INTRODUCTION
The profession of a veterinarian is that of specialised care and treatment of animals; hence, it is very critical to promote the welfare of the animals and public health. Work for veterinarians includes diagnosing, preventing, and treating diseases and injuries in wild or domestic animals (Herron & Shreyer, 2014). Integrity and ethics form the basic principles within the veterinary profession. Integrity is adherence to a formidable code of morality and ethics, bringing in responsibility (Huberts, 2018). The base of integrity and ethics in the veterinary profession comprises a proper moral code, honesty, and commitment. The animal’s welfare comes first; therefore, the veterinarian should work in the interest of the animals and, at the same time, be confidential about the information. The veterinarian must diagnose properly, prescribe the correct treatment, and care for the animals with great compassion, including high professional integrity (Hernandez et al., 2018). Integrity builds trust from the veterinarian to the owner of the animals or the general community they engage with, thus developing a reliable and competent relationship that lasts for a long time. It also helps maintain the credibility of the profession as a whole.
The profession has several threats to its integrity. Such includes the financial conflict of interest involving veterinary services that could bring into question the aspect of animals’ welfare. It consists of a conflict that arises as one tries to balance the interests of an animal’s owner, the animal’s welfare, and the public’s health. Additionally, the profession is exposed to fraud, in which false representation of qualifications could mislead owners into carrying out unnecessary medical procedures (David Schoorman et al., 2016). On their part, veterinarians are called to be alert and maintain their ethics to avoid minimising risks in the above sense for the highest possible level of animal care.
OVERVIEW OF THE PROFESSION
History
The history of the veterinary medical profession in Australia demonstrates substantial evolution reflective of the changed needs and advances in animal healthcare. The veterinary practice in Australia has roots in the 19th century when the first vets arrived in Australia from Europe. Such pioneers were mainly concerned with the treatment of livestock since the country has agriculture as one of its key economic sectors. With the development of the cities of Australia and the increasing numbers of companion animals that were gaining more importance in society, veterinarians’ role expanded to include the treatment and care of home animals. This further accelerated the profession’s expansion by setting up various schools and institutions that advanced veterinary studies, such as the Faculty of Veterinary Science at the University of Sydney.
The 20th century was when medical technology and drugs significantly improved veterinary medicine. Diagnostic tools, including X-rays and laboratory tests, have become increasingly part of standard veterinary medical practice. Therefore, it has made it much easier for veterinarians to be accurate in their diagnoses and treatment plans (Cake et al., 2017). Prevention medicine and vaccines were also part of animal health and well-being changes. Specialisation in advancing technology in the veterinary profession through the delivery of advanced services is another contemporary trend observed over the last couple of decades in the practice of veterinary science in Australia.
As technology progresses, so does the profession. Nowadays, telemedicine, including remote consultations, has come to the forefront, specifying that veterinarians can counsel and support their clients who live in villages and remote areas. Furthermore, these databases and imaging devices have improved record-keeping and facilitated communication between veterinary professionals. The role of a veterinarian in Australia has broadened beyond the clinical practice. The veterinary profession has now become one of the crucial forces in the nation’s protection of the health of animals.
Professional association
The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) is a professional body representing the country’s veterinarians. Its primary aim is to provide service to and protect the interests of veterinarians to ensure the standards of veterinary care are maintained at the highest possible level (Maxwell, 2018). The AVA plays a pivotal role in the advocacy of the veterinary profession at the national and international levels. It is an organisation to be associated with, having 8,500 members and being led by the nation’s top-rated veterinarians, bringing together a very diverse and professional community in Australia (AVA, 2023). It liaises with the government, industry stakeholders, and other professional bodies in formulating policies on animal health, welfare, and public health (Schipp, 2018). The association provides members with a whole array of services, from programs in continuing education and opportunities for professional development to access to the latest research and clinical guidelines in their field of specialisation. Its publication is accomplished in scientific journals and newsletters, which inform members of the current trends and advances in veterinary medicine.
The professional in aligning with Meyers criteria
According to Meyers (2018), a profession must have an expert in a specific field of knowledge and acquire the skill set needed to provide critical services. Besides, professionals are dedicated to the good of their clients and hold a normative commitment to the best interests of their clients as the clients are their concern. According to Meyers, trust is a significant component of a profession, and for trust to exist, certain structural conditions must be fulfilled (Meyers, 2018). Among the prime factors that set the formal professions apart from other occupations or jobs is that professionals focus entirely on their clients and professional competence. A veterinarian’s profession is one of those professions that resonate with the standards outlined in the work of Christopher Meyers. To start with, veterinarians have specialised knowledge and skills acquired through intensive learning and training, yet they are essential for the quality dispensation of care to animals. These include adherence to ethical guidelines and professional competency in keeping oneself updated with the advances in veterinary medicine. They also have a high sense of responsibility and accountability to their clients and the community, as they must prioritise the well-being of animals and promote preventive healthcare.
Profession’s association integrity management processes
The association assures it has association integrity management processes, which are its governing principles in maintaining high standards of professional integrity. Within this aspect, AVA ensures that concerns related to ethics and accountability are maintained within the veterinary profession. The members have established robust mechanisms that support transparency and accountability (Tucak, 2023). The processes include a strict code of conduct and ethics and continuous professional development and training programs. Further, strict disciplinary procedures are arisingstrict disciplinary procedures arise from any misdemeanours or breaches of professional standards. Priority in integrity management reassures that each member should follow the higher ethical principle for developing faith and confidence in the veterinary profession in Australia.
ETHICS AND THE PROFESSION
In the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) profession’s code of ethics and code of conduct, several core ethical values and principles are outlined.
Animal Health and Welfare: The AVA has emphasised that practice must ensure animals’ health, welfare, and respectful treatment. Veterinarians must provide suitable measures, including management and treatment with the necessary disease prevention. Every effort must be made to minimise the suffering of these animals; therefore, handling the animals should be undertaken sensitively and with minimum stress (AVA, 2019). The code highly encourages humaneness in managing domestic and feral animals while advocating for pain management when needed.
Professional Integrity: The Veterinarian should always carry out his duties with a high reputation and integrity. They should maintain appropriate personal, moral, and ethical standards within the practice and in other respects of their personal life. Conflicts of interest are not allowed. They should promote trust and mutual respect between colleagues, and one must take action if they are involved in misconduct or unprofessional conduct.
Quality of Veterinary Services: The AVA expects that the veterinarian will commit to excellence in service delivery and, at all times, be committed to enhancing the quality of veterinary recommendations and procedures based on sound evidence in science and practice. Such veterinarians should act within the limit of their knowledge and experience, provide proper continuity of care, and maintain adequate records for optimum treatment and legal purposes.
Communication and Client Relationships: The veterinarian should encourage and develop a sound communication and relationship with the client. This should include gaining the client’s trust, respecting his right to confidentiality, and giving complete and accurate information concerning any treatment, procedures, and costs likely involved (MANNER, 2024). Veterinary professionals must engage their clients in decision-making, advise them on available options, and obtain the client’s informed consent. They also need to be informed about the requirements of each animal and provide their clients with advice concerning relevant aspects of animal welfare.
Integrity breach
The veterinarian profession integrity breach example is the misrepresentation of medical records. Veterinarians must correctly document health status, treatments and diagnoses of their animal patients. Nevertheless, there are few cases when a veterinarian intentionally provides false reports for self-interest or to make up for errors. Like other professionals, a veterinarian could modify vaccination records to satisfy regulatory personnel or fake laboratory test reports to avoid admitting a misdiagnosis (Oxtoby et al., 2015). Instances of such integrity violations not only strain the trust between veterinarians and pets but also put the lives of animals at risk as mistreatment and missed treatments may follow.
Effectiveness of the profession’s integrity management processes
AVA shows the profession’s effectiveness in terms of the integrity management processes. AVA has a strong and very inclusive measure to ensure that the veterinary profession holds integrity. Its procedure in handling integrity, from the code of conduct to enforcing professional development programs and strict disciplinary procedures, lays a foundation for a strong sense of accountability and transparency. The AVA processes of managing integrity are clear, precise, and effective for the veterinary profession.
Conclusion and Recommendations
The Australian veterinary profession aims to provide care and treatment for animals to promote animal welfare and public health. Integrity and ethics are underlying principles that keep veterinarians honest and skilful. To further enhance integrity management in the veterinary profession, the following recommendations can be considered: First, reinforcing regulatory oversight through more stringent regulatory oversight is beneficial for ensuring ethical standards are followed and improving accountability (Robinson et al., 2019). This could include conducting routine audits and monitoring veterinary practices to detect any possible infringements or lack of professionalism. Second, improve Ethics Education and Training. Integrating ethics education and training in all stages of a veterinarian’s career allows an ethical basis to be formed and an environment of honesty to flourish (Bok et al., 2014).
References
AVA. (2023). The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) 2022 – 2023 Federal Pre-Budget Submission. https://treasury.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022-03/258735_australian_veterinary_association.pdf
AVA. (2019). Code of Professional Conduct | Australian Veterinary Association. https://www.veterinaryhospitals.net.au/pdf/AVA%20Veterinarians%20Code%20of%20Conduct.pdf
Bok, H. G., Teunissen, P. W., Boerboom, T. B., Rhind, S. M., Baillie, S., Tegzes, J., … & van Beukelen, P. (2014). International survey of veterinarians to assess the importance of competencies in professional practice and education. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 245(8), 906-913.
Cake, M. A., McArthur, M. M., Matthew, S. M., & Mansfield, C. F. (2017). Finding the balance: uncovering resilience in the veterinary literature. Journal of veterinary medical education, 44(1), 95-105.
David Schoorman, F., Mayer, R. C., & Davis, J. H. (2016). Empowerment in veterinary clinics: The role of trust in delegation. Journal of Trust Research, 6(1), 76-90.
Herron, M. E., & Shreyer, T. (2014). The pet-friendly veterinary practice: a guide for practitioners. Veterinary Clinics: Small Animal Practice, 44(3), 451-481.
Huberts, L. W. (2018). Integrity: What it is and Why it is Important. Public Integrity, 20(sup1), S18-S32.
Hernandez, E., Fawcett, A., Brouwer, E., Rau, J., & Turner, P. V. (2018). Speaking up: Veterinary ethical responsibilities and animal welfare issues in everyday practice. Animals, 8(1), 15.
Meyers, C. (2018). The professional ethics toolkit. John Wiley & Sons.
MANNER, C. T. T. L. (2024). The AVA Code includes, among others, the statements set out. Antimicrobial prescribing guidelines for sheep.
Maxwell, J. A. L. (2018). Australia’s veterinarians and The Frawley review of 2002 (Doctoral dissertation, Murdoch University).
Oxtoby, C., Ferguson, E., White, K., & Mossop, L. (2015). We need to talk about error: causes and types of error in veterinary practice. Veterinary Record, 177(17), 438-438.
Robinson, D., Edwards, M., Mason, B., Cockett, J., Graham, K. A., & Martin, A. (2019). The 2019 survey of the veterinary profession. Brighton, UK: Institute for Employment Studies.
Schipp, M. (2018). Australian veterinarians–global challenges. Australian veterinary journal, 96(1-2), 4-10.
Tucak, P. (2023). New leadership program, and the AVA’s goals for 2023: Veterinarian helps fellow professionals strengthen leadership skills, and the ambitious agenda of the Australian Veterinary Association. DVM 360, 54(2), 41-42.
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