What is Unprofessional Behavior?

My law & ethics teacher explained that the BON pretty much has the liberty to determine what is and isn't unprofessional behavior in both personal and professional facets of our lives.

I'm debating with san RN right now who's sort of verbally abusive when she doesn't agree with you which is fine, I guess. Sort of. lol. Anyway, someone else told her that if she was that way all the time, she's suprised that the BON hasn't been notified at some point of her volatile way of expressing herself.

What does it all mean?! Is the BON that pervasive w/respect to our personal lives..are most states the same on this issue or,

hrrm. I'm not even sure what I'm asking at this point.

I guess I'm just wondering if, if your personality is that abrasive to the point of verbal abuse, can a BON really get involved with this?

What about what we say and do on the internet? I mean, what if I'm having a bad day and I'm a jerk? I guess I'm just wondering exactly what 'unprofessional behavior' means and how it applies to our personal lives. The thought of threatening a nurse with the BON because we don't like her personality makes me feel like I might as well move to Cuba!

I can only give a few examples based on my personal understanding of it, but, using or selling illegal drugs, stealing drugs from work (especially narcatics), DWI, child/elder abuse, and it can very well be verbal abuse, but that is harder to prove because there are no visible scars. Maybe even practicing medicine without a license-an example of that is a friend tells you she is constipated and you give her colace. As a layperson, that is more acceptable. As a licensed person, you would need more information, so, rather than dispense medications (only a pharmacist can do that ) without an order from a physician, you can be considered to be practicing outside of your legal scope of practice. Anyone else can chime in and correct me, but this is what I am thinking.