Professionalism and Professional Standards for Doctors

About this course

Professionalism is what patients, colleagues and the public see of a doctor every day: how they communicate, how they work in a team, how they respond when something goes wrong, how they keep their skills up to date and how they behave inside and outside work. For UK doctors, these expectations are set out in the GMC's Good medical practice, which was substantially updated in January 2024, and they are checked through annual appraisal and revalidation.

This course explains what professionalism means in modern medicine, the GMC's role, the core principles of medical professionalism, what Good medical practice 2024 changed, professional boundaries with patients and colleagues, and what happens when standards are breached. It includes a practical guide to the GMC fitness to practise process and to remediation, for doctors who are facing a concern or want to understand the process.

CPD Value and How to Record It:

This course is designed to provide approximately 2 hours of learning, including reading, the reflection points, the reflective account and the assessment. In the UK, CPD is generally recorded as the time actually spent learning, so you should record the time you genuinely spend, which may be more or less than the estimate.

How the course fits your revalidation or CPD requirements depends on your regulator. For example, the NMC asks nurses, midwives and nursing associates to record 35 hours of CPD over three years, of which at least 20 must be participatory; self-directed online learning such as this course usually counts as individual learning unless you complete it with others. The GMC expects doctors to reflect on CPD for appraisal and revalidation rather than setting a fixed number of hours. The HCPC, GDC, GPhC, GOC, GOsC and GCC each set their own CPD requirements, so check the current rules that apply to you. Always keep your certificate together with your written reflection.

What you will learn

• Define medical professionalism and explain why it matters.
• Describe the GMC's role, including registration, licensing and revalidation.
• Apply the core principles of professionalism in clinical and team settings.
• Explain the four domains of Good medical practice 2024 and what changed.
• Maintain boundaries with patients and colleagues, and professional conduct online.
• Understand the GMC fitness to practise process and how to respond to it.
• Plan remediation that demonstrates insight and sustained change.

Who this course is for

Doctors registered with the GMC in all specialties and grades, including those responding to a concern or preparing for appraisal.

Course content

8 sections · 2 CPD hours · 15 MCQs

Course facts

CPD value

Approximately 2 CPD hours (estimated learning time, including reflection and assessment); suitable as supporting information for appraisal and revalidation

Format

Self-paced reading with workplace cases, reflection points and a written reflective account

Standards covered

GMC Good medical practice (2024); registration, licensing and revalidation; GMC guidance on raising concerns, boundaries, leadership and social media; the GMC fitness to practise process

Assessment

15 scenario-based multiple-choice questions; pass mark 12 out of 15 (80%)

Questions about this course