THE COLLEGE OF VETERINARIANS OF ONTARIO
college connection
CODE OF ETHICS
Ethical Dilemma
CLIENT QUESTIONS ETHICS AFTER BOUNDARY VIOLATION
The College recently published a Code of Ethics outlining the core values and principles of the profession. Veterinarians hold themselves and their colleagues to a high ethical standard. That would appear to be a“ given” for any professional. So why was it necessary to create a Code of Ethics? Let’ s look at a situation that was reported to the College to help answer that question.
A member of the public asked the College if there was a code of practice in place with regards to veterinarians forming personal relationships with clients as there are in other health care professions( where they would be patients).
Her cat was ill and needed ongoing care. During this time, her veterinarian decided to ask her out on a date. The client declined. She now questioned this veterinarian’ s ethics. If the veterinarian thought that it was okay to cross the boundary from professional to personal, could he still be trusted to provide the best care for her cat if he felt slighted by her declining to engage in a personal relationship?
It would be easy to say this client could just go to another clinic if she was no longer comfortable with nor trusted her current veterinarian. That’ s not the point. It should not have happened in the first place. A client seeking help for their animal should not be
subjected to unethical behaviour or“ conduct unbecoming a veterinarian”( Regulation 1093 s17( 1) ss 45). And it is not necessarily easy for someone to establish a new veterinarianclient-patient relationship especially when their animal is ill. Besides the emotional stress, there is the time and money invested.
In some areas of the province, veterinary care can be limited resulting in fewer options for clients to turn to. The client in our scenario had invested a great deal of energy into her pet’ s medical needs and now felt that she had to start all over again. Not an ideal situation for her or her cat to be in.
It would also be easy to say that this veterinarian should have known better; that his conduct was inappropriate. For some people, that is not necessarily intuitive. A written Code of Ethics puts into writing the values of the profession. For the veterinarian in this scenario, it would have outlined to him that to demonstrate“ Professionalism” a veterinarian“ maintains appropriate and dignified boundaries in the client relationship …”.
Earning and maintaining public trust through ethical practice is fundamental to the delivery of safe veterinary care. Developing a Code of Ethics is a reminder to veterinarians of the guiding principles of the profession to follow when treating patients and interacting with clients.
For the public, a Code of Ethics is one means to help earn trust as it illustrates the high ethical standards the profession holds itself accountable to. So, even with a“ given”, like ethical behaviour, it appears that it is important to have it written down.
The Code of Ethics for the veterinary profession was adopted in December 2015. The Code of Ethics is an official document of the College and is to be considered alongside professional practice standards in interpreting the overarching standard of practice of the profession.
Find the Code of Ethics on the College’ s website at
www. cvo. org / Code-of-Ethics
December 2015
CODE of ETHICS
Preamble As members of a self-regulated profession who serve the public and society, veterinarians earn and maintain the public trust through engagement in principle-guided ethical practice. Veterinarians hold themselves, their colleagues, and their profession to a high standard of ethical conduct, reflecting the core values and principles of the profession. The College and the public have the reasonable expectation that the care and service provided by veterinarians reflects these values.
CORE VALUES Core values are the foundation for ethical care and service in veterinary medicine. Core values guide veterinarians in the delivery of ethical care and service and are the foundation from which ethical principles are derived.
COMPASSION TRUSTWORTHINESS
A veterinarian acts with compassion when he / she: A veterinarian demonstrates trustworthiness when she / he:
• Acts with empathy and humanity while balancing
• Is honest, reliable and competent. understandings of the interests of the animal, client, public, and environmental health and well-being. PROFESSIONALISM
A veterinarian demonstrates professionalism when he / she: TRANSPARENCY
• Adheres to legislated requirements and standards
A veterinarian fosters transparency when he / she: of practice.
• Is truthful, accountable, and communicative in a
• Reflects the values and principles of the profession in manner that promotes and protects professional his / her behaviour and attitudes. relationships with clients, colleagues,
• Engages in collaborative care with clients, colleagues, and the public. and peers.
• Presents treatment options in a clear unbiased manner, • Maintains appropriate and dignified boundaries in the striving to ensure that the client fully understands the client relationship and all professional interactions. information presented. RESPECT
COMPETENCE A veterinarian promotes competence when he / she:
A veterinarian is respectful when he / she:
• Engages in the ongoing, reflective application of related
• Demonstrates respect for a client’ s autonomy, knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are expressed in choice, time, financial resources, privacy and right to professional behaviour related to the delivery of quality confidentiality. care and service and the advancement of veterinary
• Demonstrates respect for animals he / she treats, public medicine, animal welfare, and public health and safety. safety and the environment.
• Demonstrates respect for colleagues, peers and all members of the veterinary care team.
College Staff
Registrar’ s Office Ms. Jan Robinson- Registrar & CEO
Ms. Anita Lovrich Policy Specialist
Ms. Kim Huson Communications Specialist
Corporate Services
Ms. Beth Ready Executive Partner, Corporate Services
Ms. Shauna Spencer Ambassador, Corporate Services
Ms. Jagroop Ratia Acting Associate, Corporate Services
Licensure
Ms. Shilo Tooze Senior Partner, Licensure
Ms. Lindsay Mitchell Principal, Licensure & Professional Corporations
Ms. Iryna Trask Associate, Licensure & Professional Corporations
Ms. Rose Robinson Principal, Investigations & Resolutions
Ms. Sharan Ghandial Associate, Investigations & Resolutions
Mr. Martin Fischer Investigations & Inspections Specialist
Quality Practice
Dr. Susan Sabatini Practice Advisor
Ms. Megan Callaway Principal, Quality Practice
Ms. Aneeta Bharij Principal, Accreditation
Accreditation Inspectors Mr. Brian Redpath Mr. Wilf Muller Mr. Adrian Darmon
Spring 2016 / 5