Professional responsibility to clients

‘What disturbs people’s minds are not events but their judgments on events.’

                                                                           Epictetus 500BC

A vet in the course of their work may have a profound influence on clients. Therefore, special attention needs to be given to professional ethics. The ethical awareness, sense of responsibility, and professional competence of every vet is important. A veterinarian should respect society’s general social and moral norms and be aware that a deviation from these can affect the confidence in an individual veterinarian and the profession as a whole. It is a responsibility of a veterinarian to maintain and improve their professional knowledge and keep up with developments throughout their professional career to be able to offer clients and patients the best possible service. A vet should always ensure an adequate level of competence in the spoken and written form of the scientific language, and strive to know  the professional and personal strong and weak points so as to be able to realistically assess the cases they can or cannot accept. A vet should always seek to maintaining professional competence, and try to recognise the possible impairment of their professional skills due to age, time restraints, financial responsibilities and family commitments.

When giving information to clients, a vet should give as true a picture as possible regarding his/her competence and skills, and co-operate where necessary with other veterinarians and respects their skills. Should the case so require, the vet should consult another vet or specialist, or acquire the necessary guidance or further education. If the vet’s own skills or experience are not adequate for the case at hand, they should endeavour to make certain that the client gets the necessary treatment, and refers the client to another professional. In their work, the vet should attempt to use medical/surgical methods which they have a good command of, and which is in accordance with the client’s needs. A veterinarian should continuously evaluate the effectiveness and effects of the regular medical/surgical procedures that are used in treating the patient. In their activities, a vet should never be influenced by ungrounded professional advancement or financial interests.

With respect to offering a veterinary service, the vet should treat the patient in accordance with the client’s wishes, and therefore should clearly define the expected fees likely to be incurred on the work carried out. The vet should always ensure that the client gets enough information presented in clear form about the methods of treatment used, and about the predicted results and prognosis.

When it comes to overnight hospitalisation of medical cases, what the client is expecting for their pet should be considered. I think that if most clients knew that their pet was left alone in a clinic overnight without supervision they would prefer to be referred to a hospital that has staffing throughout the night. Most clinics have signs informing clients that no one is on site, but I don’t think emotional clients notice them or truly understand that their pet will be unattended when the vet goes home.

When we are deciding to refer a patient to a veterinary specialist, the best interest of the patient is the most important issue. Most veterinarians refer for that reason[i]. Historically, veterinarians have been preoccupied by the financial aspect and let that interfere with referring the patient. They tend to decide for their client. They believe that their client will decline referral because of the expense and that is simply not my experience. Some families want that level of care and expertise and are very willing to pay for it if available. One of the ways to enhance the referral relationship is to have a trusting relationship with a specialist. It is important that the non-specialist veterinarian is kept informed about the patient and is able to reassure their client that their pet is getting the care it needs.

Finally, it goes without saying that a client’s race, gender, social standing, religion, political opinion, or other similar matters shouldn’t affect the way a vet treats a client or the animal under their care.