Boundaries
The professional line between caring for a client and befriending one, crossed by gifts, self-disclosure or contact outside work.
A professional boundary is the line that keeps a nurse-client relationship therapeutic rather than personal. The relationship exists for the client’s benefit, and the nurse holds more power in it, so responsibility for holding the line always sits with the nurse rather than the client.
Boundaries blur gradually rather than all at once. Warning signs on the NCLEX-PN include sharing your own problems with a client, accepting gifts or money, giving out a personal phone number, visiting or messaging outside work, keeping secrets from the rest of the team, or spending noticeably more time with one client than their care requires. Any of these shifts the focus from the client’s needs to the nurse’s, and it should be discussed with the RN or charge nurse before it goes further. Clear boundaries protect the client from harm and the nurse from disciplinary action by the state board.
PlayPrepHQ study notes are written and reviewed against primary exam sources. How we create & review content →