About Pharmacy Council
The Pharmacy Council regulates pharmacists under the HPCA Act 2003.
New Zealand · Pharmacists
Ethics & Professionalism Courses for Pharmacists in New Zealand
Built for pharmacists registered with the Pharmacy Council under the HPCA Act 2003. Written by healthcare professionals familiar with NZ pharmacy regulation.
Why These Courses?
Aligned with Pharmacy Council guidelines. Helping pharmacists facing an investigation, inquiry or fitness to practise review, and for CPD purposes.
Facing an Investigation? Select Your Investigation Type
We'll recommend the courses you need based on your situation
ETHICS & CONDUCT STANDARDS
Ethics and Ethical Standards for Pharmacists
Covers ethical obligations including duties to report concerns, maintain honesty, and uphold probity in all professional dealings — core Pharmacy Council requirements.
2 CPD hours · aligned with PCNZ
PROFESSIONALISM STANDARDS
Professionalism and Professional Standards for Pharmacists
Covers professional standards and behaviours expected by the Pharmacy Council — conduct, communication, teamwork, and maintaining public trust.
2 CPD hours · aligned with PCNZ
MEDICAL ETHICS
Medical Ethics Course
Comprehensive course on medical ethics principles — ethical frameworks, moral reasoning, and professional decision-making aligned with Pharmacy Council guidelines.
2 CPD hours · aligned with PCNZ
PROFESSIONAL ETHICS
Professional Ethics Course
Explores the professional ethics landscape — ethical obligations, standards of practice, and regulatory expectations set by the Pharmacy Council.
2 CPD hours · aligned with PCNZ
DUTY OF CANDOUR
Duty of Candour for Healthcare Professionals
Covers duty of candour obligations — being open and honest with patients when things go wrong, as required by the Pharmacy Council.
2 CPD hours · aligned with PCNZ
CONFIDENTIALITY
Confidentiality in Healthcare Practice
Understand confidentiality obligations under Pharmacy Council guidelines — data protection, justified disclosure, and information sharing.
2 CPD hours · aligned with PCNZ
PRIVACY, CONSENT & CHAPERONE
Privacy, Consent and Chaperone in Healthcare Practice
Training on valid informed consent, patient privacy, capacity assessment, and chaperone requirements per Pharmacy Council guidelines.
2 CPD hours · aligned with PCNZ
COMMUNICATION
Effective Communication for Healthcare Professionals
Communication skills that prevent complaints — breaking bad news, shared decision-making, and conflict resolution per Pharmacy Council guidelines.
2 CPD hours · aligned with PCNZ
DOCUMENTATION
Documentation for Healthcare Professionals
Create clear, legally defensible records meeting Pharmacy Council standards — electronic records, amendments, and common errors.
2 CPD hours · aligned with PCNZ
SOCIAL MEDIA
Social Media Professionalism and Boundaries for Healthcare Professionals
Navigate social media risks — Pharmacy Council guidance on online conduct, digital confidentiality, and reputation management.
2 CPD hours · aligned with PCNZ
TEAMWORK
Ensuring Teamwork and Collaboration
Strengthen multidisciplinary teamwork — communication, handover protocols, hierarchy management, and safe team environments.
2 CPD hours · aligned with PCNZ
PRESCRIBING
Prescribing Guidance and Standards for Healthcare Professionals
Ethical and professional standards for safe prescribing — regulatory guidelines, controlled substances, and protocols.
2 CPD hours · aligned with PCNZ
CLINICAL COMPETENCE
Ensuring Clinical Competence and Patient Safety
Maintain and demonstrate clinical competence as required by the Pharmacy Council — patient safety, risk management, and governance.
2 CPD hours · aligned with PCNZ
PROBITY
Probity and Honesty for Healthcare Professionals
What probity means under Pharmacy Council guidelines — honesty, financial integrity, transparency, and managing conflicts of interest.
2 CPD hours · aligned with PCNZ
FINANCIAL INTEGRITY
Financial Integrity for Healthcare Professionals
Navigate financial ethics — conflicts of interest, industry relationships, billing ethics, gift policies, and full transparency.
2 CPD hours · aligned with PCNZ
TRUST REBUILDING
Rebuilding Trust of Patients, Public and Healthcare Regulator
Practical guidance on rebuilding professional trust after an incident — restoring confidence with patients, the public, and the Pharmacy Council.
2 CPD hours · aligned with PCNZ
FITNESS TO PRACTICE
Fitness to Practise for Healthcare Professionals
Essential course for Pharmacy Council proceedings — complaints, investigation, hearings, demonstrating insight, remediation, and outcomes.
2 CPD hours · aligned with PCNZ
MODULE ON INSIGHT
Insight for Fitness to Practise
Build professional insight — recognising limitations, understanding impact, and satisfying Pharmacy Council expectations during proceedings.
2 CPD hours · aligned with PCNZ
MODULE ON REMEDIATION
Remediation for Fitness to Practise
Guidance on effective remediation — action plans, evidencing change, and demonstrating concerns are addressed.
2 CPD hours · aligned with PCNZ
MODULE ON REFLECTION
Reflection for Fitness to Practise
Develop meaningful reflective practice — reflective accounts, structured frameworks, and meeting Pharmacy Council expectations.
2 CPD hours · aligned with PCNZ
MISTAKE & MISCONDUCT PREVENTION
Ensuring No Repeat of Misconduct or Mistake in Future Practice
Demonstrate that past issues will not be repeated — root cause analysis, practice changes, and sustained improvement.
2 CPD hours · aligned with PCNZ
COMPLAINT OR INVESTIGATION
Dealing with a Complaint or Investigation Professionally
Guidance on managing complaints professionally — investigation process, response letters, lessons learned, and resilience.
2 CPD hours · aligned with PCNZ
PROFESSIONAL BOUNDARIES
Professional Boundaries Course
Covers the boundary spectrum, dual relationships, warning signs of drift, sexual boundary violations, and maintaining trust.
2 CPD hours · aligned with PCNZ
ETHICAL BOUNDARIES
Ethical Boundaries with Patients and Colleagues
Maintaining ethical boundaries in clinical relationships — patient interactions, colleague dynamics, and power imbalances.
2 CPD hours · aligned with PCNZ
Ethics & professionalism CPD for New Zealand pharmacists
Why Ethics and Professionalism Training Matters for Pharmacists in New Zealand
For pharmacists registered with the Pharmacy Council of New Zealand, the questions that most often put registration at risk are rarely clinical knowledge alone. They concern consent, confidentiality, professional boundaries, communication, documentation and conduct — the everyday judgements measured against the Pharmacy Council’s Competence Standards and Code of Ethics and the HDC Code of Rights.
CPD, recertification and the Pharmacy Council
The pharmacy council expect pharmacists to maintain and demonstrate ongoing professional development. Our ethics and professionalism courses, alongside a grounding in medical ethics, are built around those standards so you can evidence structured CPD relevant to your scope of practice.
Facing an HDC complaint, competence review or fitness to practise process
Learning that a concern has been raised — whether to the Health and Disability Commissioner, your employer or the Pharmacy Council — is one of the most stressful moments in a career. Our courses on dealing with a complaint or investigation and fitness to practise explain the process and help you respond constructively and professionally.
Demonstrating insight, reflection and remediation
When the Pharmacy Council or a review panel assesses a practitioner, they look for genuine insight, meaningful reflection and credible remediation rather than clinical knowledge alone — and for assurance there will be no repeat of the concern. Completing these courses provides documented, dated evidence of proactive professional development for a formal response.
What our courses for pharmacists cover
Ethics, consent and confidentiality
Core obligations every practitioner relies on: informed consent, privacy and chaperones, confidentiality, the duty of candour after an adverse event, and accurate documentation that stands up to scrutiny.
Boundaries, probity and professional conduct
The conduct standards that most often draw complaints: professional boundaries and ethical boundaries with patients and colleagues, probity and honesty, financial integrity, and social media professionalism.
Common triggers for complaints about pharmacists
Many matters before the HDC or the Pharmacy Council arise from communication breakdowns, concerns about clinical competence and patient safety, teamwork, or prescribing rather than a failure of clinical knowledge. Understanding these standards is the most reliable way to reduce that risk.
Self-paced CPD, instant certificate
Every course is online and self-paced, takes around two hours, and awards 2 CPD hours with a Certificate of Completion available for immediate download — NZ$99 per course. Browse the full ethics and professionalism course catalogue for New Zealand pharmacists to match courses to your situation.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
Are these courses suitable for the Pharmacy Council recertification and CPD?
Yes. Each course awards 2 CPD hours and provides a downloadable Certificate of Completion. We recommend confirming with the Pharmacy Council of New Zealand how these hours count towards your recertification and continuing professional development requirements.
Can these courses help if I am facing an HDC complaint or a the Pharmacy Council competence or fitness to practise review?
Yes. Our ethics, professionalism, insight, reflection and remediation courses are designed to support pharmacists responding to a complaint to the Health and Disability Commissioner, a competence review, or a fitness to practise process. Completing them provides documented evidence of proactive professional development you can reference in a formal response.
Which pharmacists are these courses for?
Pharmacists, intern pharmacists and pharmacist prescribers holding an annual practising certificate from the Pharmacy Council of New Zealand — including practitioners under review.
Are the courses fully online and self-paced?
Yes. All courses are delivered online and can be completed from a computer, tablet or smartphone, in your own time. There are no live sessions and no scheduled start times.
How long does each course take and what do I receive?
Most courses take approximately two hours to complete and are delivered through written content and knowledge-check quizzes. On completion you receive 2 CPD hours and a Certificate of Completion available for immediate download.
What topics do the courses for pharmacists cover?
Ethics, professionalism, informed consent, confidentiality and privacy, professional boundaries, communication, documentation, probity, duty of candour, insight, reflection, remediation and fitness to practise.
How much do the courses cost?
Each course is NZ$99 and includes 2 CPD hours and an instant Certificate of Completion for your CPD portfolio, recertification or a formal regulatory response.
Are the courses aligned with the Pharmacy Council standards?
Yes. The courses are built around the Pharmacy Council’s Competence Standards and Code of Ethics and the HDC Code of Rights. They are aligned with these standards rather than independently accredited; you should confirm with the Pharmacy Council of New Zealand how CPD hours apply to your recertification.
Who creates the courses, and what are their credentials?
Our courses are developed under the direction of Dr Shehzad Iqbal — MRCS (Member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England), MRCGP (Member of the Royal College of General Practitioners), and holder of a Postgraduate Certificate in Healthcare Law and Ethics from the University of Dundee. Content is written with close reference to the Pharmacy Council of New Zealand’s standards, the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 and the HDC Code of Rights, so it is clinically grounded, legally informed and relevant to pharmacists practising in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Preparing for Investigation or seeking CPD?
Courses written by healthcare professionals, aligned with Pharmacy Council guidelines for pharmacists in New Zealand.
Find Your Courses