PART I
PRELIMINARY
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Citation
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1. These regulations may
be cited as the Veterinary Act
(Code of Conduct for Veterinary Paraprofessionals and Paraprofessional
Assistants) Regulations, 2005.
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Application
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2. These regulations shall apply to
Paraprofessional and Paraprofessional Assistants
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Interpretation
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3. In
these regulations unless the context requires:
“act”
means the veterinary act, 2003;
“code” means a set of moral principles accepted by
a society or the council and
veterinary;
“code of practice” means a set of professional standards
agreed upon by members of a particular profession;
“conduct” means behave or conduct oneself
honourable and with dignity;
“ethics” means that branch of philosophy, which is
concerned with human character and conduct;
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CODE
OF CONDUCT
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Practice ethics and conduct
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4. (1) Every enrolled
Paraprofessional and enlisted Paraprofessional Assistant shall have the
obligation to conduct affairs of the profession with the highest degree of
honest, skill and integrity and shall be required to observe the code of
conduct and ethics under these regulations.
(2) Violation of any of
the provisions in these regulations shall constitute professional misconduct
or misbehaviour and may entail disciplinary action.
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Uphold integrity of the veterinary
profession
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5.
(1) Any Veterinary paraprofessional/paraprofessional Assistant is required to
act at all times in a manner so that he maintains and promote the prestige,
honour, dignity and interest of the profession;
(2)
Any Veterinary paraprofessional or paraprofessional assistant is morally obliged to serve the
public to the best of his ability by maintaining, at all times, the highest standard of animal health care and professional
conduct;
(3)
Any Veterinary paraprofessional/paraprofessional Assistant shall collaborate
with members of the veterinary profession and members of other professions in
a responsible and professional manner in order to ensure quality health care
services for all animals;
(4)
Any Veterinary paraprofessional or paraprofessional assistant shall not
permit himself to be exploited in a manner, which may be detrimental to an
animal, the public or the profession;
(5)
Any Veterinary paraprofessional or paraprofessional assistant shall assume
accountability for individual professional actions and judgment;
(6)
Any Veterinary paraprofessional or paraprofessional assistant shall safeguard
the public and himself against individuals deficient in moral character,
professional competence or ethics;
(7)
Any Veterinary paraprofessional or paraprofessional assistant shall remain
competent in animal health care through commitment to life-long learning.
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Obligation to practice
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6.
(1) Any Veterinary Paraprofessional/Paraprofessional Assistant shall execute
the instructions or tasks of a registered veterinarian discerningly and
faithfully and shall refuse to take part in any unethical behavior of
procedure; statutes and statutory provisions;
(2)
Any Veterinary Paraprofessional or Paraprofessional Assistant shall keep
himself informed of all the law which affect him in the practicing of the
profession;
(3)
Any Veterinary Paraprofessional or Paraprofessional Assistant shall be familiar
with the ethical rules applicable to animal health paraprofessional or paraprofessional
Assistant and shall promote these rules at all times;
(4)
Any Veterinary Paraprofessional/Paraprofessional Assistant shall regard any
information acquired during the course of his employment as strictly
confidential and shall refrain from divulging unlawful or malicious
information to any person except his employer and or the animal owner;
(5)
Any Veterinary Paraprofessional/Paraprofessional Assistant shall refrain from
expressing any criticism in public through which the reputation, status or
practice of a colleagues in the profession is or could be undermined or
injured, or through which a reflection is or could be cast on the
professionalism skill, methods of conduct of such colleagues;
(6)
Any Veterinary Paraprofessional or Paraprofessional Assistant shall at all
times, keep detailed and accurate records of all information and procedures
performed by him for at least ten years;
(7)
Veterinary Paraprofessional or Paraprofessional Assistant shall be familiar
with the methods employed by a person practicing as paraprofessionals or
paraprofessional Assistant and must comply with the applicable minimum
practice standards and others standards as determined by the Council from
time to time.
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PART III
VETERINARY
MEDICAL RECORDS AND DISEASE CONTROL
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Obligation to disease prevention and control
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7.
The objectives of disease prevention and control shall be:-
(a)
to implement vaccination programmes in
livestock, in order to prevent, and or control animal diseases and to strive
towards establishing a disease free animal populations;
(b)
to implement parasite control programmes in livestock, in order to prevent,
and or control animal parasites and to strive towards establishing a parasite
free animal population;
(c)
to promote public health by assisting with the control of zoonotic diseases
and informing the public about the occurrence of the diseases;
(d) to perform
delegated duties pertaining to regulated animal diseases, listed under the
relevant animal disease control legislation including the various eradication
schemes.
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Obligation to disease notification and
report
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8.
(1) Any Veterinary Paraprofessional or Paraprofessional Assistant under
indirect supervision by a registered veterinarian in clinical veterinary practice shall
report on the occurrence of a notifiable diseases;
(2) Any Veterinary Paraprofessional or Paraprofessional
Assistant shall compile and submit a monthly report of all
vaccinations done and other diseases attended to the registered veterinarian
in charge of the veterinary practice facility.
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Obligation to diagnosis and research of
diseases
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9.
Any Veterinary Paraprofessional or Paraprofessional Assistant shall have an
obligation to:
(a)
collect of data and the compiling of reports
whilst assisting with epidemiological and research projects;
(b)
collect specimens to assist in the investigation
of reproductive and fertility problems in livestock;
(c)
collect samples, including blood smears, brain smears,
impression smears, skin scrapings, wool scrapings, faecal samples but
excluding the collection of samples by biopsy;
(d)
examine and analyze including blood smears, skin
scrapings, and wool scrapings, urine analysis and faecal samples and
elementary clinical chemistry;
(e)
carry out basic post mortem examinations and the
collection and submission of samples for microbiological, toxicological, histo-pathological
and serological investigation.
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Veterinary medical records
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10.
(1) A Paraprofessional or paraprofessional Assistant shall maintain a written
or printed patient record cards or books;
(2)
A Paraprofessional or Paraprofessional Assistant shall compile and submit a
monthly report of all vaccinations and other diseases attended to the
registered veterinarian whom the paraprofessional or paraprofessional
assistant is under supervision.
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PART1V
VETERINARY
EXTENSION SERVICES
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Obligation
to meat inspection
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11.
(1) Any Paraprofessional or Paraprofessional Assistant shall carry out meat
inspections and other duties under the relevant abattoir legislation;
(2) Paraprofessional or Paraprofessional Assistant
shall have an obligation to supervise
the disposal of a carcasses found unfit
for human consumption.
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Animal
breeding
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12.
Paraprofessional or Paraprofessional Assistant may perform artificial
insemination provided that the Paraprofessional
or paraprofessional Assistant has undertaken an
insemination practical course.
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PART V
SUPERVISORY
OBLIGATION
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Supervision of paraprofessional assistants
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13. An enrolled
paraprofessional will have the obligation to supervise assistants in the
absence of and or after receiving communication from the registered
veterinarian at different levels.
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Supervision of veterinary students at
practice
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14.
When veterinary students are engaged in veterinary practical work, an
enrolled paraprofessional must explain to the would be paraprofessional or
paraprofessional assistant on standard behaviour, including legal obligations
and what is expected of them in dealing with patients and clients.
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PART V1
CONTINUED
PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION
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Professional education
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15-(1) Any Veterinarian shall continue to advance his education in order to
constitute a disservice to clients and to animals;
(2) Any Paraprofessional
and paraprofessional assistant shall make use of the various methods of
continuing professional education that are available to him which includes
upgrade courses, organized short courses, appropriate conferences or
workshops and correspondence courses.
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PART V11
SERVICE EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS
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Contracts agreement
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16. When a
paraprofessional or paraprofessional assistant is in clinical practice for
any period under the supervision of a registered veterinarian, the
relationship shall be clearly defined in an agreed, fair and correctly
prepared contract which makes all accountability clear.
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