Guide to Professional Conduct

The RCVS Guide to Professional Conduct identifies the key responsibilities of veterinary surgeons to their patients, clients, the public and professional colleagues, as well as their responsibilities under the law. It is not a detailed rulebook, but rather it sets out fundamental principles which may be applied to all areas of veterinary practice.

• Responsibilities of a veterinary surgeon
• The Guidance
• Annexes

You may also search the online Guide. (This search tool will check the pages of the online Guide only; alternatively you may wish to search RCVSonline in its entirety.)

This publication is distributed free to all home practicing members of the College is available for sale at a cost of £20 to non-members and £15 to members. The publication can be ordered from our Publications Shop.

Registered Veterinary Nurses (RVNs) follow the Guide to Professional Conduct for Veterinary Nurses  (PDF 160Kb) and, if things go wrong, will undergo a disciplinary process, similar to that for veterinary surgeons. The disciplinary mechanism will be in place from 2010.

Additional guidance is available to the profession in the form of advice notes. An alphabetical list (PDF 52Kb) of these advice notes is also available.