At Communities of Care, we take pride in our professionalism. A key component of this is maintaining professional boundaries between our staff and our clients. In a previous post, we mentioned our training on professional boundaries in the home care field and our open-door policy regarding any questions or concerns. But what does it look like to cross a professional boundary? Here are some common examples.

Since nurses work in clients’ homes and often work long shifts of 8-12 hours,  other family members may come to view the nurse as a part of the family. This welcoming attitude has benefits, but family members must remember: the nurse’s first priority is the patient.  According to our company policy, it is unacceptable for families to ask nurses to run errands for them or babysit other children besides the patient.

These are obvious examples of crossing professional boundaries, but an overly close emotional bond can also present issues. The most common example of this is role reversal. This happens when a nurse confides their personal problems to the client and makes the client take care of them. Having a close bond with a client is beneficial, but only as much as it enhances care rather than hinders it.

Our commitment to professional boundaries is one of many ways we uphold our ethical standards. We are a team of caring professionals who provide excellent clinical care using our proven process to succeed for over twenty years. We are proud to make a measurable difference in the lives of our clients every day!