Ethical Boundaries with Patients and Colleagues
Course Description
The Ethical Boundaries with Patients and Colleagues (USA) course is a CPD program designed to help healthcare professionals across all disciplines understand, maintain, and evidence ethical boundaries in practice.
Boundaries protect patients from exploitation, safeguard dignity, and ensure fairness in professional relationships. This course explores how U.S. regulators — including state licensing boards, the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB), and professional associations such as the AMA, ANA, ADA, and APhA — expect clinicians to manage boundaries with both patients and colleagues.
Learners will study common ethical challenges (sexual, emotional, financial, and digital boundaries), the consequences of breaches, and strategies for reflection, remediation, and embedding ethical behaviour into professional identity.
Course Content
Course Objectives
Course Objectives
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Section 1: Introduction — Why Ethical Boundaries Matter in U.S. Healthcare
1.1 What Are Ethical Boundaries?
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1.2 Why Boundaries Are Essential in Patient Care
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1.3 Why Boundaries Are Essential Among Colleagues
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1.4 Boundaries and Public Trust
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1.5 Boundaries as a Licensing Requirement
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1.6 Boundaries in Daily Professional Practice
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1.7 Reflective Quiz
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Section 2: Ethical Boundaries with Patients — Scope and Expectations
2.1 The Nature of the Professional–Patient Relationship
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2.2 Sexual Boundaries with Patients
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2.3 Emotional Boundaries with Patients
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2.4 Financial Boundaries with Patients
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2.5 Digital Boundaries with Patients
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2.6 Grey Areas and “Boundary Drift” with Patients
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2.7 Consequences of Patient Boundary Violations
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2.8 Reflective Quiz
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Section 3: Ethical Boundaries with Colleagues — Respect, Fairness, and Professionalism
3.1 Why Boundaries Among Colleagues Matter
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3.2 Respect and Dignity in Professional Relationships
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3.3 Avoiding Harassment, Bullying, and Discrimination
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3.4 Conflicts of Interest with Colleagues
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3.5 Boundaries in Supervision and Hierarchical Roles
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3.6 Digital Boundaries Among Colleagues
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3.7 Consequences of Boundary Breaches with Colleagues
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3.8 Reflective Quiz
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Section 4: Professional Codes and Regulatory Standards (AMA, ANA, ADA, APhA, FSMB, State Boards)
4.1 The American Medical Association (AMA) Code of Medical Ethics
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4.2 The American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics
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4.3 The American Dental Association (ADA) Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct
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4.4 The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Code of Ethics
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4.5 The Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB)
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4.6 State Licensing Boards
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4.7 Shared Themes Across All Codes and Boards
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4.8 Reflective Quiz
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Section 5: Common Boundary Breaches with Patients and Colleagues
5.1 Sexual Misconduct
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5.2 Emotional Over-Involvement
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5.3 Financial Exploitation
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5.4 Confidentiality Breaches
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5.5 Harassment and Bullying Among Colleagues
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5.6 Disrespect and Discrimination
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5.7 Digital Boundary Violations
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5.8 Concealment of Errors or Misconduct
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5.9 Reflective Quiz
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Section 6: Warning Signs and Grey Areas in Relationships
6.1 Understanding Grey Areas in Boundaries
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6.2 Common Warning Signs of Boundary Drift with Patients
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6.3 Common Warning Signs of Boundary Drift with Colleagues
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6.4 Risk Factors That Increase Vulnerability
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6.5 Strategies for Managing Grey Areas
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6.6 Regulator Perspectives on Grey Areas
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6.7 Reflective Quiz
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Section 7: Reflection, Insight, and Remediation in Boundary Concerns
7.1 Reflection — Honest Analysis of the Lapse
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7.2 Insight — Recognising Seriousness and Impact
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