Category: verterinary

Malpractice can be defined as a professional service provided that is substandard in its execution or performed without due diligence. Generally, malpractice is often associated with actions performed or not performed in the medical profession. Subsequently, these actions are detrimental upon the individual who is under the care of the medical professional.

Examples of a malpractice suit being brought against a medical professional may reflect instances where there was a needless loss of life, wrong medication administered resulting in medical damage, incorrect surgical procedure conducted, or other type of medical negligence performed.

Another area of medical service in which malpractice may be an issue are those medical actions performed or not performed on pets. Veterinary malpractice litigation may be an option for a pet owner to take if they feel that the veterinarian was negligent in the performance of their medical treatment.

If considering veterinary malpractice it is important to understand how one may prove veterinary malpractice and the process involved.

How To Prove Veterinary Malpractice

In order to prove that there is veterinary malpractice involved with the animal s care, the owner of the pet must prove that their animal was harmed due to an action taken or not taken by a veterinarian. For example, assume a pet was involved in an accident. The standard operating procedure was to order x-rays, but x-rays were not taken and the pet died. Veterinary malpractice may be a course of action that the pet owner may follow based on the fact the veterinarian or staff failed to follow the standardized medical treatment to detect serious injury to the animal.

The second step in proving veterinary malpractice is to substantiate the standard practice that should be followed by a veterinarian regarding an incident that is in question. The standard operating procedure can be substantiated by another veterinarian or other source of proof that will pass the litmus test of credibility.

The Process

Veterinary malpractice is not an easy process nor are there any guarantees that malpractice can be proven. Therefore, it is important to obtain legal advice before taking a legal action.

In addition, it is important to understand the legalities associated with the ownership of a pet. Some legal jurisdictions limit the damages that can be awarded to a pet owner. This is based on the fact that these laws equate the owning of a pet to owning an inanimate piece of property.

A very rewarding medial career that provides needed medical attention to our animal friends is veterinarian medicine. A veterinarian is a trained and licensed medical professional who specializes in the medical care of animals.

There are many individuals who have a love for animals who may wish to combine that love with a profession in the medical community. To become a veterinarian requires a significant commitment of time. This extensive process requires a significant number of years in the classroom as well as practical on the job experience. This on the job training is known as veterinary internships.

How veterinary internships work and the experiences that the intern can expect are important components of the veterinary internship program.

How Veterinary Internships Work

Formal veterinary internships are opportunities that are offered through universities that allow for the veterinarian students to work under the professional guidance of licensed veterinarians. Veterinary internships are available through local veterinarian offices or can be offered through public or private zoos.

The purpose of veterinary internships is to provide for a broad range of experiences that will allow the intern to fully understand the profession, engage in the medical treatment of animals and satisfy part of the requirements in becoming a licensed veterinarian.

The specifics of veterinary internships can vary from university to university. However, as a general rule, an internship program can range from a summer experience to a full one-year internship opportunity. In addition, depending upon the program, academic credit may or may not be given for the participant s work in the internship program.

Other requirements may need to be adhered to in order to be awarded a certificate of completion. Such requirements may be the successful completion of an internship seminar and endorsement of the collaborating veterinarian.

Expectations

The participating intern can expect to be involved in most facets of veterinarian work. Some of those medical opportunities will include experience in the areas of cardiology, emergency care, anesthesiology, dermatology, radiology and assisting in the operating room. These opportunities are afforded to the intern through a rotation process. For example a certain period of time will be spent in radiology, emergency care, etc.

Additional exposure to the various facets of veterinarian work will include the involvement in a number of procedures. Some of those procedures may include the spaying and neutering of animals. Also, veterinary internships will provide valuable instruction on the importance of immunizations, animal care and control of the animal population.