Veterinary and Para-Veterinary Professions Act, 1982 (Act No. 19 of 1982)RulesRules relating to the Practising of Para-Veterinary Profession of Veterinary Nurse4. Conduct of persons practising Veterinary Nursing Profession |
General principles
| (1) | A veterinary nurse must base his/her personal and professional conduct thereon that he/she is a member of a learned and honourable profession and is required to act at all times in such a manner as to maintain and promote the prestige, honour, dignity and interests of the profession and of the persons by whom it is practised. |
| (2) | All persons practising the veterinary nursing profession are working towards the same common good cause, whether they are self-employed or in the service of an employer, and they must co-operate with each other and with the authorities concerned to promote that cause. |
| (3) | The fundamental responsibilities of a veterinary nurse are to save lives, to relieve suffering and to promote the health of animals. |
| (4) | A veterinary nurse must at all times maintain the highest standard of nursing care and professional conduct. |
| (5) | As a professional a veterinary nurse is required to comply with the following fundamental principles: |
| (a) | Integrity: To be honest and ethical. |
| (b) | Professional Competence: |
| (i) | To maintain the professional knowledge and skill required to ensure that a client receives competent professional services based on current developments in veterinary nursing techniques and to act diligently and in accordance with applicable technical and professional standards benchmarked against what is expected of the reasonable veterinary nurse considering the circumstances and geographic and demographic realities at hand; |
| (ii) | To comply with continuing professional development (CPD), which enables a veterinary nurse to develop and maintain the capabilities to perform competently within the professional environment; and/or |
| (iii) | To keep record of CPD credits obtained to ensure CPD requirements are met to ensure that registration with Council is maintained. |
| (c) | Confidentiality: To respect the confidentiality of information acquired as a result of professional services and the relationships emanating therefrom, and, therefore, not disclose any such information to third parties without proper and specific authority, unless there is a legal or professional right or duty to disclose, nor use the information for the personal advantage of the veterinary nurse or third parties, other than those implied by rule 3(3). |
| (d) | Professional conduct includes, but is not limited to: |
| (i) | To be informed and comply with all the legal directives which are relevant to the practice of his/her profession and which include the Act, its regulations and Rules, the current Ethical Code, as well as all other relevant legislation; |
| (ii) | To avoid any action that the veterinary nurse knows or ought to have known that may discredit the profession; |
| (iii) | To be morally obliged to serve the public to the best of his/her ability and in the light of acceptable scientific knowledge and procedures; |
| (iv) | To refrain from expressing criticism through which the reputation, status or practise of a colleague in the profession is or could be undermined; |
| (v) | Not to permit himself/herself to be exploited in a manner which may be detrimental to the client, the patient, the public or the profession; |
| (vi) | If the veterinary nurse is the principal of a facility, ensure that the place at or from which a person practises veterinary nursing is registered with Council, and complies with the applicable minimum standards for that category of facility; |
| (vii) | The principal of a registered facility must inform the Council within thirty (30) days of any changes to the identity or address of the principal; if the principal should pass away, Council should immediately be informed. |
| (viii) | A veterinary nurse must inform Council within thirty (30) days of entering into employment or partnership at another registered facility. |
| (ix) | To apply for an extension of registration should it be required that procedures outside the scope of practise of a veterinary nurse, e.g. epidurals and nerve blocks, be performed. |
| (e) | “Unprofessional conduct” is unprofessional, dishonourable or unworthy conduct on the part of a veterinary nurse, including, inter alia, the following acts and omissions: |
| (i) | Failure to comply with the Act, the regulations and/or Rules promulgated under the said Act, and/or the Code of Conduct and/or guidelines issued by Council from time to time; |
| (ii) | A contravention of the provisions of the Medicines Act and/or the regulations promulgated under it; |
| (iii) | Failure to comply with any other relevant legislation; |
| (iv) | Performing professional services outside the scope of registration, performing professional services in the absence of veterinary collaboration or referral, except as provided for in these rules, which constitutes very serious unprofessional conduct, which if found guilty, may lead to removal from the register; |
| (v) | Failure to act in accordance with the responsible veterinarian’s instructions; |
| (vi) | Failing to adequately supervise his/her staff; |
| (vii) | Failure to provide an itemised account when requested to, within the period set out in Rule 7(3), should the services be rendered from a registered nursing facility; |
| (viii) | Treating a client in a disrespectful and/or discourteous manner, unless justifiable reasons exist; |
| (ix) | Incompetence, gross negligence or any form of negligence in the practising of the para-veterinary profession of veterinary nursing; |
| (x) | Fraud or dishonesty in making any kind of application to Council or in charging for a test that was not performed or for services not rendered; |
| (xi) | Falsifying and/or backdating any laboratory report or other report in part or in full; |
| (xii) | In any way directly or indirectly assisting, allowing or enabling an unqualified person and/or unregistered person to perform professional work which by law only a (veterinarian and/or a) para-veterinary professional is allowed to perform; |
| (xiii) | Referring work, the performance of which is reserved by law to a veterinarian, specialist veterinarian or para-veterinary professional to a person not registered with Council; |
| (xiv) | Non-payment after demand of any fee, levy or other charge payable to Council; |
| (xv) | Failure to comply with an order, requirement, request, sentence or sanction of the Council and/ or the Registrar or any official appointed by the Council or the Registrar to perform any function in furtherance of the Council’s objectives; |
| (xvi) | Failure to submit to an inspection of a veterinary nursing facility required by Council where the veterinary nurse is the principal of said veterinary nursing facility; |
| (xvii) | Operating a veterinary nursing facility which is not registered or does not comply with the minimum standards set out in the Rules; |
| (xviii) | Practising outside the scope of practice of a veterinary nurse; |
| (xix) | Failure to advise Council of any change in his/her physical residential or employment address, and other contact details, within thirty (30) days of such change being effected; |
| (xx) | Being convicted of being involved in any criminal or illegal activity, if it relates to the practising of the para-veterinary nursing profession or is deemed to bring the profession into disrepute; |
| (xxi) | Permitting himself/herself to be exploited in a manner which may be detrimental to the client, the patient, the public or the profession, or allow bias, conflict of interest or influence of others, to compromise professional judgment; |
| (xxii) | Failing to cooperate, obstructing or delaying an investigation into unprofessional conduct by Council; |
| (xxiii) | Contempt and/or disrespect of Council; and |
| (xxiv) | Any other conduct which in the opinion of Council constitutes unprofessional conduct. |