UAE edition · Independent education for MOHAP, DHA, DOH, SHA and DHCR licensed healthcare professionals

Ethics and professionalism by profession

Medical Professionalism Course for UAE Physicians

A career-long view of medical professionalism in the UAE: how licensing, good standing, CPD, privileges, teamwork, online conduct and disciplinary processes shape what is expected of you as a physician.

  • 3learning hours
  • 20final questions
  • 80%pass mark
  • PDFcertificate

What you will learn

  • Identify the federal laws, emirate resolutions and authority standards that define professional conduct for physicians in the UAE.
  • Describe the statutory duties of physicians under Federal Law No. 5 of 2019, Federal Decree-Law No. 4 of 2016 and Cabinet Resolution No. 40 of 2019.
  • Explain licence renewal, expiry, inactivity and good standing rules across MOHAP, DHA, DOH and DHCR, and the PQR rules on gaps in practice.
  • Compare physician CPD requirements across UAE licensing authorities and plan accredited, needs-based learning with an audit-ready portfolio.
  • Apply the rules on licence scope, clinical privileges and emergencies, and supervise and delegate responsibly.
  • Communicate respectfully and without discrimination in multinational teams, and raise concerns about incidents or colleagues through appropriate channels.
  • Apply DHA, DOH and federal rules on social media, advertising and conduct outside work to your own activities.
  • Maintain integrity in records, certificates, insurance claims and conflicts of interest, and disclose harm to patients promptly.
  • Describe how Medical Liability Committees and disciplinary processes operate, the penalties available and the grievance deadlines that apply.
  • Demonstrate insight through a written reflection and a targeted, evidence-based plan for sustained professional practice.

Relevant to

The UAE codes, standards and laws this course helps you reflect on. Relevance is our own mapping; it is not an approval by any authority.

  • DHADHA Code of Ethics (2025) Standards 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 12; DHA Fitness to Practice Policy (2025) and Manual for Licensing Healthcare Professionals (2025)
  • DOHDOH Standard for CPD (2024), Policy on Integrity and Benefit Disclosure (2022) and Incident Reporting and Management Standard V2 (2024)
  • MOHAPPhysician duties in Federal Law No. 5 of 2019 (Arts 17 and 24) and Cabinet Resolution No. 67 of 2020; MOHAP licensing and renewal requirements
  • SHASharjah Executive Council Resolution No. 29 of 2025
  • DHCRDubai Law No. 16 of 2024 on Dubai Healthcare City and the move to DHA licensing
  • Federal Decree-Law No. 4 of 2016 and Cabinet Resolution No. 40 of 2019; PQR 3rd version (2025)

About this course

This course covers medical professionalism as it is actually defined and enforced in the United Arab Emirates: the federal laws and emirate resolutions that set physicians' duties, the DHA code of ethics and the standards of MOHAP, DOH and SHA, licensing, renewal and good standing, CPD requirements, scope of practice and clinical privileges, supervision, working in multinational teams, conduct on social media and in advertising, integrity in records and finances, and how complaints, Medical Liability Committees and disciplinary penalties work.

It is written for physicians licensed, or preparing to be licensed, by MOHAP, the Dubai Health Authority, the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, the Sharjah Health Authority or in Dubai Healthcare City: general practitioners, specialists and consultants in government and private facilities, physicians new to the UAE, supervisors and medical directors, and physicians who want to reflect on their conduct after a complaint, incident or concern.

Professionalism carries particular weight in the UAE. Physicians answer to several licensing authorities whose rules differ, work in clinical teams drawn from dozens of countries, and carry a professional record that follows them across emirates through good standing certificates. Recent changes, including Dubai's Executive Council Resolution No. 49 of 2024, the DHA code of ethics effective September 2025, the third version of the PQR and Sharjah's 2025 framework, make this the right time to check your practice against current standards.

Syllabus

12 sections, about 3 learning hours, 20-question final assessment

  1. 1Medical professionalism in the UAE3 lessons
    • What medical professionalism means for a UAE-licensed physician
    • The legal architecture of professional practice
    • Codes, standards and the statutory duties of a physician
  2. 2Licensing, good standing and your professional record2 lessons
    • Obtaining and keeping your licence with integrity
    • Good standing, gaps in practice and your professional record
  3. 3Competence, CPD and career-long learning2 lessons
    • CPD requirements for physicians: what each authority actually asks
    • Planning learning that changes practice
  4. 4Scope of practice, privileges and supervision2 lessons
    • Licence title, specialty and clinical privileges
    • Supervision, delegation and teaching
  5. 5Working in multinational teams2 lessons
    • Respect and communication in multinational teams
    • Speaking up, reporting incidents and concerns about colleagues
  6. 6Conduct online, in advertising and outside work3 lessons
    • Professional conduct on social media
    • Advertising and self-promotion
    • Conduct outside work and your own health
  7. 7Integrity and accountability in everyday practice3 lessons
    • Honest records, reports and certificates
    • Financial integrity: insurance, commissions, gifts and conflicts
    • Candour and professional boundaries
  8. 8When concerns are raised: processes, penalties and your response3 lessons
    • How concerns are handled: the two tracks
    • Disciplinary penalties and precautionary measures
    • Responding professionally to a complaint or investigation
  9. 9Insight, remediation and a career-long professional identity2 lessons
    • Insight and remediation in the UAE context
    • Sustaining professionalism across a career
  10. 10Conclusion and key points1 lesson
    • Conclusion and key points
  11. 11References and further reading1 lesson
    • References and further reading
  12. 12Reflection1 lesson
    • Your reflective account

Course facts

CPD value
Approximately 3 learning hours (self-directed CPD, including knowledge checks, reflection and assessment)
Audience
Physicians (general practitioners, specialists and consultants) licensed or seeking a licence from MOHAP, DHA, DOH, SHA or in Dubai Healthcare City, in government and private facilities, including supervisors, medical directors and physicians new to UAE practice
Standards covered
Federal Law No. 5 of 2019 and Cabinet Resolution No. 67 of 2020; Federal Decree-Law No. 4 of 2016 (Medical Liability), Cabinet Resolution No. 40 of 2019 and Cabinet Resolution No. 14 of 2020; Cabinet Resolution No. 20 of 2017 and the PQR (3rd version, 2025); Ministerial Resolution No. 14 of 2021 (Patient's Rights and Responsibilities Charter); Dubai Executive Council Resolution No. 49 of 2024; Dubai Law No. 16 of 2024; Abu Dhabi Law No. 10 of 2018; Sharjah Executive Council Resolution No. 29 of 2025; DHA Standards for Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (2025), Fitness to Practice Policy (2025), Manual for Licensing Healthcare Professionals (2025) and Standards for Medical Advertisement Content on Social Media; DOH Standard for CPD (2024), Policy on Integrity and Benefit Disclosure (2022) and Incident Reporting and Management Standard V2 (2024); Federal Decree-Law No. 55 of 2023 and Cabinet Resolution No. 68 of 2024 (media and advertising)
Format
Self-paced, gated lessons with knowledge checks, UAE case studies and reflection
Assessment
20 scenario-based questions, 80% to pass (16 of 20)
Outcome
Certificate of completion and a written reflection for your professional development portfolio
Alignment
Mapped to, and supports reflection on, DHA Code of Ethics Standards 6 (Integrity and Accountability), 7 (Scope of Practice and Competence), 8 (Communication), 9 (Continuous Professional Development), 10 (Supervision and Delegation) and 12 (Insurance Integrity); physician duties under Federal Law No. 5 of 2019 Arts 17 and 24; DOH CPD and integrity standards; MOHAP licensing and renewal requirements; not approved or accredited by any UAE authority
Price
AED 449

Who this course is for

Physicians at every career stage, including supervisors and medical directors, licensed by MOHAP, DHA, DOH, SHA or in Dubai Healthcare City.

Physicians

Written for professionals licensed by any UAE authority: MOHAP, DHA, DOH, SHA or DHCR. Where the rules differ, the course explains the difference.

Your certificate

  • Your name, the course title and the approximate learning hours
  • Completion date and your final-assessment score
  • A unique certificate number with a QR code anyone can verify

The certificate states that the course is not accredited by any UAE health authority and that no CME/CPD points or credits are awarded. Whether it counts towards your licence renewal is for your licensing authority to decide.

Questions about this course

What does professionalism mean for a physician licensed in the UAE?

In this course it means meeting the duties set by Federal Law No. 5 of 2019, the Medical Liability law and your authority's standards across a whole career: keeping your licence and record accurate, working within scope and privileges, maintaining competence, behaving well in multinational teams and online, and responding honestly when concerns are raised. Nine modules take each of these in turn with physician cases.

Does the physician professionalism course explain good standing and gaps in practice?

Yes. Modules 2 and 3 explain licence renewal, expiry, inactivity and good standing across MOHAP, DHA, DOH and DHCR, and the PQR rules on gaps in practice. They also compare physician CPD requirements across the authorities so you can plan accredited, needs-based learning and keep a portfolio that would survive an audit.

Is the course useful for supervisors and medical directors?

Module 4 covers licence scope, clinical privileges, emergencies, supervision and delegation, and module 8 explains how Medical Liability Committees and disciplinary processes work, including penalties and grievance deadlines. Supervisors and medical directors use these modules to set expectations for their teams as well as for their own practice.

Does it cover doctors' social media, advertising and conduct outside work?

Module 6 applies DHA, DOH and federal rules on social media, advertising and conduct outside work to a physician's own activities. It gives a working overview; if you run a clinic account or publish patient content regularly, the Social Media and Medical Advertising Course goes much further on approvals, banned claims and patient consent.

Will the physician professionalism course count as CME for my licence?

Not automatically. The certificate shows approximately 3 learning hours of self-directed learning and your score, but the course is not accredited by any UAE health authority and carries no CME or CPD credit. Module 3 explains how each authority's CPD rules work so that you can plan the accredited activities your renewal needs.

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