Professional Boundaries In Nursing

Challenging Professional Boundaries: Performing venepuncture for babies by certified staff nurses in Radiology Department

Professional boundaries refer to the limits that guard against patient’s vulnerable state and the professional conduct displayed by the health care provider. It is essential for the health care provider to maintain a balance as this would ensure that any act is done for the betterment and in the best interest of the patients. Boundaries in a patient setting refers to mutually unspoken and spoken words, gestures, emotional and physical acts between a trusting patient and his health care provider. According to Avis et al (1983), limits, lines, or borders are included in the term of boundary.

Nurse’s intent to provide the best therapeutic care to their patients but in doing so, question is, are they crossing their professional boundaries? Nursing is a profession that changes according to economic viability, technological advances, and milestones in teaching and patients demands. In today’s society, nurses are often challenged with crossing their professional boundaries in decision making or ethical boundaries which is very complex to define due to the advances in technologies, higher qualifications of society and demands by patients and relative; this is a reality. Further, nurses like any other are humans and they have this skill of humanity which is both hard to gauge and never been measured.

Humanity in nursing is direct correlation to care and in the process of delivering care to the patient, nurses more than often cross professional boundaries. If we were to reflect the quotation of Walsh (2000), emotion of care cannot be separated from nursing which intends to meet the needs of society individually and s...

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... leadership structure to provide support and motivation to her peer which enhances effectiveness of the organisation.

Nurses can also utilise innovative conflict handling and negotiation skills to deal and prevent a conflict, take advice from subordinates and ensure there is no discrimination.

In conclusion, venepuncture for babies in the radiology department requires the nurse to be equipped with due knowledge, skills and training. It is also essential to highlight and address other factors surrounding the procedure as the ones mentioned in this discussion. At the end of the day, a multi-disciplinary team always co-exist for every patient’s need and it is inherent for each to perform the duties associated in a competent manner. It is also just to conclude no person is indispensable and nurses therefore must take on new courses and training to assume new duties.