If you hold a veterinarian license and face an administrative process due to professional misconduct, you should prepare well for the hearing to protect your livelihood and reputation. Some professional misconduct allegations result in a revoked or suspended license, whereby the Veterinary Medical Board discontinues your service permanently or temporarily. However, considering how much time, effort, and money you have spent obtaining it, your license is worth fighting for.

At Riverside License Attorney, we understand how much your license means to you, your dependents, and the animals that need your service. That is why we help professionals like you fight for their licenses. We are familiar with administrative processes and all the laws governing your license. Thus, we can determine the best approach in your case to push for a favorable outcome. We can start working on your defense right after you are notified of a pending investigation in Riverside.

The Essential Service of a Licensed Veterinarian

Veterinarians are professionals with the training and experience to help ailing animals. They treat all kinds of animals, whether wild or domesticated. They have special training to determine a problem in an animal, its cause, and the proper treatment for it. Since animals do not communicate their symptoms, it is usually up to the veterinarian to understand them and suggest the appropriate treatment. This requires extensive skills and on-the-job training to obtain the necessary experience to perform well.

Being a veterinarian requires great dedication and passion. You have to care for animals so much to worry about their well-being. You must also understand how important animals are to the environment and the people who keep them. Some people have excellent attachments to animals, making them part of their families. Your focus when treating these animals should be on the animal’s well-being and the safety of other family members.

Trained veterinarians work in various environments, including homes, farms, and zoos. Your primary duty could include administering vaccinations, protecting animals, protecting families and the public, treating common illnesses, and performing surgeries on animals. Veterinarians also work for the government as livestock inspectors and food safety experts.

The role of a veterinarian is advanced. This requires years of training, dedication, and acquiring the right skills and experience. Sadly, after all that effort, you can lose your license within a short period due to an unsubstantiated allegation. When a mistake happens, or one of your clients is dissatisfied with your service, it will not matter how dedicated you are to your job or how much time you have spent training.

What you need is a proficient license attorney to help defend your license. An attorney can find loopholes in your case or mitigating factors to compel the board to dismiss your allegations or rule the matter in your favor.

The Veterinary Medical Board in California

The board primarily protects animals and their keepers from incurring damages due to poor quality and unsafe practices by licensed veterinarians. Although the board’s primary role seems to be to license qualified veterinarians, it is not. Licensing trained and experienced veterinarians is a part of the board’s mandate to ensure that animals receive treatment and care for excellent health and general well-being. The board also handles anything that risks animals' lives or health, including unprofessionalism by licensed veterinarians. Thus, you will likely receive severe consequences if the board takes action against you for unprofessional conduct.

The board achieves its mandates in many ways, including restricting licensing and taking stern action against licensed professionals who violate their operation standards. Before issuing licenses to qualified veterinarians, the board must ensure they understand their operation standards and all the laws governing their profession. For example, they must be familiar with animal health regulations and criminal offenses that affect their professionalism. They must understand the cleanliness requirements of their veterinary clinics and safe practices when administering treatments and performing surgeries.

Thus, the struggle to build a career in veterinarian medicine continues even after you become certified. You must prove your worth of that permit daily by adhering to the regulations governing your career. The board openly receives complaints from members of the public regarding unprofessional conduct by licensed veterinarians. Once you are reported to the board, you risk losing a career you have built for years. This is because the board takes all these complaints very seriously. Unless your complaint is unsubstantiated, the board will investigate your conduct and can take disciplinary action against you if there is evidence of misconduct.

If the board receives an unsubstantiated complaint, it drops the matter even before notifying the accused veterinarian. However, it pursues all other complaints, especially severe complaints. If it decides to pursue your case, you will receive a notice of investigation to prepare you for the administrative process. After receiving that notice, you can hire an attorney to ensure you understand your options and have a solid defense for your livelihood.

Types of Allegations The Board of Veterinary Medicine Receives

Licensed veterinarians engage in different kinds of professional misconduct. Thus, the board receives various types of cases. There are also different disciplinary actions for these cases, depending on the gravity of the misconduct. Here are examples of actions or inactions that could result in an administrative process against you by the Veterinarian Medical Board:

  • Causing actual physical harm to an individual or animal

  • Alcohol and drug abuse, particularly while administering treatment

  • Illegal billing practices

  • Using unlicensed or unqualified assistants

  • A criminal arrest or conviction that relates to your duty as a licensed veterinarian

  • Violating the law, particularly health-related laws

  • Negligence (ordinary, gross, or criminal) or demonstrating incompetence

  • Any type of unprofessional conduct

  • Improper administration of anesthesia

  • Committing a fraud-related crime, particularly insurance fraud

  • Forging medical records or failing to maintain proper medical records

  • Obtaining your veterinarian permit through fraud or any other unlawful way

  • Doing more than your license permits

  • Being under the investigation of another licensing body or government body

If you are under investigation for any of the abovementioned claims, the board will likely take action against you. These allegations vary in gravity and possible consequences. It helps prepare well for the hearing to avoid a severe result that could affect your license and career.

The Administrative Process

The Veterinary Medical Board initiates an administrative process against a licensed veterinarian once it receives a complaint against them. It starts by investigating the authenticity of the allegation. If the allegation is credible, the board appoints administrative judges to oversee the investigations and hearings to decide the right course of action against the unprofessional veterinarian. The board will then notify the veterinarian about the investigation and the hearing date, on which they must appear before the administrative judges.

It is necessary to start preparing for that hearing to ensure you have enough evidence and a compelling statement to change the outcome of your case. You can hire an experienced license attorney for advice, guidance, and support. Provide all the details of your case to the attorney to give them proper grounds to decide the right defense to use for a favorable outcome.

The board will conduct an independent investigation and obtain evidence against you before the hearing date. During the hearing, a judge will mention your case and the allegations you face and provide evidence the board has against you. The judge will allow you to defend your actions and provide evidence to counter the allegations. The judges will then conclude the hearing by delivering the final verdict. The board could dismiss your charges if the evidence against you is unsubstantiated or take disciplinary action against you.

The Veterinary Medical Board has several options when disciplining unprofessional licensed professionals. The most lenient discipline for lenient allegations is usually issuing a citation or a reprimand letter against the unprofessional veterinarian. Citations and reprimands do not impact your livelihood. However, they can tarnish your reputation since they are publicly posted on the board’s website. The website is accessible by members of the public, including your employer, colleagues, clients, and potential customers. These people could decide to boycott your services, making it difficult for you to earn a living like you did before the allegation.

For some severe claims, the board will likely suspend your license or put you on probation pending further investigations. Suspended licenses do not impact your career much, but they affect your ability to earn a living. This is because you do not work during the suspension, making it challenging to pay for your necessities and your family’s needs. License probation sounds like an excellent alternative, but it also affects your ability to offer your service freely. Additionally, these disciplines are issued through the board’s website, making them accessible to the public, including critical people in your life.

If the allegation is more severe, you could lose your veterinarian license to license suspension. Although the board rarely revokes licenses, it can do so if your actions put the lives of animals or people at risk. For example, if you demonstrate incompetence or gross negligence and your actions can cause a severe injury or the death of animals or people, the board can cancel your license. A canceled license marks the end of your career in veterinary medicine.

How a Skilled Attorney Can Help

If you face allegations of unprofessional conduct, you should prioritize defending your license and livelihood. All allegations affect your livelihood but to varying degrees. Working with a proficient attorney improves your chances of obtaining a favorable outcome in your case.

An attorney can prepare you for what you will likely encounter during the administrative processes. If this is your first time facing disciplinary action by your licensing body, you could be confused and anxious. Understanding what lies ahead helps you plan well for your defense.

An attorney also discusses your options and helps you choose the most favorable one. They take time to understand your needs and the right choices to meet them.

Your attorney will also help you gather evidence to fight the allegations against you. If you face false accusations or the complaint is exaggerated, you can present a solid defense to demonstrate your innocence with the assistance of your attorney. Your attorney can also use mitigating factors to compel the board to dismiss your allegations or take less severe action against you. For example, they can use your excellent industry performance record to appeal for a reasonable resolution.

Your attorney can suggest a plea bargain with the board for a reasonable determination of the case. For example, they can negotiate for license suspension or probation instead of revocation. This way, you can continue working and earning a living after settling the case. If you feel that a citation or reprimand will affect your excellent reputation, your attorney can plead with the board to avoid making it public to protect your career. Remember that your attorney has your best interests in mind and will fight to ensure your case results favor your career.

In addition to fighting your allegations or defending your actions, your attorney will provide the mental and emotional support you need at the most challenging time in your career. Being under the board’s investigation can significantly affect your self-esteem and job performance. This support will assist you in pushing for the most satisfactory result and give you the strength to continue offering your service regardless of the pending matter.

Find Competent Veterinary License Defense Services Near Me

If you are facing disciplinary action by the Riverside Veterinary Medical Board, you need the assistance of a competent attorney. This is because you risk losing your license and the ability to earn a living for you and your dependents. An attorney can help defend your actions, fight your allegations, or negotiate for a fair result. They will also be by your side when it seems everyone is against you.

We offer affordable and timely veterinary license defense services at Riverside License Attorney. We know how much you worked and spent to build your career to the level you are at. We will work closely with you to push for the most suitable outcome in your case. Contact us at 951-404-0569 to learn about your options and our service.