An investigation or a statement of issues will likely affect your professional license if you are a certified veterinarian. You must act quickly to defend your career and livelihood. Many violations committed by licensed veterinarians can lead to a suspended or revoked license by the Veterinary Medical Board. You should fight all disciplinary action by the board, even citations, as they are public records accessible to future employers and potential clients.
We deeply understand the Business and Professions Code, Veterinary Medicine Code of Conduct, and other relevant statutes and regulations related to your profession at San Bernardino License Attorney. We also have extensive experience handling various aspects and all processes involved in defending a veterinary license, regardless of the nature of the allegations you face.
Our team of competent license defense attorneys is available around the clock to ensure you understand your rights, options, and the best defense strategies. Thus, do not hesitate to contact us immediately after you receive a notice of investigation in San Bernardino.
The Noble Duties of Licensed Veterinarians
Working as a licensed veterinarian is an excellent calling of compassion for ailing animals. It requires a deep understanding of animals' various illnesses and health-related conditions. Since animals cannot explain their feelings, you must pay attention to their every symptom to diagnose accurately and recommend the best treatment. A veterinarian career also requires great dedication and an understanding of the importance of all animals to humans and the environment at large. Thus, this is a noble career in which to train and practice.
Your responsibilities as a trained veterinarian are far and wide. Many people keep pets in their homes nowadays. They are considered close companions and members of families. Some animals are kept to guard premises, while others are kept to rid homes of rodents. Humans put great value on the animals they care for. Thus, they will partner with a trained professional to ensure their pets are always healthy. This puts a lot of pressure on licensed professionals who care for animals. When people put so much expectation on your skills and experience, a little misunderstanding or mistake can cause significant problems for your career.
Your career can also require working in zoos, game parks, game reserves, and animal orphanages. You must maintain professionalism and act carefully every time you handle an animal.
Some mistakes professionals like you make are genuine. Other times, they are falsely accused of unprofessional conduct. Whatever the allegation you face, you must act swiftly to defend your career. The Veterinary Medical Board will not take chances if it receives a report of unprofessionalism from the public. It will investigate the matter and take stern action if there is evidence of unprofessionalism. Sadly, this can affect your license, reputation, and career.
Whether you are called to administer vaccinations, treat animal illnesses, or perform advanced surgeries, your career can end instantly if a dissatisfied client or jealous colleague files a complaint against you with your licensing board. Think of how hard and how long it has taken you to build that career to the current level. This should prompt you to do your best to fight for it. Fortunately, a competent license attorney can help you plan the best defense for your livelihood.
The Veterinary Medical Board’s Mission
The Veterinary Medical Board’s existence is mainly to protect animals and animal owners from suffering due to substandard or unsafe veterinary care. It accomplishes this mission in many ways, including carefully selecting qualified veterinarian doctors to license. You have to meet strict criteria to obtain a veteran license in California. Even with the proper knowledge and experience, the board must ensure you are dedicated to the job and understand all laws and regulations governing your profession. The board can revoke your license immediately or years after issuing it due to unprofessional conduct or criminal acts.
In addition to restricting the qualifying criteria for trained veterinarians, the board sets standards by which certified veterinarians must work. The standards of operation by professional veterinarians are available through the board’s website. You must familiarize yourself with these standards from time to time to avoid acts or omissions that could amount to unprofessionalism. If you are accused of unprofessional conduct, you can face severe discipline by the board, which ranges from citations and reprimands to license revocations. These operations standards include how you must relate with your clients, how you must treat animals under your care, and the level of cleanliness you must maintain in your practice.
Also, the board is open to reports from public members regarding the performance of all certified veterinarians. Clients, colleagues, family members, or employers can report to the board if they are unhappy or dissatisfied with your service. This will trigger an investigation and an administrative process that could lead to discipline. It helps to be careful when discharging your service because any evidence of criminal or unprofessional conduct can affect your license or livelihood. It puts a career you have worked hard to build at risk.
However, the board does not act on every report it receives from the public. It first investigates the matter to determine its authenticity and then decides on the best course of action. If the matter is unsubstantiated, the board will not bother with it. However, if there is evidence of unprofessionalism, the board will launch an investigation that can result in penalties. The penalties the board uses on unprofessional veterinarians depend on the severity of the complaints. A minor claim is handled more leniently than a significant violation. Examples of complaints that could trigger disciplinary action by the board include the following:
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Causing real harm to a person or an animal.
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Using or abusing drugs or alcohol while discharging your services.
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Using improper or unlawful billing practices.
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Engaging and supervising unlicensed or untrained assistants.
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Violating any health-related statute.
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Being negligent, whether criminal, gross, or ordinary negligence.
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Committing a crime that potentially impacts your professionalism.
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Demonstrating incompetence.
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Improper or unlawful use of anesthesia.
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Omitting fraud, including insurance fraud.
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Falsifying animal records or failure to maintain good records.
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Committing any kind of unprofessional conduct.
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Fraudulently obtaining a professional license.
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Offering services beyond your expertise or the provisions of your license.
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If another licensing board or government agency is investigating you.
Disciplinary Actions By The Veterinarian Medical Board
Remember that some allegations are more severe than others. The board considers the severity of your actions or inactions and your performance record to determine the proper discipline for your violation. Thus, the board has various disciplinary options it uses against professional veterinarians who violate their standards of operations.
The most minor discipline is a citation, a fine, and a reprimand letter. These are typically used in lenient allegations. If your actions do not cause a person or animal to suffer actual harm, the bard can use a citation or reprimand letter to discipline you. In most cases, citations are accompanied by an order to pay fines. The board decided on the fine you must pay according to the details of your case.
However, citations and reprimand letters can affect your reputation and prospects. The board issues them publicly, where they are accessible to the public. This can affect your reputation and ability to find new clients or jobs. It can also cause you problems with your current clients or employer. Thus, you can challenge a citation or reprimand with the assistance of your attorney. A skilled attorney can convince the board of how damaging the disciplinary action is to your career to compel it to reconsider.
The board can suspend or revoke your license in more severe cases, especially those that harm people or animals. When the board suspends your license, you will be out of work for a few weeks, months, or years, depending on the gravity of your violation. You can petition the board to reinstate your license after the suspension period.
Although suspensions are only temporary, they affect livelihoods since veterinarians with suspended licenses cannot work during suspension periods. It becomes increasingly difficult to pay for your dependents' needs once your license is on suspension.
A competent attorney can defend your license from suspension using the best strategies. For example, they can introduce mitigating factors, like your clean performance record, to compel the board to reconsider. Instead of suspension, the board can put your license on probation, allowing you to work and earn a living during the probation period. Your attorney can also defend your actions to compel the board to dismiss the allegations.
License revocations are usually for life. Once the board cancels your license, you will no longer earn a living as a trained veterinarian in California. This is the severest penalty the Veterinary Medical Board uses on unprofessional veterinarians. However, you can fight for a favorable outcome with the assistance of an aggressive attorney. Remember that your attorney is always on your side, regardless of the severity of your allegations. They will not rest until you are happy with your case’s outcome.
Navigating The Administrative Process
The administrative process by the Veterinarian Medical Board is usually complex and challenging to navigate without assistance. You need an attorney from the start of the process to ensure you understand what to expect in each step. This way, you will not be overwhelmed by what will happen and will not make mistakes that could compromise your case.
The administrative process starts when the board receives a complaint against you. This can be from your employer, colleagues, clients, or any other public member. The board must first determine the authenticity of the complaint to decide how best to handle it. If there is cause to believe that you acted unprofessionally, the board will notify you of the complaint and the pending investigation. It will also give you a hearing date on which you must appear before a judge.
You can handle the matter independently by preparing for defense and gathering evidence to defend your actions or fight the allegations. However, a competent license attorney can do it better than you. They know best how these administrative processes work and can use the best defense strategies to push for a fair resolution of your case.
Thus, you need an attorney immediately after being notified of the allegation and given a hearing date. Your attorney will ensure you understand your allegations, the likely outcome, and how to defend yourself. They will offer assistance in preparing for the hearing to ensure you have enough evidence and a compelling statement.
The board will dismiss your allegations if the hearing works in your favor. However, if there is more substantial evidence, the board will inform you of the discipline you deserve for your actions or inactions. Your attorney can fight the disciplinary action by the board and negotiate for a more favorable penalty.
Your attorney can also appeal if you are unsatisfied with your case’s outcome. They will do this if they feel you have a stronger case and deserve a more favorable outcome. Filing an appeal will give you more time to plan your defense better. You can gather more evidence, look for more witnesses, and use a better statement to compel the court to rule favorably.
Find The Best License Defense Attorney Near Me
An allegation of professional misconduct or criminal acts can ruin your career as a certified veterinarian in California. The Veterinary Medical Board prohibits any kind of unprofessionalism or unethical conduct. It can take disciplinary action against you, affecting your license or livelihood.
At San Bernardino License Attorney, we understand how long and hard you have worked to build that career and a good name for yourself. We can work with you to safeguard your reputation and career so you can continue doing what you enjoy and earning an income out of it. Our service is affordable, timely, and reliable. We will use the best defense strategies to fight for the best possible outcome for the matter. Call us at 909-966-4095 to discuss our service in San Bernardino in more detail.
