How ethics stations are set
The AMC Clinical is 16 assessed stations plus rest stations: 2 minutes of reading, then 8 minutes in the station. Fourteen stations are scored, and a pass needs a pass on 9 or more of them. Each station gets a global rating on a 7-point scale, informed by 2 to 5 key steps and 3 to 5 assessment domains. Read how the AMC Clinical is marked for the detail.
Ethics stations are usually conversations: a patient who wants their results kept from family, a relative asking for information, a colleague who seems impaired, or an adverse event to disclose.
The Australian framework
The Medical Board of Australia's Good medical practice code sets the standards. Key principles are respect for autonomy, informed consent, confidentiality, honesty and acting in the patient's interest.
| Topic | Australian position |
|---|---|
| Consent | Material risks, alternatives and no treatment explained; a competent adult may refuse |
| Capacity | Understand, retain, weigh and communicate; decision-specific |
| Confidentiality | Disclose without consent only when required by law or to prevent serious harm |
| Open disclosure | Apologise, explain what happened, what will be done and how the patient will be informed |
| Mandatory notification | Notify Ahpra about notifiable conduct such as practising while intoxicated |
| Mandatory reporting of child abuse | Required for doctors in every state and territory |
Common ethics scenarios
- A relative asks for a patient's diagnosis without consent.
- A patient with epilepsy keeps driving.
- A colleague smells of alcohol on shift.
- A medication error caused harm.
- A 15-year-old requests contraception.
- A patient refuses a blood transfusion.
Worked station: medication error disclosure
Station walk-through · Ethics and professionalism
Candidate brief: A patient received a double dose of enoxaparin overnight and has a large bruise. Speak with the patient (8 minutes).
| Time | What to do |
|---|---|
| 0:00 to 1:00 | Introduce, ensure privacy, check how she is |
| 1:00 to 3:00 | Acknowledge the error and apologise sincerely |
| 3:00 to 5:00 | Explain what happened, the risks and monitoring |
| 5:00 to 7:00 | Explain incident reporting and steps to prevent recurrence; answer anger calmly |
| 7:00 to 8:00 | Offer a contact person and follow-up |
Where candidates lose marks: blaming nursing staff, being defensive, and not apologising.
Using the 2 minutes of reading time
- Read the setting: general practice, ward, emergency department or telehealth changes what is realistic.
- Underline each task and its time allocation, and plan your 8 minutes to match.
- Note the patient's age, sex and any cue in the brief (a medicine, an occupation, a family member present).
- Write a short list of the 3 diagnoses you must separate and the one dangerous condition you must not miss.
- In an ethics station, identify the principle being tested (consent, capacity, confidentiality, disclosure or notification) before you enter.
- Decide your opening sentence so you start calmly.
Check the current AMC candidate information for what you may bring or write during reading time. Whatever you plan, keep it short: there is no time to read a long list in the room.
High-yield stations to prepare
Ethics practice stations test Australian standards that may differ from your previous training.
| Station | Likely task | Key step examiners look for |
|---|---|---|
| Open disclosure of a medication error | Counselling | Apology and the facts |
| Wrong-site injection | Counselling | Open disclosure without blame |
| 15-year-old asking for contraception | Counselling | Mature minor and safety |
| Refusing a blood transfusion | Counselling | Capacity and alternatives |
| Older driver with memory problems | Counselling | Fitness to drive |
| Relative asking for results by phone | Counselling | Confidentiality |
| Impaired colleague | Counselling | Patient safety and mandatory notification |
| Leaving against medical advice | Counselling | Capacity and a safe plan |
A one-week practice plan
| Day | Practice |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Read the structure on this page and run 2 ethics stations untimed with a partner |
| Day 2 | Run 3 stations with the 2-minute reading timer and an 8-minute station timer |
| Day 3 | Record 2 stations on your phone; watch for jargon, interruptions and missed tasks |
| Day 4 | Swap roles: play the patient and the examiner, marking against the checklist |
| Day 5 | Run 3 new stations back to back with a 2-minute gap, as on exam day |
| Day 6 | Repeat the stations where your global rating was below 4 |
| Day 7 | Rest, then review your notes on the common mistakes below |
Our station bank lets you filter by discipline and station type, so you can follow this plan for each area of the exam.
Common ethics mistakes
- Breaching confidentiality to a relative or employer.
- Imposing your values.
- Ignoring a duty to notify.
- Defensive responses to complaints.
- Not checking capacity.
Practise these as timed stations with a partner playing the patient and another marking against the checklist. Each of our ethics and professionalism stations has a candidate brief, role-player script, examiner notes, marking checklist and a model approach.
Free sample ethics and professionalism stations
Candidate briefs from our AMC Clinical station bank. Read the task, plan your 8 minutes, then open the marking checklist.
Open disclosure of a medication error (8 minutes)
You are a hospital resident. Mrs Dorothy Evans, 81, was admitted with pneumonia. Yesterday she was given enoxaparin 80 mg twice daily (treatment dose) instead of the prescribed 40 mg once daily (prophylactic dose) for 24 hours. The error was found this morning. She has a small bruise at the injection site, her Hb is unchanged and she is otherwise well. The consultant has asked you to speak to her daughter, Ms Karen Evans.
Task: talk to Ms Evans about what happened (8 minutes).
The role-player script, examiner notes, marking checklist and model approach open with a plan.
A 15-year-old asking for contraception (8 minutes)
You are a GP. Zara, 15, has come alone. She asks for the contraceptive pill and says, 'Please don't tell my mum.'
Task: consult with Zara (8 minutes).
The role-player script, examiner notes, marking checklist and model approach open with a plan.
Practise ethics and professionalism stations free
Every ethics and professionalism station in our bank
The bank holds 8 ethics and professionalism stations across 1 station type: Counselling and education (8). Each one has a candidate brief, role-player script, examiner notes, marking checklist and model approach.
- A 15-year-old asking for contraceptionCounselling and education
- Adverse event: wrong-site injectionCounselling and education
- Impaired colleagueCounselling and education
- Older driver with memory problemsCounselling and education
- Open disclosure of a medication errorCounselling and education
- Refusing a blood transfusionCounselling and education
- Telephone advice: confidentiality requestCounselling and education
- Wanting to leave against medical adviceCounselling and education
Common questions
Do ethics stations follow Australian law?
Yes. Learn Australian standards, including the Medical Board code of conduct and mandatory notification rules.
What is open disclosure?
An open discussion with a patient about an adverse event, including an apology, the facts and the next steps.
Who notifies the licensing authority about a driver with a medical condition?
In Australia the patient is responsible for notifying; the doctor advises and documents, and may notify in certain circumstances.
Sources
Clinical content is summarised from current Australian guidance at the date above. Guidelines change, so always check the latest edition.