Veterinary and Para-Veterinary Professions Act, 1982 (Act No. 19 of 1982)RulesRules relating to the Practising of Para-Veterinary Profession of Veterinary PhysiotherapistConduct of persons practising Veterinary Physiotherapy4. General principles |
| (1) | A veterinary physiotherapist 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 will 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 physiotherapy profession are working towards the same common good cause, whether they are in private practice 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) | As a professional a veterinary physiotherapist 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 physiotherapeutic techniques and act diligently and in accordance with applicable technical and professional standards benchmarked against what is expected of the reasonable veterinary physiotherapist considering the circumstances and geographic and demographic realities at hand; |
| (ii) | To comply with continuing professional development (CPD), which enables a veterinary physiotherapist 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 physiotherapist 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 physiotherapist 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 public or the profession; |
| (vi) | The place at or from which a person practises the veterinary physiotherapy must be registered with Council and must comply with the applicable general minimum standards for that 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; and/or |
| (viii) | A veterinary physiotherapist must inform Council within thirty (30) days of entering into employment or partnership at another registered facility. |
| (4) | “Unprofessional conduct” means unprofessional, dishonourable or unworthy conduct on the part of a veterinary physiotherapist 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) | failure to comply with any other relevant legislation; |
| (iii) | performing professional services outside the scope of his/her education, training and/or experience, regard being had to both the extent and limits of his/her professional expertise; |
| (iv) | failing to adequately supervise his/her staff; |
| (v) | failure to provide an itemised account when requested to, within the period set out in Rule 7(3); |
| (vi) | treating a client in a disrespectful and/or discourteous manner, unless justifiable reasons exist; |
| (vii) | incompetence, gross negligence or any form of negligence in the practising of the veterinary physiotherapy profession; |
| (viii) | fraud or dishonesty in making any kind of application to Council or in charging for a test that was not performed or services not rendered; |
| (ix) | falsifying and/or backdating any laboratory report in part or in full; |
| (x) | 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; |
| (xi) | 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; |
| (xii) | non-payment after demand of any fee, levy or other charge payable to the Council; |
| (xiii) | 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; |
| (xiv) | failure to submit to an inspection of a veterinary physiotherapy facility required by Council where the veterinary physiotherapist is the principal of said veterinary physiotherapy facility; |
| (xv) | Operates for gain a veterinary physiotherapy facility which is not registered or does not comply with the minimum standards set out in the Rules; |
| (xvi) | practising outside the scope of registration for a veterinary physiotherapist or outside the scope of authorisation to render certain services of a veterinary physiotherapist; |
| (xvii) | failure to act on “red flags” as defined. |
| (xviii) | being convicted of being involved in any criminal or illegal activity, if it relates to the practising of the veterinary physiotherapy profession or is deemed to bring the profession into disrepute; |
| (xix) | to permit himself/herself to be exploited in a manner which may be detrimental to the client, the public or the profession, or allow bias, conflict of interest or influence of others, to compromise professional judgment; |
| (xx) | 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; |
| (xxi) | failing to cooperate, obstructing or delaying an investigation into unprofessional conduct by Council; |
| (xxii) | contempt and/or disrespect of Council; and |
| (xxiii) | any other conduct which in the opinion of Council constitutes unprofessional conduct. |