Work to professional veterinary nursing practice standards

This standard is about the requirements of working to professional veterinary nursing practice standards as a registered veterinary nurse and the responsibilities associated with being a member of a regulated profession. It includes maintaining professional standards and ethics in veterinary practice.

This standard is suitable for registered veterinary nurses.

1. identify, analyse and evaluate issues associated with being a professional veterinary nurse and understand the importance of your actions
2. work to the professional veterinary nursing practice standard by following the relevant legislations
3. work within the requirements of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) codes of practice
4. assess the requirements of relevant animal health and welfare legislation on your work
5. use evidence-based practice to inform nursing interventions
6. take responsibility for your decisions as part of your professional role
7. reflect upon your own performance as a veterinary nurse when working to the required veterinary practice standard
8. plan, record and evaluate Continuing Professional Development (CPD) within a veterinary practice
9. assist with the process of obtaining informed consent within a veterinary practice
10. assist colleagues and clients who wish to raise concerns about unprofessional conduct within a veterinary practice
11. identify ethical issues in the veterinary practice and take the required action
12. participate in the ethical decision-making process within the veterinary practice
13. assist in the ethical decision-making process within the veterinary practice in accordance with veterinary practice procedures
14. identify ways of minimising (or refining) the impact of an ethical decision
15. reflect upon the ethical decision-making process within the veterinary practice
16. assist colleagues and clients who wish to raise concerns about an ethical issue within a veterinary practice

1. the requirements associated with being a professional veterinary nurse and the significance of regulation when working in this role
2. the relevant legislations in relation to veterinary nurses and veterinary practice standards
3. the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) regulatory by-laws in relation to veterinary nurses
4. your responsibilities under relevant animal health and welfare legislation
5. the requirements of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) codes of practice for Veterinary Nurses
6. the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) disciplinary system for veterinary nurses
7. the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) requirements for Continuous Professional Development (CPD) and the need to maintain professional competence within a veterinary practice
8. how to identify and evaluate evidence used to inform veterinary nursing practice standards
9. the requirement for clinical audits
10. the role of professional bodies and associations allied to the veterinary industry
11. the role of animal welfare charities and other animal organisations
12. the relevant legal system, including Civil and Criminal Law (Note that there are differences in Scottish law)
13. the concepts of "duty of care" and "negligence" and their application to veterinary nursing practice standards
14. the importance of maintaining client and patient confidentiality and the requirements of the current data protection legislation
15. how to support colleagues and clients who may wish to raise concerns about unprofessional conduct within a veterinary practice
16. the importance of obtaining informed consent and how to evaluate organisational procedures and systems implemented to facilitate this
17. how to identify ethical issues in the veterinary practice
18. how to apply theories and principles to the ethical issues identified
19. the procedures involved in the ethical decision-making process within the veterinary practice
20. the role of each member of the veterinary practice team in the ethical decision-making process
21. how to minimise the impact of an ethical decision within a veterinary practice
22. how to improve upon the ethical decision-making process within the veterinary practice