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Glossary

  • Professional boundaries

    Defining lines which separate the therapeutic behavior of a nurse from any behavior which, well intentioned or not, could reduce the benefit of nursing care to clients. They are the limits to the nurse-client relationship which allow for a safe and therapeutic connection between the nurse and the client. It is the nurse’s responsibility to establish and maintain professional boundaries, and to determine when actions or behaviors deviate from established boundaries and become non-therapeutic and unprofessional in nature.