CHAPTER 1
Professional Conduct and Foundation Skills

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Determining your role in a veterinary practice
• Meeting employer expectations, mastering 10 professional behaviors
• Develop a professional appearance
• Utilize effective communication skills - verbal, written, computer, social media, and credible web resources
• Anticipate work flow
• Application of ethics in the veterinary practice
• Understand the human-animal bond
• Understand and recognize the grief process
• Master foundation skills:
  • Veterinary practice math
  • Medical terminology

NAVTA GUIDELINES COVERED IN THIS CHAPTER

1. Office and Hospital Procedures
   1. Front desk
      • Demonstrate elementary computer skills
      • Utilize basic medical terminology and abbreviations

Determining Your Role in a Veterinary Practice

A veterinary practice may be conducted in a hospital or a clinic. In human medicine there is a distinct difference. Hospitals are where patients are treated and cared for "in-house" or in a facility. A clinic is where patients are seen and sent home to recover or are sent to a hospital for more intensive care. In veterinary practice, the words "hospital" and "clinic" are used interchangeably, as both will admit critical patients into their facility for intensive care. However, some cities have access to a relatively new type of veterinary practice that does nothing but intensive and emergency care. Patients are transferred to these facilities for around the clock care, thereby freeing general clinic and hospital practices to focus on general care. What this means is that whatever the type of clinic or hospital, it requires staffing. Let's discuss the staffing required in a veterinary practice.

A veterinary practice consists of many staff members. It takes the specialized skills of each to provide the competent care that pet owners expect for their pets. The veterinary assistant is just one member of the veterinary team. Synchronization of their duties with those of other members of this specialized team requires an awareness of the responsibilities of each. Understanding how the assistant fits into the complex pattern is crucial to successful coordination of patient care and implementation.

Every practice requires at least one veterinarian. This person can either be the owner of the practice or an employee. To become a veterinarian one must complete an undergraduate course at a college or university. It usually takes four years to complete the undergrad requirements, with most receiving a bachelor's degree in the subject of their choice. Then students must be accepted at a college of veterinary medicine which is another four years of education to receive either a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) or a Veterinariae Medicinae Doctoris (VMD) depending on the college of veterinary medicine attended. In order to practice veterinary medicine, new graduates must pass a licensing exam for each state in which they wish to practice. Without this they cannot practice in a state even with a degree in hand! Some veterinarians chose to specialize in a specific area of veterinary medicine which involves additional years of study and another round of exams administered by an organization dedicated solely to that field of study. For example, a DVM interested in ophthalmology does everything required by the College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists and passes their exam to become a Diplomat in Veterinary Ophthalmology. But the learning still isn't finished! The state the veterinarian is practicing in, and if specialized the "College," requires several hours of continuing education per year to maintain their license to practice in that state and their diplomat status as a specialist.

The role of a veterinarian in practice is generally one that provides a diagnosis, prognoses, prescribes treatments and medications, and performs surgery on animals. The mission of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is to lead the profession by advocating for its members and advancing the science and practice of veterinary medicine to improve animal and human health. It provides a Model Veterinary Practice Act that succinctly spells out the duties performed by a licensed veterinarian. In addition, the veterinarian is held legally responsible for the safety of all employees and all actions of each employee within the practice. The final word on the treatment of a patient is the veterinarian's.

According to the AVMA Model Veterinary Practice Act, technicians cannot diagnose, prognose, prescribe medicine, or perform surgery. Veterinary technicians are educated to perform the same tasks as human nurses, surgery technicians/nurses, anesthetic nurses, laboratory, dental, and radiology technicians on animals in a veterinary practice. In addition, they play an integral part in client education and communication.

There are several ways to become a veterinary technician. One way is to attend an AVMA accredited veterinary technology program. This is a program that has met stringent guidelines for didactic and medical skills training. Most programs offer an Associate degree that can take from two to three years to complete and is offered in community, technical, or private colleges. There are also several bachelor's degree veterinary technologist programs across the USA that are offered in public and private colleges and universities. This may seem like overkill; however, if you change your mind about working in a veterinary practice a bachelor's degree opens the door to jobs within industry, business, research, and government. Another path to becoming a veterinary technician is to enroll in an AVMA accredited online program. You can work at your own pace and utilize a veterinary practice as your training facility. Once a person has graduated from an accredited program most states require the graduate to sit for a credentialing exam, the Veterinary Technician National Exam (VTNE), administered by the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB), and is recorded by a state veterinary medical board. A few states offer voluntary credentialing which is recorded by either the state veterinary technician association or the veterinary medical association. There are also some states that don't require any sort of credentialing. The credential designation also depends upon the state. Those states that recognize veterinary technicians that have passed the VTNE grant them the designation of Certified, Registered, or Licensed Veterinary Technicians. This creates much confusion especially as all states that offer credentialing utilize the VTNE offered by the AAVSB. To address this confusion the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA) has initiated a move to have all states recognize veterinary technicians and technologists as Registered Veterinary Nurses. It is hoped that with this change in terminology the confusion when moving from state to state will disappear and the public will more readily recognize the role that the veterinary nurse plays in a veterinary practice.

NAVTA offers specialty recognition to those technicians that are interested in various areas of practice, usually within veterinary specialty practices. There are currently 16 Academies that offer training and testing for technicians that are interested in obtaining a specialty designation.

Veterinary technicians are often included in state practice acts. The AVMA has included veterinary technicians/technologists in their Model Veterinary Practice Act.

Veterinary assistants are important members of the veterinary practice team. They are often the "right hand person" for the veterinarian and veterinary technician, meaning that they help wherever and whenever help is needed in the day-to-day activities in the practice. "An assistant provides help under the direct supervision of the veterinarians or veterinary technicians. This allows those team members to perform the tasks and responsibilities of their positions as per their education and training" (NAVTA website). An assistant can be helping to restrain a kitten for an ear exam one minute and mopping up an accident in the reception area, answering the telephone, and scheduling an appointment the next. All the jobs done by an assistant are important to the well-being of the animals, clients, and staff in the veterinary practice. An assistant should be willing to jump in and do "whatever it takes" to keep the practice running smoothly. This is the hallmark of a first-rate veterinary assistant.

Assistants are often trained on the job but there is a certification program offered by many high schools, community colleges (some of which also have veterinary technology programs), and online programs. The NAVTA offers an Approved Veterinary Assistant (AVA) certificate after successful graduation from an approved veterinary assistant program and passing the veterinary assistant exam.

Developing an understanding of the flow of activities within a practice and how other staff members accomplish tasks is essential. This knowledge enables the assistant to prepare both material and patient in anticipation of the work to be done, thus creating an efficient sequence of work within the veterinary practice. It is in the preparation and follow-up phases of patient care, as much as the simultaneous help, that makes assistants so valuable...