college connection
IMPOSTER PRACTICE
IMPOSTER PRACTICE IS RARE BUT POSES RISK TO PUBLIC
The College recently investigated a case of
imposter practice. Most people outside of the
regulatory world don’t know what imposter
practice is. The College investigates several
cases of unauthorized practice each year,
where individuals who are not licensed
are providing services that the legislation
indicates that only veterinarians can provide.
In these cases, the individuals involved don’t
claim to be veterinarians. Imposter practice
occurs when someone pretends to be a
licensed professional and works in that field
until they are caught. You sometimes read
about these kinds of cases in the news.
mandate related to public protection and
managing risks, management of imposter
practice is a high priority as the risk to the
public is high.
In imposter practice cases, the College
investigates and gathers information. If the
College becomes aware of a confirmed case
of imposter practice, the College acts quickly
to remove the individual from practice and
ensures that the practice does not re-occur.
The first tool that the College can use to
Earlier this year, the College determined that
an individual who was not licensed to practise
veterinary medicine in Ontario was in fact
claiming to be a veterinarian and working in a
veterinary practice providing care. When the
College discovered that this was happening,
the individual was approached and removed
from practice. The College also issued a
public notice indicating that the individual did
not hold a licence to practice.
manage imposter practice is a cease and
desist letter where the individual is asked
to stop the activity and warned that they
are in violation of the Veterinarians Act. The
individual must confirm that practice has
ceased. The cease and desist letter is often
sufficient to stop the illegal practice. When
necessary, the College will seek a Court order
to stop the individual from illegally practicing
veterinary medicine and have a fine applied.
Section 40 of the Veterinarians Act relates to
monetary fines that can be used to address
unauthorized or imposter practice and a Court
can order payment of these fines.
Veterinarians are reminded that everyone has
a part to play in protecting the public from
imposter practice. If you are responsible for
hiring a veterinarian, please check the public
register to confirm the individual’s licensure
status. If you become aware of an unlicensed
individual providing veterinary care, please
contact the College so that the matter can be
investigated and addressed. Management
of imposter practice is an area where the
profession and the College can work together
to better protect the public.
Although imposter practice does happen
occasionally in regulated professions, it is
infrequent. When the College considers our
Veterinarian-Client-Patient Relationship
BENEFITS EXPLAINED IN NEW COMPANION ANIMAL VIDEO
The veterinarian-client-patient relationship is
the foundation of effective veterinary medicine
and animal care.
The VCPR represents a formal long-term
relationship between you as the veterinarian
and your client. Of course, this relationship is
centred around the client’s pet or animal.
The College released a video earlier this year
which depicts the relationship companion
animal veterinarians have with their clients
and the benefits of that relationship for pets. A
previous version of the video focuses on food
animal medicine.
It can be challenging for clients to understand
the VCPR. The video explains a veterinarian
is a partner in the health and well-
being of pets. And also that it is
through a VCPR that a client can
access appropriate medication and
treatment and, when necessary,
emergency treatment.
You are welcome to download the
video to share it with your clients as
well.
Video: The benefits of the VCPR
explained
Your Relationship with Your Client
Professional Practice Standard & Guide -
Veterinarian-Client-Patient Relationship
Spring 2019 / 3