In the Philippines, there is a practice many veterinarians know — but very few talk about openly.
Because there is a shortage of vets, some clinic owners hire both:
- licensed veterinarians
- unlicensed vet graduates
The later, these are people who finished veterinary medicine, but:
- have not yet taken the board exam, or
- took it, but have not passed yet
Inside the clinic, this is what often happens:
The vet graduate attends the patient. They:
- examine the animal
- diagnose
- prescribe
- sometimes even perform procedures
Meanwhile, the licensed vet:
- is on another case
- is having a quick snack
- is busy somewhere else
- or is not even in the clinic that day
Then someone comes over with the record and says:
“Doc, please sign. We already handled it.”
Sometimes the vet signs after barely reading.
Sometimes they never saw the patient at all.
Sometimes — it is even their day off…
…but their stamp pad still goes to work.
Why clinics do this?
Clinic owners usually explain it like this:
- there are not enough vets applying
- licensed vets cost more
- clients want cheaper services but full treatment
- graduates “already know what to do anyway”
The intention may be practical.
But the reality is simple:
The one truly managing the patient is not licensed.
The one whose name appears on paper did not actually handle the case.
“But they already graduated”
This is the most common argument.
“They finished vetmed anyway.”
“They’re already trained.”
“They’re good.”
Graduation, however, is not the final qualification. Just like:
- a medical graduate is not yet a doctor
- a law graduate is not yet a lawyer
A veterinary graduate is not yet a veterinarian until licensed.
Licensing exists for reasons:
- proven competence
- ethical responsibility
- legal accountability
- patient safety
- public trust
Without a license, they should not be acting as the attending veterinarian.
The burden on the licensed vet.
From the outside, it looks harmless:
“Doc, pirma lang.”
But the licensed veterinarian is the one who:
- will answer to the pet owner
- may be attacked online
- may face complaints
- may have their reputation questioned
- may sleep at night worrying about a case they did not handle
The unlicensed graduate disappears from the story.
The clinic owner steps aside.
The signature stays — and the responsibility stays with it.
It is also unfair to the vet graduates
Many of these graduates are:
- passionate
- eager to learn
- trying to earn while waiting for exams
But when they are pushed into roles meant for licensed veterinarians:
- they are unprotected legally
- they are exposed to blame
- they are being trained to normalize shortcuts
- they may lose motivation to become licensed properly
They deserve structured mentorship — not shortcuts.
The client is unknowingly misled
Most pet owners assume:
“If I went to a veterinary clinic, a real veterinarian saw my pet.”
But sometimes, that is not what happened.
They think the name on the record is the doctor who attended.
In reality, it may belong to someone who:
- never saw their pet
- never spoke to them
- may not have been in the building
That creates distrust in the long run — not only toward one clinic, but toward the profession.
The most alarming part: the “day off stamp pad”
The most dangerous scenario is this:
The licensed vet is on day off.
No idea what’s happening in the clinic. Yet their:
- name
- license
- stamp
are being used.
If something goes wrong, the narrative always becomes:
“The doctor handled the case.”
Even if the doctor was somewhere else entirely.
Where do we go from here
Yes — there is a real shortage of vets.
Yes — clinics need to stay open.
Yes — business realities are real.
But the solution cannot be:
- borrowing someone’s license
- letting unlicensed graduates act as attending vets
- exhausting the licensed vet mentally and emotionally
- misleading the public
For clinic owners:
- Hire vet graduates as assistants or trainees — not substitute doctors.
- Make sure a licensed veterinarian is truly present and involved.
- Do not use a vet’s name or stamp if they didn’t manage the case.
For vet graduates:
- Learn. Assist. Train.
- But respect the process.
- The goal is to become licensed — not shortcut the system.
For licensed veterinarians:
- Protect your name.
- Protect your license.
- Protect your conscience.
As I would put it:
“If I did not see the patient and did not manage the case, my name does not belong on that record.”
Because when something goes wrong, nobody asks:
“Who assisted?”
They ask only:
“Who is the veterinarian of record?”
And that name carries everything.
Sharing this helps others understand what it really means to be a vet.
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