Examples Of Veterinary Medical Ethics

Ethics are “rules” or guidelines that people should follow. In the veterinary world, the ethics are set by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and by the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA). The NAVTA has a code of ethics that focuses on both practicing medicine and protecting the profession. (Prendergast) Veterinarians are members of the AVMA who have earned an academic degree to practice medicine and adhere to progressive codes of ethical conduct; this is known as the Principles of Veterinary Medical Ethics (PVME). (AVMA) Ethics are set up to hold veterinary staff to high standards and good moral consciousness.

The first ethical code is that all veterinary technicians should aid society and animals

To me that means one should be careful with their words and how they are used, when giving bad news to clients. Compassion offered by a technician can make the process of a difficult choice seem more ethical and help aid the client during the process of grief. An example of this is a technician can’t go up to a twelve-year-old and tell him or her that “Fluffy” has a heart condition and will die; the better way to approach the situation is gently expressing there is something wrong with “Fluffy” and it would be best to say goodbye.

Next in the code of ethics is that all technicians should remain competent through the commitment to lifelong learning. Meaning that no client wants a hesitant technician because his or her pet is their baby and not knowing what one is doing is scary; because the client is trusting the technician to do his or her job with confidence. The technician should always be open-minded to new ways and techniques to help one improve

The laws for veterinary technicians vary from every state, for example, in the state of New Hampshire the laws are a Veterinarian needs to be licensed and dogs, cats, and ferrets must all have a rabies shot. One must be able to prove the patient has a rabies certificate and dogs have a license. Cat licensing is not required by the state of New Hampshire; but a town has the option to require a license for a cat; however, administrating everyone’s cat has a license would be difficult. For a hit and run accident, dogs must be reported but cats do not. As a veterinary technician one needs to know what the law is in the state he or she decides to reside in and make sure clients and health care members uphold the ethics code. Also, along with the code the laws as well. A technician can make sure the code is followed by doing his or her due diligence as a professional. In the state of North Carolina, it is required for dogs and cats to have a rabies vaccination. One must be able to prove that an animal was vaccinated. It is not illegal for a dog to ride in the tailgate in the back of the