Modernizing
the Practice
of Veterinary
Medicine
SCOPE OF
PRACTICE
Risk of Harm Clause
As this model, and compliance with the model, relate to the authorized
acts and the risk related to animal outcomes, any individual not licensed
by the College who treats or advises about an animal’s health where it is
reasonably foreseeable that serious bodily harm to an animal or human
may result from the treatment or advice or from an omission from them
could be prosecuted for the unlawful practice of veterinary medicine.
Why is the College Considering Changes to this Concept?
The Act currently requires that any individual providing animal care services
that relate to veterinary medicine must provide those services under the
delegation and supervision of a veterinarian. However, the current reality
is that non-veterinarians can, and do, provide therapies and services to
animals upon client request and without veterinary oversight. Most of
these services fall in the realm of “complementary and alternative medicine”
and generally are lower risk activities (e.g. massage therapy, rehabilitation,
etc.).
The general discussion on what a profession should or should not protect
within its scope of practice is increasingly focused on risk and harm – in
this case risk and harm to animals and to public health. In the broader
social context, the public realizes that high risk services (e.g. diagnosing
illness, prescribing medications, surgery) should only be performed by a
licensed veterinarian. On the other hand, the public expects to have direct
access to low risk animal services (e.g. massage therapy) without requiring
a referral from a veterinarian. These shifts in practice, based on public
demand, require careful consideration of real, and not perceived, risk and/
or potential harm.
While Ontario is, and has been, regulating under the premise of exclusive
scope of practice for veterinarians, the reality is that there is no definitive
definition of the practice of veterinary medicine in the Veterinarians Act,
merely a list of a few activities. Over the years, challenges to the