- Veterinary Practitioners Board · The Australasian Veterinary Boards Council (AVBC) held a strategic planning meeting in November last year and has identified a need for a forum

Boardtalk April 2008. Issue 28 - 1 -

Boardtalkwww.vpb.nsw.gov.au

April 2008 Issue 28

The inaugural swearingof the oath for Graduates inVeter inary Sc ience f romSydney Univers i ty wasconducted in December 2007.As par t of the graduat ionceremony in the Great Hall Iwas privileged to administerthe oa th on behal f of theVeter inary Prac t i t ionersBoard of NSW. The proceedings were opened bythe Chancellor, Her Excellency, Professor MarieBashir, AC CVO.

I t was very inspi r ing to exper ience theenthusiasm of the students as they took the oath.In addition I was moved to find that colleaguespresent who had graduated from Sydney Universityin previous years also stood and swore the oath atthis the first opportunity to do so.

Professor Bashir, who joined members of thefacul ty a t the ve ter inary school a f te rwards ,ment ioned tha t th is was the las t graduat ionceremony for 2007 and she found the swearing ofthe oath by the veter inary graduates added avaluable addi t ional qual i ty to the graduat ionceremony. The Oath can be found in The Universityof Sydney article in this edition of Boardtalk.

Already the first quarter of 2008 has gone andtherefore i t i s now t ime for a l l reg is te redpractitioners to complete and submit this year’sannual return. This edition of Board Talk includessome statistical charts created from the 2007 AnnualReturns.

It is very interesting to see the demographicdata that has become available as a result of thein t roduct ion of a l l reg is te red ve ter inar ianscomplet ing the annual return. No doubt thisinformation will prove helpful to those looking atthe emerging issues that the profession will face in

The Australasian Veterinary Boards Council(AVBC) held a s trategic planning meeting inNovember last year and has identified a need for aforum where the emerging issues facing veterinaryeducation can be discussed and debated. As theregistration boards are major stakeholders in regardto the standards of veterinary education, the AVBCagreed to provide the umbrella for this forum andthe first meeting will be in April this year. Whilethe Veterinary Schools Advisory AccreditationCommit tee (VSAAC) conducts v is i ta t ions toveterinary schools (and has a rigorous policy andprocedures manual for those visits) there is a needfor a forum to develop the higher level policies onveterinary education within Australasia.

Inside This Issue

President’s Report ............................................................... 1From the Registrar’s Desk ................................................... 2Signing Veterinary Documents ............................................ 3New Registration Category - ‘Secondary’ Registration .......... 3Veterinary Medicines Update ............................................... 4Report from the Complaints Subcommittee .......................... 5Questions from the Profession & Answers from the Board .... 6Radiographs ....................................................................... 7Report from the Faculty of Veterinary Science, The Universityof Sydney ........................................................................... 8News of Veterinary Science at Charles Sturt University, WaggaWagga ............................................................................... 8Emergency - Animal Disease Watch Hotline ......................... 8Abandoned animals. ..........................................................10Professional Development Requirements ............................ 11Confidential Help for Veterinarians ..................................... 11

President’s Reportthe future, not least of which will be the impact ofthe opening of three new veterinary schools.

Inside This Issue

President’s Report ..........................................................................1

From the Registrar’s Desk..............................................................2

Signing Veterinary Documents ......................................................3

New Registration Category - ‘Secondary’ Registration .................3

Veterinary Medicines Update .........................................................4

Report from the Complaints Subcommittee ..................................5

Questions from the Profession & Answers from the Board ...........6

Statistical Information ....................................................................7

Radiographs .................................................................................11

Report from the Faculty of Veterinary Science, The University of Sydney ..........................................................................................12

News of Veterinary Science of Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga ...........................................................................................12

Emergency - Animal Disease Watch Hotline ...............................12

Abandoned animals ......................................................................14

Professional Development Requirements ....................................15

Confidential Help for Veterinarians .............................................15


- 2 - Boardtalk April 2008. Issue 28

President’s report continued

From the Registrar’s Desk

As Char les Stur t (Wagga) , James Cook(Townsville) and Adelaide (Roseworthy) start todeliver clinical training to their students in the nexttwo years even the ability to find sufficient skilledteachers to deliver that training may become aproblem. When they are producing graduates therewill be approximately another 180 new graduatesadded to the current number of 500 each year.

At this time of year, the focus for the Board’sstaff is to review and improve numerous proceduresre la t ing to reg is t ra t ion renewal payments ,ve ter inary hospi ta l l i cence renewals andsubmissions of the Annual Return (AR).

Last year was the first time that we introduced‘on line’ electronic payment methods using a creditcard and B Pay. The feedback that I have receivedhas been very positive due to the ease ofuse of these payment methods. I have takennote of suggest ions to improve theseprocesses and many have been introducedthis year (see below).

In order to maintain registration as aveter inary prac t i t ioner in NSW, theregistration renewal payment and AR mustbe submitted (hopefully together!).

Both payment and submission of theAR can be performed simultaneously via theBoard’s website. Of course we still accept postageor fax of payment and AR.

Please keep in mind that this is the first yearin the 3 year Continuing Professional Development(CPD) cycle. You may recall that the VeterinaryPractice Act required the Board to collect CPDpoints this time last year but they were not recordedon your personal file. This year we will record thereported structured and non structured points thathave been achieved during the return period (1 April2007 – 31 March 2008).

Clare Nathan, our ‘IT genius’ on staff, hasdeveloped the CPD diary as an excel spreadsheet.It is posted on the Board’s website. The spreadsheetcan be downloaded and saved onto your personalcomputer - it calculates the running total of boththe structured and unstructured points and cleverlycarries the points forward to the next month.

Other improvements made to ourprocesses are:

• A copy of your comple tedelectronic AR is able to be printed from thewebsite (for your own records if you want).

• The websi te paymentconfirmation screen has been improved andnow clearly indicates when payment hasbeen successful.

• For those who are not ‘E savvy’,we have provided every practitioner with a

unique ‘website reference number’, which is to beentered on the screen when making a payment orsubmitting the AR – this number is printed on yourinvoice and AR that was posted to you.

I welcome feedback from the professionregarding any Board process that you believe canbe improved – I am available during office hoursMonday to Friday on 9699 4477.

Glenn LynchRegistrar

Many fac tors , such as the in te rna t ionalrecognition of Australasian graduates and overseasstudents come into play. However, at least in NSWwe will have some data available on which toidentify the impacts and therefore help planning forthe future.

Garth McGilvray,President.

This Oath is the professional commitment being made by graduates today and it may well helpus all to reflect for a few moments on the standards that we are expected to uphold as members ofour profession.

The Oath for Graduates in Veterinary Science at The University of Sydney

‘I solemnly swear to practise veterinary science ethically and conscientiously for the benefit ofanimal welfare, animal and human health, users of veterinary services and the community.I will endeavour to maintain my practise of veterinary science to current professional standards andwill strive to improve my skills and knowledge through continuing professional development.I acknowledge that along with the privilege of acceptance into the veterinary profession comescommunity and professional responsibility.I will maintain these principles throughout my professional life’.



New Registration Category - ‘Secondary’ Registration

The Board has introduced another category ofve ter inary prac t i t ioner reg is t ra t ion , tha t i s ,‘secondary registration’. The Veterinary PracticeAct 2003 a l lows the Board to in t roduce th isca tegory; whereas the previous leg is la t ion(Veterinary Surgeons Act 1986) did not.

Secondary registration is the same as fullregistration (or primary registration), however, tobe eligible, these practitioners need to demonstratethat they reside outside of New South Wales inanother Australian jurisdiction (not overseas) ANDthey are currently registered with the veterinaryBoard where they reside.

Several of the other veterinary Boards acrossAustralia already have secondary registration andthe cost of annual secondary registration in NewSouth Wales is $120 per year.

Practitioners that currently reside outsideNSW have just been offered secondary registrationand they must declare that they are eligible. Theyare required to inform the NSW Board the name ofthe pr imary veter inary Board where they areregistered and their registration number. The NSWBoard will cross reference to ensure this informationis accurate.

Signing Veterinary Documents

Secondary registration acknowledges that thepractitioner already pays an annual registration feeto another registration Board and this NSW Boardinitiative could benefit up to 375 practitioners thatwe know, reside in another Australian jurisdiction.

This category will be of particular interest topractitioners who live and work close to our bordersof Victoria, South Australia, the Australian CapitalTerritory and Queensland and practitioners whotravel for their work such as equine practitionersand specialists. Secondary registration also aims tobreak down the financial disincentive / barrier ofregistering in NSW.

The Board will lose up to $43,000 in annualregistration fees if all 375 practitioners are alsoregistered in their State or Territory of residence.

When National Recognition of VeterinaryRegistration (know also as National Registration)comes into effect (hopefully in the next year or two),the Board may potentially lose another $44,000 peryear in revenue from these practitioners.

The Board will absorb both loses at this timeand does not propose to increase general registrationfees to cover these loses.

For those who are not yet in the habit, pleaseget started today on the next vaccination certificateor on the next insurance certificate…whatever youare signing in your role as a registered veterinarypractitioner. The registration renewal invoice andAnnual Return posted to practitioners, has theregistration number at the top – write it down if youcan’t remember it.

The regis t ra t ion number i s a method ofaccurately identifying the practitioner who hassigned the document.

All registered practitioners are listed on theBoard’s website, available under the ‘vetsearch’button. Their registration number and contact details(provided by the practitioner) are available by usingthe search facility. The Board requests practitionerscheck that the contact details on the website arecorrect. The website is updated daily.

The December 2007 Boardtalk informed theprofession of the Board’s new policy relating to thesigning of veterinary documents. The policy statesthat ALL signed veterinary documents must includethe practi t ioner ’s unique registration number,preceded by the letter ‘N’ to indicate New SouthWales.

The Board recognises that this practise willtake some time to become routine but reminds theprofession that they are expected to place theirregistration number beside their signature whens igning ANY veter inary documenta t ion as aveterinary practitioner.

The Board is very pleased to see that, sinceDecember 2007, most applications that the Boardhas handled have been comple te wi th thepractitioner’s number [with the letter N] beside theirsignature.



Veterinary Medicines UpdateLee Cook

Department of Primary Industries

http://ambulance.nsw.gov.au/PublicHealth/Pharmaceutical/pdf/poisons_veterinary.pdf.

Note that the guide indicates that dispensinglabels are required on all containers of S4 productsdispensed by a practice.

SteroidsThe above Guide also covers the prohibition

on the supply of injectable anabolic steroids andtestosterone which is enforced by NSW DPI.Practitioners should note that the prohibiting Orderdoes not apply any controls to oral (tablet or paste)steroid products. The only controls applying tothese are the usual S4 controls administered byNSW Health. See the controlling Order on the DPIwebsite at:

http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/_data/assets/pdf_file/0008/53756/injectable-steroids-order.pdf.

A proposal by Greyhounds Australasia Ltd toenforce a ban on the use of testosterone for oestrussuppression in racing bitches has been deferred bythem, and the NSW Greyhound and HarnessRacing Regulatory Authority, until at least 1 July2008. In addition, problems have now arisen withthe supply of the tablet form of the ethyloestrenoltreatment approved for this purpose.

Access to veterinary practice recordsNSW DPI may seek access to practice records

in relation to stock medicines for the purposes ofinjectable steroid audits or for other purposes.Practitioners are advised that under Section 54 ofthe NSW Stock Medicines Act 1989 an inspector,who will generally not be a veterinarian, mayrequire a buyer or seller of any stock medicine –which includes a veter inar ian or veter inarypractice – to provide information in relation to thesale. This does not require the approval of theclient or the veterinarian and overrides privacyconsiderations. Failure to provide such advice isa potential offence under the Act.

For more information please contact the authorLee G CookVeterinary OfficerBiological and Chemical Risk ManagementNSW Department of Primary IndustriesLocked Bag 21 / 161 Kite Street ORANGE NSW2800Phone: 02 6391 3722 Fax: 02 6391 3740e-mail: [email protected]

Antibiotic residues in dairy calvesThere were three violative residues detected

in bobby calves in NSW in the latter part of 2007.In two of these cases the owners, when initiallycontacted, indicated that the antibiotic tabletssupplied by veterinary practi t ioners had notpreviously been used by them and both indicatedthat they did not know that a withholding period(WHP) applied. More particularly, they indicatedthat the supplying practices did not specificallyadvise them of the WHP or the need to follow it(although it appears there was a WHP on theproduct labels). Subsequent investigation alsoindicated incorrect management on-farm.

It does appear that the dairy industry needsto improve its internal communication in relationto (bobby) calf treatments. But practitioners, asthe gatekeepers of prescription animal remedies,should ensure that they routinely advise clients towhom they supply treatments to which a WHPapplies of the need to identify the treated animalsand observe the necessary WHP. This informationis required to be written on the dispensing labelor a separate advice note if there is no product labelwith a WHP on it when the product is dispensed/supplied.

In the case of male bobby calves, which arerout inely sold a t 1-3 days of age , us ing orsupplying treatments with a 14 day WHP isgenerally inappropriate.

Suspension of veterinary disinfectantThe Australian Pesticides and Veterinary

Medicines Authori ty (APVMA) has not if iedsuspens ion of the regis t ra t ion of VetkleenVeterinary Disinfectant (No. 59615) because the“product is not efficacious”. If you have stocksof th is product they can be re turned to themanufacturer Twenty First Decwood Pty Ltd.

NSW Health Poisons InformationThe Department of Health has a publication,

Guide to Therapeut ic Goods and PoisonsLegis la t ion for Veter inary Surgeons , whichcontains information useful to all practitioners inrelation to how that Department controls drugsupply and labelling (especially prescriptions,dispensing labels and recording S8 information).While it is somewhat out of date (2003) it is worthchecking in relation to these requirements and isavailable on the web at:



Report from the Complaints Subcommittee

An interesting observation of complaints madeto this Board is that more than half involve ownerswho are not usual clients of the practitioner againstwhom the complaint is made - sometimes becausetheir usual vet is closed, as they don’t consult afterhours.

Perhaps this statistic is not significant, butconsider that the client may be uncomfortable, orwary of the ‘new’ vet. The vet may also possibly beoverly critical and resentful that this is not one oftheir usual clients and that they are using theirservice only as a convenience and they may beproblem clients anyway – this situation of mutualantagonism makes for a ‘compla in t r ichenvironment’! Some cl ients seem to take theopportunity to ‘compare’ practitioners – so pleasebe aware of these scenarios. The Board understandsthese personal issues and it is important for theprofession to be aware of this type of humanbehaviour.

Fol lowing on f rom a compla in t f rom apractit ioner, you are reminded that, under thePoisons and Therapeutic Goods Act 1966, thePoisons and Therapeutic Goods Regulation 2002and the Veterinary practitioners code of professionalconduct (20), it is not permissible for lay staff toadminister restricted drugs unless under the directpersonal supervision of a veterinary practitioner.This prohibits veterinary nurses from vaccinatinganimals wi th res t r ic ted (S4) vacc ines , oradministering euthanasia solution, or any otherrestricted drug, unless a practitioner is present.

The Board is very conscious of the stress andanxiety placed on a practitioner during the complainthandling process and makes every effort to completethe process as quickly as poss ib le , wi thoutcompromising accuracy and fairness to either party.

Borrowing from a recent special report fromthe Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, ‘thename of the game is not just to reduce the numberof complaints, but to reduce the need for thecomplaints to be made.’ (Dr Bob Moore- PresidentRCVS).

The repor t makes the poin t tha t ‘manycomplaints could be defused at the start if someonein the prac t ice i ssued an apology for anunsatisfactory outcome - saying sorry is not anadmission of guilt’.

The Board consists of eight members; six arepractising veterinarians and two are consumerrepresentatives. The Board’s Complaints Committee(CC) consists of 3 of the Board members; that istwo veterinarians and one consumer representative.The eight members making up the Board rotateequally through the CC at least once during theirthree year Board appointment.

The CC investigates complaints and may seekexternal advice to assist as required. When theinvestigation process is complete, the CC tables areport at the monthly Board meetings where thefindings and CC recommendation is discussed. TheBoard makes the final decision in regard to thecomplaint.

Since the December 2007 Boardtalk, the Boardhas made decisions in regard to five complaints. Ofthese, four complaints were dismissed and in theother complaint, the practitioner was cautioned forinadequate record keeping in regard to clinicalexamination, dates, drug dosage and weight of theanimal. An inspector at the earliest opportunity willexamine this practitioner’s records.

Another complaint was withdrawn by thecomplainant after considering the practitioner ’sresponse , however, the Board d i rec ted thepractitioner to review (and change) the techniqueof cat euthanasia as they considered that intra-cardiac injection in a non heavily sedated or un-anaesthetised cat was not in accordance with currentaccepted practice.

Breakdown of communications, both verbaland written, has been the root cause of manycomplaints that have been investigated by the Board- several are investigations still in progress.

Misunderstandings often occur in emotioncharged situations and diagnosis, treatment options,risks and probable outcomes need to be clearly givenin words that the client understands – give the samemeaning in other words if required, even ask themif they understand! Clients also need to understandthe level of care an admitted animal will receive inthe veterinary hospital over night and if referral fortheir animal is an option.

One complaint, involving a dystocia in a marewith a dead foal, arose because the owner could notaccept, or comprehend, that the best course of actionwas immediate euthanasia. The practitioner actedcorrectly, however the complaint illustrates theproblems we all face in our daily contact with ourpatients and clients.



Questions from the Profession & Answers from the BoardQ: I know of cat breeders who buy

vaccine through the Internet and givevaccination certificates with kittens they sell.I want the Board to take immediate actionand prosecute, as vaccinating is an act ofveterinary science.

A: Firstly you need to know what typeof vaccine they are buying. If they are buyingkilled vaccine, there is no breach of legislation.Just as owners and the public are able to buytetanus toxoid for their horses or vaccinationfor sheep and cattle, they are permitted to buyand administer to their own animals killed smallanimal vaccines. As to whether the vaccine isstored and transported adequately or whether itis administered correctly, we are unable toknow.

If the certificate they are giving does notuse the word ‘veterinary’, and states simplywhat they, as a lay person, have done, then theyagain have not breached any legislation.

Al though many c l ients -and indeedpract i t ioners- look upon a vaccinat ioncertificate as being synonymous with a healthcheck, the vaccination certificate is just that - astatement of vaccination, unless otherwiseindicated.

If the breeder’s certificate uses the term‘veterinary’ or implies ‘veterinary services’ orveter inary prac t i t ioner involvement thenlegislation has been breeched. This is indeedvery serious.

Veterinary Practice Act 2003 No 8711 Of fence re la t ing to representa t ion o f

unqualified person to be veterinary practitioner(1) An individual must not represent himself or

herself to be a veterinary practitioner and must not allowhimself or herself to be represented to be a veterinarypractitioner unless he or she is a veterinary practitioner.

Maximum penalty: 50 penalty units or imprisonmentfor 12 months, or both.

(2) A person must not represent anindividual to be a veterinary practitioner if the personknows, or ought reasonably to know, that the individualis not a veterinary practitioner.


(3) Without limiting the ways in whichan individual can be considered to be represented to be aveterinary practitioner, a representation using any of thefollowing titles, names or descriptions constitutes such arepresentation:

(a) the title or description “veterinary surgeon”,“veterinary practice”, “veterinary”, “vet” or “animal

doctor”, or any abbreviation or derivative of thosewords, either alone or in connection with any other titleor description,

(b) another t i t le , name or descr ip t ion thatindicates, or is capable of being understood to indicate,or is calculated to lead a person to infer, that the personis a veterinary practitioner or is entitled to be registeredas a veterinary practitioner,

(c) any title, name or description prescribed bythe regulations

Q: What is the value of the breeder’s‘certif icate’ i f the animal is taken toboarding cattery/kennels?

A: The mandatory code for the careand management of dogs and cats in animalboarding establishments is outlined underdifferent legislation and will be found at http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/livestock/animal-welfare/codes/general/aw-code-5) Itstates the following:

6.1 Disease Prevention6.1.1 For dogs, vaccination against distemper,

hepatitis, parvovirus and canine cough is required. Acurrent vacc inat ion cer t i f ica te ( cer t i fy ing thatvaccination was done in the preceding 12 months) mustbe produced for each dog before admission. Checkingfor hear tworm in fec t ion i s recommended be foreadmission.

6.1.2 For cats , vaccination against fel ineinfectious enteritis and feline respiratory disease isrequired. A current vaccination certificate (certifying thatvaccination was done within the preceding 12 months)must be produced for each cat before admission.

So clients who board their animals will berequired to present a current vaccinationcertificate for the diseases listed above in thelegis la t ion . I t i s unl ike ly boardingestablishments would accept a ‘certificate’ froma non-veterinarian

Q: Dear Veterinary Practitioners Board,I teach in the NSW TAFE system and am

currently teaching Certificate IV VeterinaryNursing. A quick question - hope you can helpme. Can nurses sign vaccination certificates onbehalf of Veterinary Practitioners? I thoughtnot, however when I posed this question to theclass, I was surprised at how many students puttheir hands up to say that they do this! Can youclarify the situation please?

A: NO.I f your vacc ina t ion cer t i f ica te i s a

Veterinary Certificate it will have(continued on page 11 after the colour supplement)


Gender Trend

100

270

442

348

301137

25

14

128

306

448292

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

+ 70 < 70 < 60 < 50 < 40 < 30

Age Group

% o

f V

ets

Male Female

The following information has been collected by the Board from the 2007 Annual Returns and provide an interestingoverview of the profession.

Employment Types - Not in Private Practice

9

33

20

36

48

39

14

22

36

2

10

18

3

23

10

16

107

35

22

33

71

57

13

28

52

13

27

33

7

32

32

26

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140

Retired

Unknown

Non-Veterinary Pursuit

Currently Not Practising

Other Veterinary Pursiut

University Teaching

TAFE Teaching

Research & Development

Pharmaceutical Industry

Specialist Other

Specialist Large Animal

Specialist Small Animal

Government Research

Government Officer NSW

Government Officer R.L.P.B.

Government Officer Commonwealth

No of Vets

Female Male

42

42

55

10

119

50

37

15

51

88

27

96

69

42

68

116


Employment Types - Private Practice

339

186

54

623

588

305

133

554

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400

All Other Types

Mixed

Large Animal

Small Animal

No of Vets

Female Male

1177

491

187

927

Veterinary Specialisation

1

1

2

22

12

3

1

23

2

1

35

1

121

16

312

101

62

5

11

15

11

11

31

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

Animal Behaviour Veterinary Reproduction/Equine Reproduction

Veterinary RadiologyVeterinary Pathology/Anatomic Pathology

Veterinary PathologyVeterinary Pathobiology/Anatomic

Veterinary PathobiologyVeterinary Parasitology

Veterinary OphthalmologyVeterinary Anaesthesiology

Veterinary Surgery/Small Animal SurgeryVeterinary Surgery/Neurology

Veterinary Surgery/Equine SurgeryVeterinary Surgery/Dentistry

Veterinary Medicine/Small Animal MedicineVeterinary Medicine/Porcine

Veterinary Medicine/Ovine MedicineVeterinary Medicine/Large Animal

Veterinary Medicine/Laboratory AnimalsVeterinary Medicine/Internal Canine

Veterinary Medicine/Feline MedicineVeterinary Medicine/Equine Medicine

Veterinary Medicine/DermatologyVeterinary Medicine/Cardiology

Veterinary Medicine/Canine MedicineVeterinary Medicine/Canine and Feline and

Veterinary Medicine/Canine & Feline MedicineVeterinary Medicine/Avian Medicine

Veterinary Medicine

No of Vets

Female Male


Specialists Gender Trend

6 23

29

24

7

1

5

11

7

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

+70 < 70 < 60 < 50 < 40 < 30

Age Group

% o

f V

ets

Male Specialists Female Specialists

Distribution of Vets

39

121

1053

52

202

1332

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Ove

rsea

sIn

ters

tate

NS

W

Lo

cati

on

% of Vets

Female Male


Practising Vets - City vs Country Spread

75

66

165228

148

24 100171

173148

428 2

43

87128

87

2278 187

11696

31

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

+70 < 70 < 60 < 50 < 40 < 30

Age Group

No

of

Pra

ctic

isin

g V

ets

City Female City Male Country Female Country Male

City vets are determined from a list of post codes from Australia Post, which groups postal codes intothe following “city” areas:

• Sydney and Suburbs• Newcastle and Central Coast• Wollongong

Country v City Practising Vets Trend

15

7

109

252

356

235

46

178

358

289

244

73

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

+70 < 70 < 60 < 50 < 40 < 30

Age Group

% P

ract

isin

g V

ets

Total City Total Country



•the name and contact detai ls of theveter inary prac t i t ioner who issued thecertificate

•the name of the owner of the animal atthe date of the certificate

•identification of the individual or litter[including date of birth]

•information to identify which of the pupsor kittens in the litter the certificate relates to( i f there was more than one born) e .g .distinguishing marks, colour or numericalrecord.

•The s ignature of the ve ter inarypractitioner who administered the vaccine. [Andnow the registration number as well]

Your signature on a vaccination certificateconfirms the animal described on the certificateis in fact the animal you examined and then

vaccinated. It is absolutely unacceptable to signa certificate that may have nothing else on it orjust the name of the dog or just the name of thebreeder.

As mentioned in Boardtalk previously, ifveterinary certificates signed by a nurse wereto be presented before the Board, a very seriousview would be taken of this unacceptablebehaviour and the Board would a l lege‘unsatisfactory professional conduct’.

Veterinary Practice Regulation 2006Schedule 2 Veterinary practitioners code of

professional conduct (Clause 13)17 Certification by veterinary practitioners(1) A veterinary practitioner must not

certify to any fact within his or her professional expertiseor knowledge, or that a veterinary service has beenprovided, unless the veterinary practitioner has personalknowledge of the fact or has personally provided, orsupervised the provision of, the veterinary serviceconcerned.

Radiographs

Your radiographs are an essential part ofyour records. Whenever you take radiographsyou consider [consciously and subconsciously]many factors including;

• Number of radiographs required• Different views required• Factors required to get good quality• Developing required to get good

quality• Storage for the required minimum

THREE years [as with all records].• And labels. The labels must contain

all the information to allow another veterinarypractitioner to take over the case [see code ofconduct requirements below]. So you need

o Identification of the animalo Dateo Left or right marker

Veterinary Practice Regulation 2006Schedule 2Veterinary practi t ioners code of professional

conduct (Clause 13)15 Records(1) A veterinary practitioner must ensure that

a detailed record of any consultation, procedure ortreatment is made as soon as is practicable.

(2) The record:(a) Must be legible and in sufficient detail to

enable another veterinary practitioner to continue thetreatment of the animal, and

(b) Must include the results of any diagnostic tests,analysis and treatments.

(3) A veterinary practitioner must ensure that allrecords of any consultation, procedure or treatment areretained for at least 3 years after they are made.

Many veterinary practitioners think theBoard has an interest in radiographs becausethey might show misdiagnosis or misseddiagnoses BUT they show the veter inarypractitioner these things at the time the animalis in your care… in this way good diagnosticradiographs are useful at protecting vets fromallegations.

Radiographic documentation of yourorthopedic procedures (closed or surgicalfixations) is very important.

• You can determine if the animal ishealing in the way you would expect.

• You can show what a great job youdid in the first place. This is important if thingsare going badly subsequently. Everyone hasexperienced the cases where the owner has notcarried out instructions concerning aftercareand things are starting to ‘fall apart’. Yourradiographs will certainly be helpful for you.

• It is also helpful in being able tomore easily detect the early signs of infectionif it is developing.


Questions from the Profession & Answers from the BoardQ: I know of cat breeders who buy

vaccine through the Internet and givevaccination certificates with kittens they sell.I want the Board to take immediate actionand prosecute, as vaccinating is an act ofveterinary science.

A: Firstly you need to know what typeof vaccine they are buying. If they are buyingkilled vaccine, there is no breach of legislation.Just as owners and the public are able to buytetanus toxoid for their horses or vaccinationfor sheep and cattle, they are permitted to buyand administer to their own animals killed smallanimal vaccines. As to whether the vaccine isstored and transported adequately or whether itis administered correctly, we are unable toknow.

If the certificate they are giving does notuse the word ‘veterinary’, and states simplywhat they, as a lay person, have done, then theyagain have not breached any legislation.

Al though many c l ients -and indeedpract i t ioners- look upon a vaccinat ioncertificate as being synonymous with a healthcheck, the vaccination certificate is just that - astatement of vaccination, unless otherwiseindicated.

If the breeder’s certificate uses the term‘veterinary’ or implies ‘veterinary services’ orveter inary prac t i t ioner involvement thenlegislation has been breeched. This is indeedvery serious.

Veterinary Practice Act 2003 No 8711 Of fence re la t ing to representa t ion o f

unqualified person to be veterinary practitioner(1) An individual must not represent himself or

herself to be a veterinary practitioner and must not allowhimself or herself to be represented to be a veterinarypractitioner unless he or she is a veterinary practitioner.


(2) A person must not represent anindividual to be a veterinary practitioner if the personknows, or ought reasonably to know, that the individualis not a veterinary practitioner.


(3) Without limiting the ways in whichan individual can be considered to be represented to be aveterinary practitioner, a representation using any of thefollowing titles, names or descriptions constitutes such arepresentation:

(a) the title or description “veterinary surgeon”,“veterinary practice”, “veterinary”, “vet” or “animal

doctor”, or any abbreviation or derivative of thosewords, either alone or in connection with any other titleor description,

(b) another t i t le , name or descr ip t ion thatindicates, or is capable of being understood to indicate,or is calculated to lead a person to infer, that the personis a veterinary practitioner or is entitled to be registeredas a veterinary practitioner,

(c) any title, name or description prescribed bythe regulations

Q: What is the value of the breeder’s‘certif icate’ i f the animal is taken toboarding cattery/kennels?

A: The mandatory code for the careand management of dogs and cats in animalboarding establishments is outlined underdifferent legislation and will be found at http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/livestock/animal-welfare/codes/general/aw-code-5) Itstates the following:

6.1 Disease Prevention6.1.1 For dogs, vaccination against distemper,

hepatitis, parvovirus and canine cough is required. Acurrent vacc inat ion cer t i f ica te ( cer t i fy ing thatvaccination was done in the preceding 12 months) mustbe produced for each dog before admission. Checkingfor hear tworm in fec t ion i s recommended be foreadmission.

6.1.2 For cats , vaccination against fel ineinfectious enteritis and feline respiratory disease isrequired. A current vaccination certificate (certifying thatvaccination was done within the preceding 12 months)must be produced for each cat before admission.

So clients who board their animals will berequired to present a current vaccinationcertificate for the diseases listed above in thelegis la t ion . I t i s unl ike ly boardingestablishments would accept a ‘certificate’ froma non-veterinarian

Q: Dear Veterinary Practitioners Board,I teach in the NSW TAFE system and am

currently teaching Certificate IV VeterinaryNursing. A quick question - hope you can helpme. Can nurses sign vaccination certificates onbehalf of Veterinary Practitioners? I thoughtnot, however when I posed this question to theclass, I was surprised at how many students puttheir hands up to say that they do this! Can youclarify the situation please?

A: NO.I f your vacc ina t ion cer t i f ica te i s a

Veterinary Certificate it will have













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(continued from page 7)


News of Veterinary Science at Charles Sturt University,Wagga Wagga

Our multihead microscope room is nowfully functional with digital microscopy thatpermits students to view and discuss grosslesions and histopathology sections. We willsoon be holding pathology rounds in this roomfor practitioners wanting to see and learn moreabout cytology and histopathology.

The architectural design of the newbui ld ing i s progress ing wel l wi th f ina lconfirmation of floor plans and site relief soonto take place. The building will have a largePC2 large animal necropsy room attached toservice labs for microbiology, parasitology,histology, clinical pathology and moleculardiagnostics. At the centre of the building wewill have a PC3 microbiology laboratory tofac i l i ta te the cul tur ing of ca tegory 3microorganisms.

Dr Shane RaidalAssociate Professor in Veterinary PathobiologyDirector CSU Veterinary Diagnostic LaboratoryCharles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga

The CSU Veter inary Diagnost icLaboratory now has extensive parasitologicaland histopathology capacity. The histologylaboratory is well serviced by high qualityShandon processing equipment including acryotome, automated stainer and solventrecycling equipment. Our lab is well managedby our Laboratory Technician Mr Joe Farishwho in the process of developingimmunohistochemical staining capacity for themost common cell membrane markers. We cannow perform on-site processing particularly ofresearch material from a wide variety of animalspecies and a histopathology diagnostic servicefor veterinary practices in the region is well onits way to full capacity. We have also takendel ivery of our key b iochemis t ry andhaematology analysers which will be housed ina temporary home until our new building iscompleted. A number of new laboratory staffwil l be joining us soon, we are about tointerview for the Laboratory Manager positionwho wi l l have a key overs ight for thedevelopment of microbiology, haematology andbiochemis t ry d iagnost ic provis ions . Wecurrently also have positions open in VeterinaryCl in ica l Pathology and Veter inaryMicrobiology.

Report from the Faculty of Veterinary Science, The Universityof Sydney

One of the very enjoyable aspects of beinga member of the Faculty is attending the BVScgraduation ceremony every December. It isindeed an honour to attend this ceremonyregularly and be able to extend congratulationsto the new veterinarians and their families. Thegraduation ceremony last December was evenmore special than usual, as it was the first timethat the veterinary graduates took an oath toprovide the best care for their patients and tocontribute to the veterinary profession. TheNSW Veterinary Practioners Board (VPB) andthe Registrar Mr. Glenn Lynch, with Facultyinput , wrote the oath . At graduat ion thegraduates recited the oath after the Presidentof the NSW VPB, Dr Garth McGilvray. Many

of the Facul ty ve ter inar ians were a lsoupstanding and took this oath along with thegraduates, as it was the first time that we too,had the opportunity to do so. Additionally,another first for last year’s ceremony, was thepresence of the Governor of NSW and newlyappointed Chancellor of the University, HerExcel lency, Professor Mar ie Bashi r whopresented graduates with their testamurs andimpressed all whom she met with her sincerityand warmth.

A new academic year has commenced andit is a very exciting time for the Faculty. As soonas the students finished their examinations lastNovember, builders moved in to install newdiagnost ic imaging equipment for the



Universi ty Veter inary Teaching Hospi tal ,Sydney Campus (UVTHS) and commencedbeautifying and refurbishing the dog section ofthe hospital so that it now matches the ValentineCharlton Cat Hospital in both facilities andappearance. The canine centre is near tocompletion and the Faculty will hold a varietyof functions to celebrate its opening betweenMarch and May.

The new digital imaging suite in theUVTHS is now fully operational. The suiteincludes computerised radiography (CR),making radiographic f i lm and developerobsolete. The new CT (computed tomography;a.k.a CAT for computed axial tomography) scanis a Phil ips 16 sl ice helical scanner. Theveterinary dedicated MRI (magnetic resonanceimaging) unit is an Esaote Vet-MR Grande0.8mT.

MRI is an excellent imaging modality forvisualisation of central nervous system lesions.Newer applications include diagnosis of nasalneoplas ia , eye and orbi ta l d iseases ,musculoskeletal diseases including shoulderosteochondrosis, canine elbow dysplasia andcranial cruciate injuries. MRI also allows non-invasive diagnosis and localisation of vasculardisease, including thrombi and portosystemicshunts.

CT also has many applications. Helicalscan techniques allow minimisation of scantimes, and therefore can be used for imaging ofthe lungs to look for pulmonary metastases andother lung pathology. Scan times are often only2 to 5 minutes per patient. CT myelographylargely replaces conventional myelography forimaging of the spinal cord. Three-dimensional

reconstructions of the skeleton allow detailedplanning of surgery for patients, especially forthose with musculoskeletal and oncologicaldisease.

Archiving of the vast number of digitalimages generated from CR, CT, MRI and fromthe in-house Phillips HDI 5000 ultrasoundmachine is achieved through use of the newlyinstalled picture archiving computer system(PACS). Images are managed in a secureDICOM format. A film printer and CD burneris available for image reproduction.

Uses for the new imaging facilities arebroad, ranging from advanced diagnost icinvestigations of small animal patients toclinical research. Last week there was muchexcitement, when a koala was brought in toundergo CT to investigate the structure of itsnasal sinuses as it had nasal cryptococcosis, anot uncommon fungal infection in koalas.Advanced diagnostic imaging of our nativespecies is extremely rare and from the 3Dimages obtained from the patient’s head, theyindicated that there is much more to discoverconcerning the normal and abnormal anatomyof animals using this technology. All the staffof the Faculty look forward to the possibilitiesoffered by this new equipment for diagnosingdiseases and / or dysfunction in companionanimals as well as many other animal species.

New staff joining the UVTHS in 2008include Professor of Diagnostic Imaging RobertWrigley, Director of Orthopaedic ServicesProfessor Ken Johnston and Senior Lecturer inSmall Animal Medicine Dr Linda Fleeman.

Dr Merran Govendir and Dr Vanessa Barrs.

Emergency - Animal DiseaseWatch Hotline

1800 675 888Report Unusual Disease Signs, Abnormal

Behaviour or Unexplained Deaths



Abandoned animals.

This isn’t in the Act and is not Boardpolicy- simply commonsense approach thatyou might find useful.

The issue of clients not returning to pickup treated animals is one every veterinarian inpractice has, sadly, faced. Veterinarians oftencall the Board’s office seeking guidance but ouradvice can only be general and is along the linesof the advice i ssued by the Aust ra l ianVeterinary Association several years ago. Thisisn’t in the Act or even Board Policy - justcommonsense we think.

PreventionFirstly ensure admission forms and records

include as many details as possible about theclient such as home and work phone numbers(the increasing numbers of clients who havemobiles only is a real problem) and a streetaddress (not just a post office box). Ensure asbest you can that you are dealing with the owneror a person with authori ty to request thetreatment. Ensure permission forms regardingall estimated costs are explained and signed.The Board i s aware tha t many hospi ta ladmission / consent forms at the bottom, ask‘how do you propose to pay for this account?Tick boxes with cash, credit card. eftpos,cheque. We know this doesn’t stop those whosimply want to dump the animal but at least youare doing your best towards prevention and areattempting to gain a commitment from theclient.

If the animal has not been collected at thearranged time, attempt to contact the owner byphone to politely inform them of the pet’sprogress and that the animal is now ready to gohome. If you are able to get onto the client andthey are reluctant to pick up the animal becauseof lack of funds you will need to work outoptions. In considering whether to hold onto theanimal waiting for payment, remember:

1. You have to feed/water/look afterthe animal at your cost

2. The issue sometimes is seen asusing the animal for blackmail

3. What happens after a month, threemonths or a year

Much better to get them to come in, maybetake the animal and work out a payment planthat will achieve payment in full within a timeyou consider reasonable. Reduce the agreementto writing and put in an acknowledgment thatif an instalment is late by more than seven days,the remaining balance is then due and that Courtproceedings may then be taken.

Further ActionWhat if the phone is disconnected? Next

step would be a letter, posted to any addressyou have, and even hand-delivered if that ispossible. In this letter you need to state againthe animal’s progress , include a detai ledaccount, and invite immediate contact. Theletter should set a deadline after which theanimal would be considered abandoned and youwould then be free to deal with the animal asyou think best, and the options can includesending to the pound, re-homing or euthanasia,in your discretion.

If you don’t hear from them, you couldwrite again after the deadline telling them whatyou have done, but that is optional.

If you can’t contact the client by post orby phone, after a certain period you will simplyhave to say "enough" and re home, euthanaseor surrender the animal. What length of timethat is and which alternative you choose, willdepend on your assessment of a l l thecircumstances.



Confidential Help forVeterinarians

Doctors Health Advisory Service

Independent and confidential servicestaffed by specially selected and trainedmedical practitioners who are able to offerpersonal and health assistance as well asrefer ra l to spec ia l i s t s . Veter inarypractitioners / their families / their colleaguesare able to make calls to the Help Line. Issuesvary and all calls are unique but may involvedepression, alcohol abuse, drug use, workrelated stress or marriage difficulties. Thishighly respected and leading health careadvisory organiza t ion a ims to ass is tveterinarians to maintain full personal ,professional and social capabi l i ty. Thededicated telephone service is available 24hours a day.

(02) 9437 6552

Professional Development Requirements“I work in a small practice and have

family responsibilities and it isn’t easy to gettime off to go to courses. My colleagues inrural areas tell me that they are havingtrouble getting to courses too so shouldn’t theBoard reconsider the ‘s tructured’Professional Development requirements?”

As a professional, there is an ongoingcommitment to mainta in and enhanceprofessional skills and knowledge and this isreiterated in the Code of Conduct.

Veterinary Practice Regulation 2006 Schedule 2Veterinary practi t ioners code of professional

conduct (Clause 13)4 Knowledge of current standards of practice(1)A veterinary practitioner:(a) must maintain knowledge to the current

standards of the practice of veterinary science in theareas of veterinary science relevant to his or her practice,and

(b) must always carry out professional proceduresin accordance with those current standards.

(2)A veterinary practitioner must base professionaldecisions on evidence-based science or well-recognisedcurrent knowledge and practice, or both

In many professions, demonstration ofongoing CPD is a condition of continuingregis t ra t ion but our leg is la t ion requi resrecording of CPD. In the event of a complaintagainst a veterinarian the information could bevery useful for the veterinarian’s defence.

The minimal level of participation incontinuing professional development has beenagreed to be 60 points over three years. Atleast 15 points must be obtained from structuredlearning and the remaining 45 points can beobtained from unstructured learning or morestructured learning. There is no doubt thatattendance at the longer courses and annualconferences more rapid ly g ives you thenecessary points but there are other ways aswell.

• Have you looked at the availabilityof courses via the Internet? While some arelengthy year long courses, there are somewhich can be covered with a couple of hourswork each week over say, 8 weeks.

• The Royal Veterinary College [UK]and Vet Med Team Team [USA] offer internetor “e-CPD” courses and can be found easily atthe [free] International Veterinary InformationServices site www.ivis.org/shortcourse.

• Closer to home [not that distance isthe issue with these courses!] the Post GraduateFoundation at www.pgf.edu.au offers shortonline courses and regularly seeks interest forfu ture courses You can emai [email protected] if you have anysuggestions.

• The staff of the Royal VeterinaryCollege believe their e-CPD courses to besuitable for NSW practitioners. If you want totry a “taster session” then check the site http://www.rvc .ac .uk/CPD/eCPD.cfm. Thei r“Diagnostic Dilemmas” live online lecturesseries are held 1:00-3:00 pm British Time (GMTduring February, March, November andDecember ; Br i t i sh Summer Time Apri l -October). This period includes a 30-minuteregistration and familiarisation period prior tothe commencement of the lecture. If NSWpractitioners were interested in this series, thenrecorded lectures might be possible. http://www.rvc.ac.uk/CPD/Course.cfm?course=185.



Boardtalkis a publication of the Veterinary PractitionersBoard of NSW

Contact:VPBP.O. Box 6391Alexandria NSW 20151300 366 653Tel: (02) 9699 4477Fax: (02) 9699 4488

Location:55 Portman StreetZetland NSW 2017

Website:http://www.vpb.nsw.gov.au

Email:[email protected][Mary Lydamore and General enquiries]

[email protected][Des Lyttle andRegistration enquiries]

[email protected][Glenn Lynch- Registrar]

Board Members:Dr. Garth McGilvray (President)Dr. Vanessa BarrsDr. Graeme BrownDr. Tim CrispMrs Margaret FrancisDr. Merran GovendirDr. Andrew HansenMrs Angela Haynes

IMPORTANT:The information contained in this newsletter reflectsthe policies of the Veterinary Practitioners Board andthe current NSW legislation. Any advice on specificissues not relating to Board policy should be obtainedfrom either the AVA or appropriate governmentdepartment or your own legal advisors

For more information on what the RoyalVeter inary Col lege can offer contac [email protected]

•Written assessments in some journals areavailable.

•Most AVA branches would welcome yourattendance at their meetings even if you werenot an AVA member, [although an extra feewould be expected]. If a rural branch had a guestspeaker for 4 hours a year you could have 12structured points over 3 years from that alone.Regional AVA meetings are organised everycouple of years over 2-3 days and par tattendance at one of these may be more feasiblethan a trip to a capital city.

•Were you involved in the EI trainingprograms? Likely to have done at least a coupleof hours training over the last few months ifyou are a rural vet.

Don’t stress. Please contact the Board ifyou are worried and we will see if we can assistin pointing you in the right direction. One ofthe hardest things is to record the information.Try and do it regularly as it is hard to recall atthe end of the year when the annual return isrequired. If you don’t record it regularly, youare likely to forget some of the things you havedone.

1300 366 653

New telephone number forVeterinary Practitioners Board

1300 366 653

You can use this number to contact theNew South Wales Veterinary

Practitioners Board from ANYWHEREwithin Australia for the cost of a local

call.

1300 366 653

Profesional Development Requirements continued
