal advice, and nothing here resolves any notification, investigation, condition or undertaking. Always read the current standards published by your National Board, and contact your indemnity insurer about any regulatory matter concerning you. Last reviewed 9 September 2026.