Poor Nursing Practice: Violation of Professional Boundaries and Incompetence

Poor nursing practise1
Poor nursing practice
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Poor nursing practise2
Poor nursing practice
Therapeutic communication is defined as the conversation and interaction between a
nurse and a patient that is aimed at the physical and emotional healing of the patient. Nurses are
expected to maintain a professional relationship with their patients which should be aimed at
attaining the patient’s healthcare expectations. Professional boundaries guide the nurses on the
appropriate behaviour when dealing with the patients. Professional boundary violation refers to
the behaviour of a nurse that is not aimed at providing therapeutic care to patients (Riley, 2015).
Violation of professional boundary
In the video, the first error that the student makes is to violate the professional boundary
that exists between a nurse and a patient. The focus of the nurse should be on the patient. When
the nurse enters the room, she is more concerned about her looks other than the well-being of the
patient. She starts by making her hair which is selfish and unprofessional. Just at the patient
notes, it is unclean and rude to be concerned about your looks before a patient suffering in pain
(Niezen et al 2014).
During the interaction with the patient, the student is distracted by an incoming message
on her phone. She removes the phone and starts reading the message in total negligence of the
patient. The student then goes ahead to discuss her matters with the patient who is inconsiderate
and cruel bearing in mind the patient was in for endometriosis which is a painful condition and
was not interested in the personal life of the nurse. Interaction between a nurse and a patient
should be focused on getting the patient better. Maintaining a therapeutic relationship ensures
that the interaction of the nurse and the patient is helpful to the recovery of the patient. Over-

Poor nursing practise3
involvement of the nurse with the patient may result in a diversion from the primary purpose of
the relationship with the patient (Linsley, 2018).
Small details like a person’s name can define interaction as either being professional or
casual. When the nurse gets into the room, she called the patient Mendy, and in correction, the
patient informs her that she is Sandra. The student, however, calls her Mendy which is less
professional. It does not show the professional boundary that exists between a nurse and a
patient.
Demonstration of a high level of incompetence
In the video, the student demonstrates a high level of incompetence. Firstly, she confuses
the patient’s name by calling her Mendy instead of Sandra. She is not even apologetic about it
and goes on to treat the patient. Such a scenario may raise doubts about the competency of a
health officer. The situation may cause fear of switch of patients on the part of the patient.
Sandra, for instance, may wonder if the treatment she is receiving is meant for her or another
patient called Mendy. Demonstration of such levels of incompetence makes the patients luck
trust in their caregivers. Communication between a nurse and a patient should help to build the
trust and assurance of the patients but not to instil fear as demonstrated in the video (Chierella et
al 2014).
The confidence of the nurse helps to reassure the patient of quality treatment which
allows the patient to recover (Arnold et al 2019). When taking the patient’s blood pressure, the
student confesses to the patient that she sometimes forgets to use the medical equipment. Each
patient expects to receive the best health care which involves the best doctor and nurse. No
patient wants to be the object of the trail, and the students should demonstrate the highest level of