Professional boundaries and social media — branching viva

Opening (candidate)

I would treat each of these as a boundary challenge that requires me to pause, reflect and consult before acting. For the friend request, I would decline it kindly with a brief explanation that I keep my personal and professional lives separate to provide the best care. For the WhatsApp message, I would not respond on the personal app but would redirect the mother to the approved after-hours clinical contact and triage the clinical question through the proper channel. For the colleague's request, I would avoid prescribing and advise her to take her son to his usual clinician. The unifying principle is that the responsibility for the boundary always sits with the clinician, regardless of who initiated the contact. ^{[1] [2]}