Maybe you saw this abbreviation and you wondered what it stands for. VCPR stands for Veterinary-Client-Patient-Relationship and we, as vets, should know by now that the well being of all our patients depends on this relationship.
Working as a vet means working with animals (which we love), but il also means working with their caregivers.
VCPR is established when you first meet the patient and their owner and it is maintained with regular office/virtual consults depending on the patient’s needs. VCPR gives us the possibility and the responsibility for making clinical judgments regarding the health of the patient. The client becomes involved in this by agreeing to follow the veterinarians’ instructions. Also, VCPR means that the veterinarian has sufficient knowledge of the patient to initiate at least a general or preliminary diagnosis of the medical condition of the patient.
This kind of relationship goes even further because we have to be available for follow-up evaluation or if we cannot do it ourselves, we have to arrange for emergency or urgent care coverage. We have to also give them the option to continue care and treatment at another licensed veterinarian ??? who has access to the patient’s medical records and/or can provide reasonable and appropriate medical care. This means it is also part of our job to keep patient records and to make them available for the owner or for another licensed veterinarian if it comes to transferring the patient.
Figuring out what’s wrong with an animal is like solving a very complex puzzle – we have to figure out how to fit all of the pieces together to solve it. After getting to a diagnostic and establishing a course of treatment we have to provide oversight of it and make any adjustments if necessary.
