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Medical Ethics Course

Core Principles, Dilemmas, Professionalism, and Ethical Practice

  • About 3 hours estimated learning time
  • 6 sections, 16 lessons
  • Checkpoints and a 15-question final assessment
  • Online, self-paced, any device

About this course

This course examines the ethics that guide safe, fair and compassionate healthcare. It works through the four core principles of beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy and justice, how to identify and manage ethical dilemmas in practice, the link between professionalism and ethical conduct, the consequences of breaching ethical standards, and the reflection and remediation needed to rebuild trust and demonstrate accountability.

Its focus is applied clinical ethics: what the principles mean when they collide at the bedside. It uses the hard cases that UK professionals actually meet, such as refusal of life-sustaining treatment, resuscitation decisions, disclosure of confidential information to protect others, conscientious objection and allocation of scarce resources, and explains the law and regulatory guidance that shape the answers. It is designed for all UK healthcare professionals, including those facing an investigation or fitness to practise process.

CPD Value and How to Record It

This course is designed to provide approximately 3 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

  • Understand the core principles of medical ethics: beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy and justice.
  • Recognise the importance of professionalism in upholding ethical standards.
  • Learn how to identify and manage ethical dilemmas in practice.
  • Understand the consequences of breaching ethical standards for patients, professionals and the profession.
  • Develop reflective practice skills to learn from ethical challenges and improve future conduct.
  • Learn strategies for effective remediation to rebuild trust and demonstrate accountability.
  • Align practice with the ethical and regulatory standards set by the healthcare regulators.

Who it is for

All UK healthcare professionals, including those facing an investigation or fitness to practise process

Standards and law covered

Regulators' standards and GMC guidance on consent, confidentiality and end of life care; key UK case law on capacity, best interests, resuscitation decisions, confidentiality and conscientious objection; the current law on assisted dying; Mental Health Act 2025; research ethics; resource allocation; artificial intelligence

Course content

Lessons open one after another as you work through the course. They unlock once you enrol.

1Overview of Medical Ethics1 lesson
  • 1.1 What Medical Ethics Means
  • 1.2 Key Points and Knowledge Check: Section 1
2The Core Ethical Principles6 lessons
  • 2.1 Beneficence & Non-Maleficence
  • 2.2 Regulatory Standards on Beneficence and Non-Maleficence
  • 2.3 Respecting the Decisions Patients Make
  • 2.4 Regulatory Standards on Autonomy
  • 2.5 Justice: Treating Patients Fairly and Equitably
  • 2.6 Regulatory Standards on Justice
  • 2.7 Summary Points and Quiz for Section 2
3Handling Ethical Dilemmas in Practice2 lessons
  • 3.1 Resource Allocation and Fair Access
  • 3.2 Working Through Ethical Dilemmas
  • 3.3 Key Points and Knowledge Check: Section 3
4Professionalism and Ethical Practice2 lessons
  • 4.1 The Intersection of Professionalism and Ethical Practice
  • 4.2 Where Professionalism and Ethics Meet
  • 4.3 Summary Points and Quiz for Section 4
5Consequences of Breaching Ethical Standards1 lesson
  • 5.1 Moral Distress, Conscience and Personal Beliefs
  • 5.2 Summary Points and Quiz for Section 5
6Addressing a Breach: Reflection and Remediation3 lessons
  • 6.1 Why Reflection Matters
  • 6.2 Reflecting in a Way That Works
  • 6.3 Remediation: Steps to Rebuild Trust and Skills
  • 6.5 Summary Points and Quiz for Section 6
7Conclusion and Takeaways1 lesson
  • 7.1 Bringing It Together: Key Messages
Reflection and final assessment3 steps
  • Your reflective account
  • Final assessment: 15 questions, 80% to pass
  • Certificate of completion
3 hours

Estimated learning time

This covers the lessons, section checkpoints, your reflective account and the final assessment. Everyone works at a different pace, so record the time you actually spend in your CPD log. The player shows the time you have spent in the course to help you.

Your certificate of completion

When you pass the final assessment you can download a certificate showing your name, the course title, the estimated learning time, your completion date and a certificate number that anyone can check on this website. Keep it with your reflective account in your CPD records.

Questions about this course

How long does the course take?

The estimated learning time is about 3 hours, including the lessons, section checkpoints, your reflective account and the final assessment. People work at different speeds, so record the time you actually spend in your own CPD log.

How do I access the course after buying it?

Log in to your FTP Courses account and open the course from My Courses. The course runs in your web browser on a computer, tablet or phone, and your progress is saved to your account so you can stop and continue later.

How is the course assessed?

Each section ends with a short checkpoint. At the end there is a final assessment of 15 questions; you need 80% (12 correct) to pass. If you do not pass, you can review the course and try again after a short wait.

What do I receive when I finish?

You can download a certificate of completion showing your name, the course title, the estimated learning time, your completion date and a certificate number that can be checked online. You can also download your reflective account for your CPD portfolio.

Is this course linked to my regulator?

No. FTP Courses is an independent education provider and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any UK regulator. The course is CPD-aligned: it is written to help you learn and reflect against your regulator's published standards, and on completion you receive a certificate of completion stating the estimated learning time. Record the time you actually spend in your own CPD log, and decide how the course fits your CPD or any remediation plan, ideally with advice from your defence organisation, union or legal adviser.

Will completing the course guarantee a particular outcome in a complaint or investigation?

No course can guarantee an outcome. Decision-makers look at genuine insight, reflection and sustained change in your practice. The course is designed to support that learning; it does not replace it.