Nurse-to-Nurse Boundaries: Transgressions, Grey Areas and Professionalism

Nursing teams depend on trust, respect, and clear communication in their interactions, yet these ideals are continually negotiated within hierarchical structures, time pressures and competing demands. While much attention is given to nurse-patient boundaries, far less scrutiny is directed towards boundaries among nurses. The boundaries we maintain with colleagues are often taken for granted rather than openly discussed, even though they significantly shape the workplace culture we encounter each day and can reproduce subtle (and even overt) forms of exclusion, favouritism and harm. The consequences of failing to respect or uphold these boundaries can be far-reaching for individual nurses, teams and those they care for. This paper aims to critically examine professional boundaries in nurse-to-nurse relationships and consider how boundary practices sustain or disrupt professional integrity and psychosocial safety in the workplace. We propose specific working parameters for everyday boundary practices to encourage discussion and debate among nurses. Additionally, this paper clarifies nurses' obligations to use their knowledge and skills to benefit their colleagues during interactions, mitigate harm, and show respect for one another within the constraints and power relations of contemporary health services. These insights may serve as a foundation for self-evaluation, peer review, team discussions, or clinical supervision. We acknowledge that there is scope for conscientious disagreement among nurses about where to draw the lines; nevertheless, we argue that maintaining clear, consistent professional boundaries is essential to fostering a healthy, respectful, and ethically sound work environment for all.