Professional Boundaries

As health care professionals, nurses strive to inspire confidence in their patients and their families, treat all patients and other health care providers professionally, and promote patients’ independence. Patients can expect a nurse to act in their best interests and to respect their dignity. This means that a nurse abstains from obtaining personal gain at the patient’s expense and refrains from inappropriate involvement with a patient or the patient’s family members.

Crossing professional boundaries or improper use of social media are violations of the nurse practice act and can be the cause of professional discipline and termination of employment.

When used wisely, social media is a valuable tool for nurses, but it can also pose risks when used inappropriately. NCSBN has developed social media guidelines for nurses and resources to help disseminate best practices.