MN Wild

Is it ethical for a physician to accept Wild tickets from a pharmaceutical rep to take her family to the game?

 

I believe that it is fine for a physician to accept Wild tickets from a pharmaceutical rep.  If they want to give them away why wouldn't you take them?  It doesn't become unethical until the physicians opinions and decisions begin to change based on gifts from the rep.  As long as the physician makes their choices independently of the gifts I do not believe anything unethical is occurring

Provide an argument for this based on the current ethical fabric of society and what is accepted in the organizations involved.

 

Although, I do not believe it is unethical to accept a gift from a person who you are doing business with.  I believe that organizations and business should set rules and standards for questions like this, so there is no grey area for given situations.  Most, organizations / business have rules like this in place with specific guidelines, or simply bold rules that outlaw accepting any kind of gift at all.  I looked up this topic in the United States Department of Justice for officials in the Executive Branch.  The rules for accepting gifts are stated below from the USDOJ website.  I believe that the any reputable organization would have guidelines like this in place.

 

A Federal employee may not accept gifts from any person or organization that --

• Seeks official action by the employee's agency
• Does business or seeks to do business with the employee's agency
• Conducts activities regulated by the employee's agency
• Has interests that may be substantially affected by performance or nonperformance of the employee's official duties
• Is an organization a majority of whose members are described above; or
• Gives the gift because of the employee's official position.