B.C.’s College of Nurses and Midwives has suspended a nurse for a year after finding they had engaged in a personal and sexual relationship with a client.
A college inquiry committee panel said in a newly released public notice that an agreement was reached June 25 to address issues arising from the relationship between July and September 2023.
“The nurse has documented that at the time of the conduct, they suffered from a health condition that was a factor in that conduct,” the notice said.
The college's standards on nurse-client relationships prohibits personal and intimate relationships, irrespective of whether the relationship is consensual.
“The nurse-client relationship is the foundation of nursing practice across all populations and cultures and in all practice settings,” the notice said.
“It is therapeutic and focuses on the needs of the client. It is based on trust, respect and professional intimacy, and it requires the appropriate use of authority.”
It said a breach of professional boundaries can harm both the client and the nurse-client relationship.
The notice withheld the nurse’s name due to the health information issue.
The discipline includes a registration suspension for 12 months, a six-month prohibition on working in community nursing, and a requirement that the nurse be followed by a counsellor for 12 months if they return to community nursing.
“The inquiry committee is satisfied that the terms will address the professional and practice concerns that arose and will protect the public,” the college said.
