Current Status

Not Enrolled

Price

Free

Get Started

Fitness to Practise for Healthcare Professionals

Course Description

Professionalism and Professional Standards for Dentists and Dental Professionals (New Zealand) is a CPD course designed to help oral-health practitioners understand, apply, and demonstrate professionalism in alignment with the Dental Council of New Zealand (DCNZ) Standards Framework and Code of Ethical Conduct.

Professionalism in dentistry is more than clinical skill — it is about practising with honesty, integrity, accountability, and respect for every patient. The DCNZ defines professionalism as the ethical and behavioural foundation that sustains public confidence and ensures safe, patient-centred care.

This course explores the key attributes of professionalism, how lapses affect patient safety and registration, and how dental professionals can evidence reflection, insight, and remediation. It also provides practical tools for embedding professionalism in clinical communication, documentation, consent, and digital practice.

Course Content

Course Objectives
Course Objectives
Section 1: Introduction — What Does Fitness to Practise Mean in New Zealand Healthcare?
1.1 What Fitness to Practise Means
1.2 Why Fitness to Practise Matters for Patients
1.3 Why Fitness to Practise Matters for Regulators
1.4 Fitness to Practise as a Lifelong Standard
1.5 Reflective Quiz for Section 1
Section 2: Regulator Perspectives — MCNZ, NCNZ, Pharmacy Council, Dental Council, HPCA Authorities
2.1 Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ)
2.2 Nursing Council of New Zealand (NCNZ)
2.3 Pharmacy Council of New Zealand
2.4 Dental Council of New Zealand
2.5 HPCA Authorities — Allied Health Professions
2.6 Shared Themes Across Regulators
2.7 Reflective Quiz for Section 2
Section 3: Common Triggers for Fitness-to-Practise Investigations
3.1 Clinical Competence and Patient Safety
3.2 Probity and Honesty
3.3 Professional Boundaries
3.4 Confidentiality Breaches
3.5 Professional Behaviour and Communication
3.6 Health and Substance Misuse
3.7 Systems Awareness and Team Failures
3.8 Reflective Quiz for Section 3
Section 4: Weak vs Strong Responses to Concerns
4.1 Features of Weak Responses
4.2 Features of Strong Responses
4.3 Case Comparisons
4.4 Why Responses Matter
4.5 Reflective Quiz for Section 4
Section 5: Reflection, Insight, and Remediation in Fitness-to-Practise Cases
5.1 Reflection — Looking Back Honestly and Analytically
5.2 Insight — Understanding Why the Lapse Mattered
5.3 Remediation — Taking Concrete, Verifiable Action
5.4 How Reflection, Insight, and Remediation Interconnect
5.5 Regulator Expectations Across Professions
5.6 Practical Tips for Professionals
5.7 Reflective Quiz for Section 5
Section 6: Building Fitness-to-Practise Portfolios — CPD, Audits, Supervision, Feedback
6.1 Purpose of a Fitness-to-Practise Portfolio
6.2 Reflective Statements
6.3 Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
6.4 Clinical or Administrative Audits
6.5 Supervision or Mentorship
6.6 Patient and Colleague Feedback
6.7 Integration of Evidence
6.8 Practical Tips for Building Portfolios
6.9 Reflective Quiz for Section 6
Section 7: Case Studies — Cross-Profession Examples from New Zealand Healthcare
7.1 Medicine — Prescribing Safety
7.2 Nursing — Documentation Integrity
7.3 Pharmacy — Probity and Honesty
7.4 Dentistry — Consent and Transparency
7.5 Allied Health — Boundary Management
7.6 Shared Lessons Across Professions
7.7 Reflective Quiz for Section 7
Section 8: Professionalism at Hearings — Behaviour, Communication, Presentation
8.1 Behaviour at Hearings
8.2 Communication at Hearings
8.3 Presentation of Evidence
8.4 Conduct That Weakens a Case
8.5 Conduct That Strengthens a Case
8.6 Practical Tips for Hearings
8.7 Reflective Quiz for Section 8
Section 9: Embedding Fitness to Practise into Identity and Lifelong Standards
9.1 Fitness to Practise as Professional Identity
9.2 Daily Habits that Maintain Fitness
9.3 Mentorship and Role Modelling
9.4 Resilience and Sustainability
9.5 Fitness Across a Career
9.6 Reflective Quiz for Section 9
Section 10: Conclusion and Key Takeaways
Conclusion and Key Takeaways
Post-Course Assessment
Scroll to Top