Working in the field of medicine is a very rewarding experience. Being a veterinarian is a very distinct honor which has great responsibility that comes along with it. Veterinarians are members of a scholarly profession who have earned academic degrees from comprehensive universities. With such an honored profession comes a set of ethics that need to be followed to keep the dignity of the profession intact. According to the Principles of Veterinary Medical Ethics of the AVMA “Exemplary professional conduct upholds the dignity of the veterinary profession. All veterinarians are expected to adhere to a progressive code of ethical conduct known as the Principles of Veterinary Medical Ethics.”
Professional behavior is a major part of the ethics code of all veterinarians. When you are part of such a distinct group of professionals it is essential that you act and behave as one. According to the AVMA “Veterinarians should obey all laws of the jurisdictions in which they reside and practice veterinary medicine. Veterinarians should be honest and fair in their relations with others, and they should not engage in fraud, misrepresentation, or deceit.” Being in such an honored group of professionals it is essential that you are viewed as a leader in your community, which is why it is part of the ethical code for veterinarians to obey all laws of the jurisdiction in which they reside.
The next section of the veterinarian code of ethics is known as The Veterinarian-Client-Patient Relationship (VCPR) and it states the following, “Veterinarians should be honest, fair, courteous, considerate, and compassionate. Veterinarians should present a professional appearance and follow acceptable professional procedures using current professional and scientific knowledge.” Veterinarians are a very prestigious group of people who need to appear that way to the community in which they work. They also should be courteous, considerate, and compassionate to ensure the greatest quality of care for not only the pets but for the families of the animals they are treating. It would be unethical for a veterinarian not to give the animals and their owners the upmost respect and honor while treating them. It is the job of the veterinarian to make the process of treating an animal the best experience that it possibly can be under the situation that is given. Also when dealing with clients, according to the VCPR, “Veterinarians should not reveal confidences unless required to by law or unless it becomes necessary to protect the health and welfare of other individuals or animals.” It is an upmost priority to protect the personal information of the clients of which you are performing a medical service.
The veterinary code of ethics is a very in dept document that requires veterinarians to be very precise and accurate in what they do as a professional in their field. This is why it is sometimes appropriate for veterinarians to seek and give opinions to and from one another. This is what the next section of the VCPR addresses. When you are an attending physician you are the physician the initiates the treatment with the client and the animal in question. There will be times in which you will need the opinion of another veterinarian and this section of the ethics code addresses. A consulting veterinarian is a veterinarian is the veterinarian who agrees to advise the attending veterinarian on the care and management of a case. The referral veterinarian or receiving veterinarian is a veterinarian who agrees to provide requested veterinary services from another veterinarian.
Influences of Judgment are the next topic covered in the ethics that apply to veterinarians. In this section veterinarians are told that, “The choice of treatments or animal care should not be influenced by considerations other than the needs of the patient, the welfare of the client, and the safety of the public.” This meaning that you should not let any outside factors effect the way you would treat an animal or the owners of the animal. This section also goes on to say that, “Veterinarians should not allow their medical judgment to be influenced by agreements by which they stand to profit through referring clients to other providers of services or products.” As a veterinarian you should always do what is medically right for the animal and for the client that has brought you the animal not just what is going to help you make a profit in the long term because this profession is about helping animals and not helping yourself. Also is there is found to be a conflict of interest while the veterinarian is treating an animal they should according to the code of ethics, disclose to clients potential conflicts of interest.”
There are many things that the code of ethics says a veterinarian should do but there are some things that are completely unethical. One of those according to the VCPR is performing surgeries on animals that have genetic mutations. It reads as quote, “Performance of surgical or other procedures in all species for the purpose of concealing genetic defects in animals to be shown, raced, bred, or sold, as breeding animals is unethical.” The only reason that a veterinarian should ever operate on a genetic mutation is, “the health or welfare of the individual patient require correction of such genetic defects.”
Of course when you talk about veterinarians there is always a downside. The part that no one likes to talk about but is a harsh reality is that sometimes there is just nothing more than can be done for an animal’s health and overall wellbeing so the decision comes on whether or not the animal should be euthanized. The code of ethics addresses this topic in its last section by saying, “Humane euthanasia of animals is an ethical veterinary procedure.”
As I am sure you can already tell there is more to being a veterinarian than just working on animals after you graduate from med-school. There are many codes and ethics that you must adhere to when you are an acting physician. The ethics of the job are almost as important as the job itself and must be practiced.
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