Main description:

The importance for individuals to have an awareness of the law as it relates to them professionally has never been more important for veterinary nursing than it is now. With moves in place to regulate veterinary nursing, issues of accountability will arise that will impact on every veterinary nurse in practice. It will be essential for every nurse to be fully informed about the law and their professional obligations.

In the multi-cultural society we live in, a knowledge of other cultures, values and beliefs is essential if nurses are to offer the best and most sensitive service to clients and by extension to their animals. Ethical implications extend to every area of working practice; from everyday decisions through to the way in which research is conducted and analysed. This book explores all the ethical issues surrounding veterinary nursing in a clear and comprehensible way.

This is the first book that addresses ethics and law specifically from a veterinary nursing perspective. The authors have used their expert knowledge in these areas together with their teaching experience to create a book that will be useful for veterinary nursing students, especially those at Certificate, Diploma and Degree level, and will make interesting reading for the qualified veterinary nurse.

Case examples have been used to illustrate the various issues and highlight the relevance of these to everyday practice; every veterinary nurse will identify with at least one of the scenarios presented.

Key topics covered include: regulation; representation; research ethics; religious ethics; the Veterinary Surgeon's Act.

This book not only fulfils the requirements of the veterinary nursing syllabus but will also become a well-thumbed reference for daily practice.

Created for veterinary nurses that deals with everyday situations in veterinary practice and relates them to the law and veterinary ethics.
Supports the veterinary nursing curriculum at all levels as a complete reference on law and ethics.
Clinical scenarios represent real-life situations and discuss the legal and ethical principles involved in different courses of action.
Comprehensive coverage of ethics and law makes this book an essential reference for every veterinary nurse and veterinary practice.

Contents:

1. Veterinary Nursing: The Road to Professionalism

2. Introduction to Ethical Principles

3. Introduction to the Legal System

4. Negligence and Whistle-Blowing

5. Regulation and Representation

6. The History of Animal Welfare

7. Religious Ethics

8. Consent to Treatment in Veterinary Practice

9. The Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966

10. Animal Research Ethics and Law

11. Research on People: Ethical Considerations

12. A Round-Up of 'Other' Legislation

13. Ethical thinking: The Way Forward?

Appendices

1. Scenarios

2. Schedule Three amendment to Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966

3. The RCVS code of conduct for veterinary nurses

Index