Boundary violations, gender and the nature of nursing work

Abstract

Complaints against nurses can be made on several grounds and orders, including removal from the registry of nurses, can be made as a result of these complaints. Boundary violations generally relate to complaints around criminal charges, unsatisfactory professional conduct or professional misconduct or a lack of good character. This article explores the spectrum of boundary violations in the nurse–patient relationship by reviewing disciplinary cases from the New South Wales Nurses and Midwives Tribunal and Professional Standards Committees. The complaints spanned a spectrum of behaviours, from minor infringements such as inappropriate compliments to intimate touching and sexual intercourse. Furthermore, the majority of respondents were men, although men comprise a minority of the nursing profession. This phenomenon is discussed in terms of gender stereotyping and nursing work. In addition, the possibility that improved supervision may have gone some way to preventing the violations is explored.