Nursing Professional Boundaries

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This essay describes what professional behaviour and professional boundaries are in nursing in today’s day and age. The Code of Conduct is a set of standards put in place for nurses by the Nursing Council of New Zealand to provide ethical and safe scope of practice to health consumers. This essay also outlines the main aspects of professional behaviour, such as respect, partnership and integrity and the importance of professional boundaries in nursing scope of practice. The nursing profession demands that the individual be responsible, accountable, self-directed and professional in behaviour. So what is professional behaviour? The key component of professional behaviour also contributes towards attitude, appearance and helping others. Attitude…show more content…
Nurses are always responsible for establishing and maintaining boundaries, they do not enter into friendship, romantic and sexual relationship with the health consumer (NCNZ, 2012). Objectivity is important for a nurse in order to provide competent, professional care. Sharing too much personal information about one's self or about other health consumers can be possible barrier. If a health consumer becomes unclear about their role in the nurse-client relationship then the boundaries are violated. Therefore, nurses are to remain effective, and need to be alert to the disadvantages of attachment and over involvement (Arnold & Boggs, 2007). Personal space is an invisible boundary around a health consumer. Emotionally the personal space boundary provides a sense of comfort and protection. It is defined by past experiences, current circumstances and different cultures. Therefore when a person loses control over personal space, they may experience a loss of individuality, self-identity and self-esteem. It pays to maintain a social physical body distance when not actually giving care or treatment, to avoid sending a message that may be interpreted as a desire for intimacy (Arnold & Boggs, 2007). Professional boundaries in nursing are defined as limits which protect the space between the professional's power and the health consumer's vulnerability. Professional boundaries are like the borders that mark the edges between a professional, therapeutic relationship and a non-professional or personal relationship between a nurse and a health consumer in their care. Nurses are responsible for maintaining the same standards of professional behaviour and boundaries in social and electronic media as they would when communicating face to face, interpersonal communication is being relocated to

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