Can a registrant from one accredited facility “fill a prescription” for a registrant from another facility? This is a common question, and one that creates a great deal of confusion in practice.    The path to the answer is laid out in detail in this blog, but for those who prefer the quick response: Summary: Vets can prescribe and dispense to their own patients (or the facility patients that have a group VCPR with the other vets in the practice), but they are not allowed to dispense to patients of another facility if only presented a prescription.  We are not authorized to ..read more

Does the product I am about to sell require a physical exam or a Veterinary Client Patient Relationship? Non-prescription drugs (aka. Over the Counter drugs) can be sold by health professionals without a prescription. Any drug sold in Canada must have a DIN.  Non-Prescription Drugs will only have a DIN with no “Pr” label.  If a drug also has a “Pr” on the label, it is a Prescription Drug and must only be dispensed on the basis of a prescription (for a veterinarian, both the acts of prescribing and of dispensing require a VCPR).  Health products are in a category separate from “D ..read more

Many veterinarians have spent time in their career building skill sets and expertise in various areas of the practice of veterinary medicine.  Of course, this is something you would like to share with clients or potential clients in your communication materials such as websites, newsletters, and advertisements, but can you call yourself a Specialist?…the short answer is no.  A key responsibility of the veterinary profession is to ensure that the messaging provided to the public is not misleading.  In British Columbia, the use of the term ‘specialist’ in the veterinary profession ..read more

ATTENTION: Board-Certified Specialists Are you a Diplomate of a specialty college recognized by either the ABVS (American Board of Veterinary Specialties) or the EBVS (European Board of Veterinary Specialists)?  If so, have you registered your specialty with the CVBC? Why does it matter? Well, we know how much work and passion you put into achieving your post-graduate qualification, and want to be sure that your accomplishments and your specialized skills, experience and knowledge are appropriately recognized by the CVBC, your colleagues and the public! To protect the BC public and to res ..read more

Please also see Part 1 blog post on Telemedicine regarding VCPRs (Veterinarian Client Patient Relationships), practice facilities and prescribing, published on August 28th, 2022. What about Medical Records for telemedicine appointments??? The obligation of veterinarians to create, maintain and keep-current a medical record for each patient, and the responsibilities for retaining, keeping secure, ensuring that the client has ready access to, and providing timely disclosure of the information in the medical record are not altered when utilizing telemedicine to provide veterinary services.   ..read more

Having been in the roll of Registrar for a year and a half, I can say that there are definite patterns in cases that have led to a complaint by a member of the public.  We have a few tips that may help you in preventing a difficult case from becoming a complaint to the CVBC. Don’t practice in isolation Actively seek feedback from your peers Make sure your clinical skills are up to date Keep informed on CVBC communications – i.e. don’t unsubscribe from CVBC eblasts Create and support a positive workplace Treat everyone with respect and ensure that your staff do the same. This includes ..read more

Bylaws and legislation can be onerous to navigate, so the CVBC team thought it might be helpful to provide some information on Advertising Do’s and Don’ts.  It is important to ensure that accurate and helpful information is accessible to your clients, but at the same time, we must maintain public trust and professional ethics by advertising and marketing in compliance with Division 4.4 of the CVBC Bylaws: Don’t: State or imply that your knowledge and ability is superior to other registrants or another practice. This includes on your website, clinic printed materials, or social media. Fo ..read more

As Dr. Bergman described in her post , Registered Veterinary Technologists (RVTs) add immense value to every area of veterinary medicine. Not only do they assist veterinarians with the day-to-day duties in clinical practices, but they are professionals in their own right. To become an RVT in BC, individuals must graduate from a two or three year Veterinary Technology program accredited by the CVMA or the Ontario Association of Veterinary Technicians (OAVT). Currently, there are only three Veterinary Technology programs available in BC, and admission can be competitive. Upon graduation, st ..read more

As it is Registered Veterinary Technologist Month, it seemed timely to develop a joint blog that acknowledges the work that is underway at the CVBC from an inspection and regulatory perspective with some insights from the BCVTA.  You may have noticed some new faces on the CVBC Practice Facility Inspector Team.  We were very pleased to welcome both new veterinary and registered veterinary technologist inspectors to our team in the last year to support the delivery of Practice Facility Inspections.  An RVT can greatly increase the efficient running of a veterinary practice facilit ..read more

Maximizing your veterinary team capacity while staying within the CVBC Bylaws. The pandemic, together with the veterinarian and Registered Veterinary Technologist (RVT) shortages have put a huge strain on the profession.   Many practice facilities are trying to find ways to utilize their RVT’s skills and expertise to their fullest extent.   However, it’s important to ensure delegation and supervision is always done in compliance with the Veterinarians Act and the CVBC’s bylaws (Part 4 – Ethics and Standards). Primary considerations for how to involve RVTs should focus on po ..read more