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Ethics for Healthcare Professionals

Course Description

Ethics for Healthcare Professionals is a comprehensive course for doctors, dentists, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, psychologists, counsellors, chiropractors, osteopaths, and other regulated practitioners. It provides practical guidance on ethical principles, regulatory expectations, and professional standards that apply across all healthcare fields in Canada.

The course explores autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, confidentiality, honesty, professional boundaries, and conflicts of interest. It also covers consent, truth-telling, disclosure of errors, and reflection. Drawing on national frameworks such as the Medical Council of Canada (MCC) standards, the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) Code of Ethics, the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA) model standards, and equivalent codes from dental, psychology, and allied health regulators, the course unites shared ethical duties across professions.

This course is particularly valuable for healthcare professionals facing a regulatory inquiry, disciplinary process, or fitness to practise review. Participants will gain tools for ethical decision-making, reflection, insight, and remediation — supporting safe practice, public protection, and the restoration of trust in Canadian healthcare.

Course Content

Course Objectives
Course Objectives
Section 1: Introduction
1.1 Why Ethics Matters in Canadian Healthcare
1.3 Ethics as the Foundation of Trust
1.4 Reflective Quiz
Section 2: Core Ethical Principles in Canadian Healthcare
2.1 Autonomy: Respecting Patient Rights and Informed Decision-Making
2.2 Beneficence: Acting in the Patient’s Best Interests
2.3 Non-Maleficence: The Duty to “Do No Harm”
2.4 Justice: Fairness, Equity, and Cultural Safety
2.5 Reflective Quiz
Section 3: Ethical Standards Expected of Healthcare Professionals
3.1 Honesty, Transparency, and Integrity in Care
3.2 Confidentiality and Patient Information
3.3 Maintaining Competence and Lifelong Learning (CPD)
3.4 Managing Conflicts of Interest
3.5 Professional Boundaries in Healthcare Relationships
3.6 Reflective Quiz
Section 4: Ethics in Clinical and Professional Decision-Making
4.1 Informed Consent and Shared Decision-Making
4.2 Truth-Telling and Disclosure of Errors
4.4 Ethical Challenges in Resource Allocation and System Pressures
4.5 Public Health Responsibilities and Equity of Access
4.6 Reflective Quiz
Section 5: Breaches of Ethical Standards and Consequences
5.1 Common Breaches Across Healthcare Professions
5.2 How Concerns Are Raised and Investigated by Regulators
5.3 Possible Outcomes of Investigations
5.4 The Impact of Ethical Breaches
5.5 Reflective Quiz
Section 6: Reflection, Insight, and Remediation
6.1 Self-Awareness as the Foundation of Ethical Practice
6.2 Reflective Practice as Expected by Canadian Regulators
6.3 Demonstrating Insight When Standards Are Questioned
6.4 Remediation: Pathways to Safer and Stronger Practice
6.6 Reflective Quiz
Section 7: Conclusion and Key Takeaways
Conclusion and Key Takeaways
Post-Course Assessment Ethics for healthcare professionals
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