Becoming a licensed veterinarian in California requires intensive training, experience, dedication, and a willingness to abide by set standards. The Veterinary Medical Board does not take chances when licensing qualified veterinarians. Only outstanding people are allowed to serve in various parts of the state. You must work hard in and after school to obtain a veterinarian license. Sadly, you can lose it all at once if the board finds you incompetent, negligent, or guilty of any other professional misconduct.
Licensed veterinarians must defend their licenses and livelihoods while delivering quality, safe, and professional services. A simple mistake can result in a lost livelihood and a struggle to find an alternative means to earn a living. We offer timely license defense services at San Jose License Attorney for veterinarians facing disciplinary action by the Veterinary Medical Board. We understand the challenges you have overcome to become an exemplary professional, hence the need to defend your career if a complaint threatens your license. We are available for legal advice, support, and defense in San Jose.
Your Crucial Role as a Veterinarian
Your job as a veterinarian is gratifying because it entails helping ailing animals. Animals are an essential part of human beings, so serving animals means serving humans in part. Humans depend on your skill and knowledge to make good decisions that leave their animals in excellent health. Your job also entails taking care of pets, which have become invaluable members of most families. Your responsibility goes beyond diagnosing and treating sick animals. It also includes advice on nutrition and other care tips that could improve animal health. Typically, you exist for animals.
Not everyone can care for animals. You must demonstrate skill, knowledge, dedication, and the ability to abide by the standards set by your licensing body to obtain a veterinarian license. This means attending college after high school and learning about animal health. After college, you must also receive hands-on experience to offer practical, reliable, and quality services once you start your practice or find a job. You must also demonstrate dedication, competence, and care to maintain your license and livelihood. The board is very particular about who deserves licensing and will quickly cancel your license if you fail to meet the set standards.
Working as a veterinarian also entails more than just diagnosing and prescribing medication to ailing animals. You must be willing to help all animals needing treatment, medication, and healthcare. Veterinarians treat some animals in their offices and others in their habitats. Thus, you could be required to travel to farms from time to time to check on or treat some animals. Some farm owners occasionally call for advice and expect you to respond professionally and kindly.
While you could be the most dedicated and caring veterinarian, you could make a mistake. You will also rub some people wrong, resulting in allegations or complaints about your professionalism or competence. You could be accused of sexual misconduct, incompetence, negligence, or even criminal activity. All these allegations violate your code of ethics and could trigger disciplinary action by your licensing board. Some allegations can be true, and others can be false. The board takes all of them seriously and will only dismiss the matter if it lacks credibility or sufficient evidence. Thus, you must be careful and take action immediately after the board notifies you of such a complaint.
An allegation can significantly affect your livelihood. Serious allegations could cause the board to revoke or suspend your license. This means losing your ability to earn a living. Other allegations will destroy your reputation, causing you to lose your job and essential clients. However, a skilled license attorney can help you fight the allegation or push for a fair resolution of your case. You must speak to one right after receiving the notification to prepare early for defense. An attorney will also protect your rights, protect you from incriminating yourself, and push for the best resolution for your case.
Remember how hard you have worked to reach where you are in your career. Remember the time, money, and other resources you have invested to build your career. You could lose it all if you do not act upon an allegation that threatens your license. The allegation need not be grave. Even a simple mistake or one disgruntled client can place your license at risk.
The Mission of the Veterinary Medical Board
The Veterinary Medical Board is the government body that licenses qualified veterinarians to serve in California. You cannot work legally as a veterinarian without this license, regardless of your educational qualifications. When issuing you a permit, the board considers other qualities besides your training and experience. A license also signifies that you understand and agree to abide by the state's operation standards for veterinarians. Violating any of these standards could place your license and livelihood at risk.
However, the board exists for other reasons. The board aims to protect animals and animal owners from losses and other damages caused by licensed veterinarians' unprofessional, substandard, and unsafe practices. This means the board’s involvement with you does not end after you receive a license. It must carefully monitor your practice to ensure you abide by the standards.
The Veterinary Medical Board achieves this mission in many ways. First, it strictly licenses only qualified veterinarians. The board has strict criteria by which it qualifies veterinarians for licenses. You must satisfy these criteria to start earning a livelihood in California. The board also sets high standards for veterinarians. You must agree to abide by these standards to apply for a license. Additionally, the board has various disciplinary actions for licensed veterinarians who fail to comply with the set standards on its website. The standards pertain to the level of care you must give to ailing animals, the cleanliness standards veterinarians must maintain, criminal offenses you cannot commit, and your level of interaction with clients and colleagues.
The Veterinary Medical Board receives all kinds of complaints from various sources. Although some are usually unsubstantiated, the board takes all credible complaints seriously. The board can take severe action against you to protect the public and innocent animals, even for a minor allegation. You must be prepared to defend yourself and your livelihood when that time comes. Here are some of the claims that could lead to disciplinary action:
- Causing actual harm to an animal or human
- Alcohol or drug abuse, especially while on the job
- Using illegal billing practices
- Hiring unqualified or unlicensed assistants
- A past or current police arrest or criminal conviction that substantially affects your professionalism as a veterinarian
- Violating any health code
- Ordinary negligence, gross negligence, or incompetence when rendering your services
- Any kind of professional misconduct
- Failing to follow the correct procedure when administering anesthesia
- Failing to maintain proper records or falsifying records
- Committing insurance fraud or any other fraud-related crime
- Obtaining your veterinarian's license through fraud
- Exceeding the limitations of your license in service delivery
- Being investigated by another government body or the licensing board of another state
Note: This does not constitute the complete list of allegations the board receives against licensed veterinarians.
Disciplinary Action By The Veterinary Medical Board
The board first determines the credibility of an allegation to determine the kind of action to take. If the allegation is unsubstantiated or lacks supporting evidence, the board will dismiss it. But if there is evidence that you violated the set standards of operation, the board will investigate it and take action after obtaining sufficient evidence. It will notify you of a pending investigation and advise you on what is required of you during that period.
Once the investigation is over, the board takes different actions against negligent, incompetent, or otherwise unprofessional licensed veterinarians. Your penalty will largely depend on the violation and your past performance. The board could be lenient with you if the allegation is minor and it is your first. It could issue you with a citation and a requirement to pay a fine. If not, the board could reprimand you through a public notice on its website. While these actions do not affect your license, they can affect your livelihood if your reputation is damaged. Remember that citations and reprimands are done online. It can affect your job or practice if your employer or clients discover the violation.
The board can take a graver action against you, like placing you on probation, before its final decision. Probations are usually for lenient violations that do not result in the death or injury of a person or animal. The board will closely monitor your practice and actions within the probation period and could dismiss your charges or take a more severe action, depending on your performance. For example, if you demonstrate changed behavior and a willingness to be more professional and dedicated, the board will give you a second chance. However, the board can cancel your license if you commit similar or different professional misconduct.
Sometimes, the board suspends a veterinarian’s license to allow them to take additional classes or undergo treatment or rehabilitation. You will not perform your duties during this period, but you can file for reinstatement once it is over. While license suspension does not entirely end your career, it leaves you with no livelihood for the suspension period. This could affect your ability to cater to your needs and those of your loved ones. Additionally, the process of reinstating your license is long and complex. If you make a mistake during this period, reinstating your veterinarian license could be difficult or impossible.
License revocation is the harshest penalty that you can receive after a violation. A revoked or canceled license will disqualify you from being a licensed veterinarian in California. This means you cannot practice your career in the state. It is a devastating penalty that leaves you ultimately without a livelihood. The board can suspend your license in cases of gross negligence or incompetence where an animal or person lost their life or sustained a significant injury.
While these disciplinary actions help keep the industry safe and free of unprofessional or substandard services, they could be unfair. If you make an honest mistake, you deserve a second chance, not a harsh penalty that could leave you jobless. Thus, you must work closely with a skilled attorney to fight for your rights and best interests. An attorney plays a crucial role during the investigation and hearing processes.
First, they will help you comprehend the gravity of your violation and possible penalties. This will prepare your mind for what to expect. It will also assist you in preparing to fight for your livelihood. Your attorney will also negotiate a fair settlement with the board. If the board has compelling evidence against you, your attorney will push for a favorable settlement. However, if the board’s case against you is weak, your attorney will compel it to dismiss your charges. They will seek to understand your needs first to ensure your best interests are served.
If the board suspends your license before or after the investigation, your attorney will help you apply for reinstatement. Skilled license attorneys understand these processes better than anyone. Your attorney will prepare and file the required paperwork and appear at all hearings to ensure you have your license back.
Find an Experienced License Attorney Near Me
The Veterinary Medical Board is not only strict when issuing licenses but also when investigating and penalizing professional misconduct allegations. You could lose your veterinarian license through suspension or revocation even for a minor accusation. If not, your reputation in the industry could be damaged, affecting your ability to find a job or clients. Fighting an allegation, even a minor complaint, is advisable to protect your livelihood. We can help you do that at the San Jose License Attorney.
Our team comprises highly trained, experienced, and dedicated license attorneys. We understand administrative processes and can use that knowledge to fight for a favorable outcome. We will also advise you on your rights and options and develop a solid defense with you to achieve a good result for your case. Call us at 408-850-3740 if you are under the board’s investigation in San Jose to discuss our services and your case more.
