Professional responsibility to peers

Honour is not accorded to virtue because of the office held,

but to the office because of the virtue of the beholder.’

                                                               Boethius

People, by and large, make rash assumptions about professionals. They generally assume that there is no greater sense of intellectual degradation that after an interview with a doctor. That white coats hide ivory hearts. That all scientist have had personality-bypasses. And that all veterinarians love animals. What we can say about professionals in general is that generally they are people, and thus susceptible to a multitude of personalities, interests, ambitions and beliefs. Not all scientists are atheists, and not all vets drive Pajeros. However, personalities aside, the profession as a whole has expectations for those under its employ.

Recently, the American Academy of Paediatrics proposed that ‘professionalism’ be taught to undergraduate medical students as part of their curriculum studies. They defined professionalism as including such things as honesty, integrity, reliability, responsibility, respect for others, compassion, empathy, self-improvement, self-awareness, knowledge of limits, communication, collaboration, altruism and advocacy.[i] Such a model of professionalism is integrating slowly into professional fields including veterinary science. However, this model of professionalism does have some limitations in veterinary science. These limitations include limited human-animal interaction in a clinical setting, an entrenched Cartesian belief in restricted/non-existent animal cognitive functions, and the role of some animals as providers of food. With time, it is hoped that the veterinary profession will fully embrace these aspects of professionalism, which the medical fraternity has already included in its curriculum.

If promoted at all in our profession, professionalism seems to have been taught to us as an ideal that protects things and ideas such as: the integrity of the current database of veterinary information, the use of technical jargon instead of the transparency of everyday language, rules or creeds devoted to technical expertise, and rules that exclude promotion (advertising)[ii]. Other issues, however, are equally important, including;

Ø         Suspension of self-interest - this is very hard at the end of the day after seeing many difficult cases. The last patient, even the one that comes in late, deserves our best efforts. This applies to veterinary technicians, staff and everyone else at your hospital.

Ø         Honesty and justice - the reputation of a clinic and the profession hinges on your integrity and fairness.

Ø         Technical competence – we have graduated technically competent from university, but our professional reputation depends on a continually growing technical competence through continuing education. Our profession, unfortunately, has many who do not feel continuing education is a priority.

Ø         Authority and accountability - authority and responsibility go hand in hand. What we provide is a service not just a market commodity. Although we are accountable to our vendors and employees, our major focus must be on our patients and clients.

Ø         Communication - teaching and listening to our clients is vital. Busy practitioners should never be so engaged in the process so as to neglect to inform and be informed.

Ø         Humility – all university degrees promote intellectual superiority. In some individuals, intellectual abilities can go to their head (‘I have a right to be heard, respected, praised’). Our profession has a good reputation for graduating down-to-earth professionals, largely because the patients we are dealing within are not entirely disconnected from nature. (It’s hard to be arrogant mucking about in a pig pen). However, the sterile clinical environment can divorce us from the reality which is a pet’s life. It pays to be on guard against pomposity and hubris.