Professional Boundaries
Course Description
Professional Boundaries for Healthcare Professionals (New Zealand) is a CPD course designed to help practitioners understand, apply, and evidence safe professional boundaries in practice.
Boundary issues — including sexual, financial, emotional, and digital — are among the most serious concerns raised in fitness-to-practise (FtP) cases. Regulators such as the MCNZ, NCNZ, Pharmacy Council, Dental Council, and HPCA authorities emphasise that boundary breaches exploit the power imbalance between practitioner and patient, undermine trust, and may result in suspension or deregistration.
This course explains boundary expectations in the New Zealand context, explores common risks, and provides practical strategies for maintaining safe, respectful, and professional relationships with patients and colleagues.
Course Content
Course Objectives
Course Objectives
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Section 1: Introduction — Why Professional Boundaries Matter in New Zealand Healthcare
1.1 Why Boundaries Matter for Patients
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1.2 Why Boundaries Matter for Regulators
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1.3 Why Boundaries Matter for the Profession
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1.4 Boundaries Beyond Compliance
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1.5 Reflective Quiz
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Section 2: Defining Professional Boundaries — The Practitioner–Patient Relationship
2.1 What are Professional Boundaries?
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2.2 Characteristics of Healthy Boundaries
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2.3 What Constitutes a Boundary Breach?
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2.4 Boundaries with Colleagues and Teams
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2.5 Why Boundary Awareness is Essential
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2.6 Reflective Quiz
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Section 3: Regulator Perspectives — MCNZ, NCNZ, Pharmacy Council, Dental Council, HPCA Authorities
3.1 Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ)
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3.2 Nursing Council of New Zealand (NCNZ)
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3.3 Pharmacy Council of New Zealand
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3.4 Dental Council of New Zealand
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3.5 HPCA Authorities (Allied Health Professions)
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3.6 Shared Regulator Themes
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3.7 Reflective Quiz
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Section 4: Types of Boundary Breaches — Sexual, Financial, Emotional, Digital
4.1 Sexual Boundaries
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4.2 Financial Boundaries
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4.3 Emotional Boundaries
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4.4 Digital Boundaries
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4.5 Why Boundary Breaches are So Serious
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4.6 Reflective Quiz
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Section 5: Weak vs Strong Responses to Boundary Concerns
5.1 Characteristics of Weak Responses
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5.2 Characteristics of Strong Responses
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5.3 Case Comparison — Medicine (Sexual Boundaries)
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5.4 Case Comparison — Nursing (Emotional Boundaries)
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5.5 Case Comparison — Dentistry (Financial Boundaries)
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5.6 Why Strong Responses Persuade Regulators
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5.7 Reflective Quiz
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Section 6: Case Studies — Boundary Breaches and Lessons Learned in New Zealand
6.1 Medicine — Sexual Boundaries
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6.2 Nursing — Emotional Boundaries
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6.3 Pharmacy — Digital Boundaries
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6.4 Dentistry — Financial Boundaries
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6.5 Allied Health — Boundary Drift
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6.6 Shared Lessons Across Professions
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6.7 Reflective Quiz
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Section 7: Remediating Boundary Concerns — CPD, Supervision, Reflective Logs
7.1 CPD (Continuing Professional Development)
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7.2 Supervision and Mentorship
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7.3 Reflective Logs
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7.4 Combining Remediation Tools
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7.5 Why Remediation Matters to Regulators
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7.6 Reflective Quiz
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Section 8: Presenting Boundary Awareness in Portfolios and Hearings
8.1 Boundary Awareness in Portfolios
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8.2 Boundary Awareness at Hearings
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8.3 Weak vs Strong Presentations
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8.4 Integrating Evidence Effectively
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8.5 Why Presentation Matters
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8.6 Practical Tips for Portfolios and Hearings
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8.7 Reflective Quiz
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Section 9: Embedding Boundaries into Daily Practice and Professional Identity
9.1 Boundaries as Part of Professional Identity
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9.2 Daily Habits that Reinforce Boundaries
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9.3 Mentorship and Role Modelling
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9.4 Building Resilience to Maintain Boundaries
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9.5 Boundaries Across a Career
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9.6 Reflective Quiz
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Section 10: Conclusion and Key Takeaways
Conclusion and Key Takeaways
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Post-Course Assessment
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