PERMANENT RULES
(Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission)
Date of Adoption: January 13, 1999.
Purpose: Create a new WAC to assist the nurses and the public in understanding the concept of sexual misconduct and disciplinary actions which can be taken in disciplinary cases coming before the commission and to ensure that the commission's disciplinary actions are enforceable and therefore more fully protect the public.
Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: New WAC 246-840-740 Sexual misconduct prohibited.
Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 18.130.180(24).
Adopted under notice filed as WSR 98-24-106 on December 2, 1998.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 1, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 1, Amended 0, Repealed 0. Effective Date of Rule: Thirty-one days after filing.
January 13, 1999
Joanna Boatman, RN, Chair
Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission
OTS-2413.1
NEW SECTION
WAC 246-840-740
Sexual misconduct prohibited.
(1) What is the nursing commission's intent in prohibiting this type of misconduct?
Sexual or romantic conduct with a client or the client's family is serious misconduct because it harms the nurse/client relationship and interferes with the safe and effective delivery of nursing services. A nurse does not need to be "assigned" to the client in order for the nurse/client relationship to exist. The role of the nurse in the nurse/client relationship places the nurse in the more powerful position and the nurse must not abuse this power. Under certain circumstances, the nurse/client relationship continues beyond the termination of nursing services. Not only does sexual or romantic misconduct violate the trust and confidence held by health care clients towards nursing staff, but it also undermines public confidence in nursing. Nurses can take measures to avoid allegations of such misconduct by establishing and maintaining professional boundaries in dealing with their clients.
(2) What conduct is prohibited?
Nurses shall never engage, or attempt to engage, in sexual or romantic conduct with clients, or a client's immediate family members or significant others. Such conduct does not have to involve sexual contact. It includes behaviors or expressions of a sexual or intimately romantic nature. Sexual or romantic conduct is prohibited whether or not the client, family member or significant other initiates or consents to the conduct. Such conduct is also prohibited between a nursing educator and student.
Regardless of the existence of a nurse/client relationship, nurses shall never use patient information derived through their role as a health care provider to attempt to contact a patient in pursuit of a nurse's own sexual or romantic interests or for any other purpose other than legitimate health care.
(3) What should a nurse do to avoid allegations of sexual or romantic misconduct?
Establishing and maintaining professional boundaries is critical to avoiding even the appearance of sexual or romantic misconduct. Nurses can take certain preventative steps to make sure safeguards are in place at all times, such as:
(a) Setting appropriate boundaries with patients, physically and verbally, at the outset of professional relationships, and documenting such actions and the basis for such actions;
(b) Consulting with supervisors regarding difficulties in establishing and maintaining professional boundaries with a given client; and/or
(c) Seeking reassignment to avoid incurring a violation of these rules.
(4) What about former clients?
A nurse shall not engage or attempt to engage a former client, or former client's immediate family member or significant other, in sexual or romantic conduct if such conduct would constitute abuse of the nurse/client relationship. The nurse/client relationship is abused when a nurse uses and/or benefits from the nurse's professional status and the vulnerability of the client due to the client's condition or status as a patient.
(a) Due to the unique vulnerability of mental health and chemical dependency clients, nurses are prohibited from engaging in or attempting to engage in sexual or romantic conduct with such former clients, or their immediate family or significant other, for a period of at least two years after termination of nursing services. After two years, sexual or romantic conduct may be permitted with a former mental health or chemical dependency client, but only if the conduct would not constitute abuse of the nurse/client relationship.
(b) Factors which the commission may consider in determining whether there was abuse of the nurse/client relationship include, but are not limited to:
(i) The amount of time that has passed since nursing services were terminated;
(ii) The nature and duration of the nurse/client relationship, the extent to which there exists an ongoing nurse/client relationship following the termination of services, and whether the client is reasonably anticipated to become a client of the nurse in the future;
(iii) The circumstances of the cessation or termination of the nurse/client relationship;
(iv) The former client's personal history;
(v) The former client's current or past mental status, and whether the client has been the recipient of mental health services;
(vi) The likelihood of an adverse impact on the former client and others;
(vii) Any statements or actions made by the nurse during the course of treatment suggesting or inviting the possibility of sexual or romantic conduct;
(viii) Where the conduct is with a client's immediate family member or significant other, whether such a person is vulnerable to being induced into such relationship due to the condition or treatment of the client or the overall circumstances.
(5) Are there situations where these rules do not apply?
These rules do not prohibit:
(a) The provision of nursing services on an urgent, unforeseen basis where circumstances will not allow a nurse to obtain reassignment or make an appropriate referral;
(b) The provision of nursing services to a spouse, or family member, or any other person who is in a preexisting, established relationship with the nurse where no evidence of abuse of the nurse/client relationship exists.
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