References to the issue of collegeality are contained in almost every veterinary regulatory publication and in published reports of hearings held by regulatory bodies.
Some of the reasons that the veterinary profession suffers from a poor public and peer group image resulting from a deficiency or total lack of collegeality may be the following:
Feelings of insecurity and lack of confidence,
an ingrained spirit of competition with colleagues,
abject greed and stubborn protectionism,
a get-even-with mentality,
a lack of social skills and inability to communicate on a professional level,
tunnel vision, and
poor judgement.
No doubt many other reasons could be added to this list. Private practitioners can probably see some of their own conditioning, psychological profiles, and behavior patterns, at least in part or combination, in the above list, if they wish to be honest with themselves.
Only through recognizing their own shortcomings and trying to do something positive to correct them can they understand the difficulties that their neighboring practitioner and colleague may have in doing the same thing.
Neighboring colleagues can do much with relative ease and simplicity to ease tensions and promote healthy exchanges of views and opinions among themselves. They don't have to find an agreement on veterinary matters, but they do have to communicate professionally and ethically with each other, and a little social intercourse is also very healthy. Everyone could at one time or another create havoc for a colleague, but to what purpose. Would it be helping the animal or its owner? The colleague will be hurt, but the complainant will have guilt feelings and, moreover, the public image of both veterinarians will suffer when the issue surfaces.
It is up to all of us to act and be seen to act and interact professionally; ethically; and with an attitude of mutual respect, appreciation, and collegeality. Believe me it will look good on you!