PROFESSIONAL ENGAGEMENT
WHY BE ENGAGED WITH YOUR REGULATOR ?
This is the second article of a series of articles on engaged professionals . One of the guiding principles in the Guidance on Professionalism for Veterinarians is the veterinarian ’ s responsibilities to the profession and society . Profession-based regulation is a privilege . As veterinarians , we merit this privilege by seeking trustworthiness and building confidence individually and across the profession .
The first article of this series shared my experience and perspective on choosing to be involved with the College and the leadership opportunity it provided . For me , this produced both personal and professional benefits and a deeper understanding and appreciation of the role of the College .
Perhaps it sparked your interest to be involved . If so , I encourage you to continue reading and discover the many ways that you can contribute your voice to the conversation and be engaged with the College . This is the second article in a series of three articles .
How can you contribute your expertise to the College ?
Join Council , a Committee , a Working Group , or a Task Force :
The College ’ s governing Council and its committees meet regularly throughout the year to make decisions concerning the College ’ s policy work and initiatives which enable it to meet its mandate of protecting and serving the public interest .
The Council is responsible for directing the work of the College and sets the College ’ s strategic objectives and policy direction . Council members are elected for three-year terms and are expected to attend Council meetings four times a year and serve on at least one statutory committee .
Committees support the work of the College Council . The College has five statutory Committees ( required by legislation ) and two non-statutory Committees ( created by the College ). Committee composition is established at the December Council meeting and they are made up of Council and non- Council Committee members . As well as policy work , certain Committees deal with matters related to the conduct of individual veterinarians .
Depending on the College ’ s policy work and initiatives , Council may appoint working groups , advisory groups or task forces to assist with the thinking that is needed to inform and advance the College ’ s work . Examples include the Innovation and Technology Advisory Group , the Legislative Reform Advisory Group , the Expert Advisory Group to draft new accreditation standards , to name a few .
Become an Agent of the College :
To meet its mandate , support Committee decisions , and assist quality assurance programs , the College requires veterinarians to act as mentors , experts to provide independent opinions , practice monitors , reviewers , assessors , Peer Reviewers of medical records , and Peer Advisors for the Peer Advisory Conversation . These roles are critical to the College ’ s ability to address concerns about a veterinarian ’ s practice or conduct , and deliver programs that support veterinarians in demonstrating their continued competence and the safety and quality of their practice .
Contribute to Consultations :
Consultations with the profession , the public and other stakeholders are an important part of the College ’ s policy development and review process . All voices are important , and Council reviews and considers every comment that is received to make informed decisions about new policies or changes
Dr . Kim Lambert
Associate Registrar - Quality Practice
to existing policies . When responding to consultations , it is important to remember that the mandate of the College is to protect the public interest and that is the lens through which Council makes policy and decisions . Your veterinary expertise can highlight scenarios that need to be considered and what the impact might be on certain scopes of veterinary practice . These perspectives help to shape the policy that is used to govern the practice of veterinary medicine .
Other ways to contribute ?
Watch for the third and final article in this series for more ideas on how to contribute to the profession through engagement opportunities .
Check out the October issue of e-Update for information on two new opportunities to engage in your profession .
– The College is seeking your input through a survey of relevant topics to include in the jurisprudence exam
– Another exciting initiative is recruiting nominees to support the development of the North American essential competency profile
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