- Joined
- Mar 6, 2008
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- 199
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- 1
.Not sure how many of you received this email from the national SAA, below it is in its entirety..
.I find this email a bit hypocritical and an overreaction to a non issue. Let me first start by saying that what the AAA is doing with these conventions can be considered unethical. Have you seen all who sponsor this event? Yep, all of them are manufacturers such as Starkey, Oticon, Phonak and many more. As some of you may know and most may not, that the manufacturers are buying out small practices and making them subsidiaries, guess who that hurts at the end? Has AAA been outspoken about this? Nothing that I have seen as of late, but if I am mistaking feel free to point me into the right direction. As an observer on the sidelines, it would seem that AAA would not broach this issue as they may lose sponsorship for AudiologyNOW!, at least thats what it seems like from this side of the field. After all isnt that why we cant get pens anymore, it may seem that we are in the bag for that manufacturer if we do. .
. .
.Now lets look at the scholarship that was given out. Last I checked many scholarships come from private industry, the onus of being ethical falls upon you on how you spend that scholarship money. If you decide to go and by a bag or shoes, instead of spend it on your education, well guess what, youre being unethical according to the guidelines you choose to abide by. .
. .
.It seems to me that AAA may be a bit bitter that Starkey is not coming back next year or maybe even ever. To suggest that more ethical regulations need to be set into place will lead to the suffocation of the profession. Before AAA and SAA start pointing their fingers and begin stuffing more regulations down our throat they need to look at themselves in the mirror..
. .
.Let me make something clear, I was a supporter of AAA and the SAA, so much that I started a local SAA chapter at my school. But, recently the promotion of the field or even the protection of the profession for the future doesnt seem to be the main focus of AAA. They are more concerned with fighting ASHA and making sure no one hands out pens or cups at the convention..
. .
.Last thing, fighting for the comprehensive hearing healthcare profession (ASHA) is a bit more important than fighting for direct access (AAA), but thats for another topic..
. .
.EMAIL:.
.Dear SAA Member:...
.Ethics. How do ethical decisions relate to best practice? Audiology programs across the country discuss ethics in clinical practice and some programs even have a class specifically devoted to this topic. As audiology students, much of our coursework is factual with the content being, black and white. However, students are faced with offers from the industry in which the best decision is not always clear. ...
.Unfortunately, information found in textbooks and discussions with professors and preceptors will not be able to teach us how to handle every ethical dilemma we face throughout our careers. As students, the national membership organization can help provide you direction and clear the fog that hangs over the professional relationship with manufacturers. Through the professional code of ethics and other contemporary guidelines and policies, appropriate behavior for best practice can be further defined....
.During AudiologyNOW! 2012 in Boston, you may have received notification about the following giveaway sponsored by Starkey Hearing Technologies:...
.Stop by the Starkey booth to give a video testimonial about why you chose Audiology. Starkey is giving a $500.00 scholarship to the first 400 AuD students who show up to do this on Saturday. We have been told that the number of scholarships may be extended beyond 400, AND there may be opportunities to do this on FRIDAY. Check for details at the Starkey booth in the exhibit hall. I hope you all are enjoying the convention!...
.Students who participated in the offer signed a consent form that allowed their video to be placed on ..YouTube.. and were informed they would receive a check, in their name, to be mailed to an address the student provided. We know that the email came with the AudiologyNOW! logo attached so it appeared that the Academy had approved and/or vetted the offer. The Academy, specifically the Board of Directors, the Director of Industry Services nor any of the program/convention planners, were not apprised of the offer until after it had been disseminated to students/faculty....
.Upon review by the Ethical Practices Committee (EPC) and the Academys legal counsel, the following information/advice is provided to you:...
.1. You should check with your academic training program and your university to.. ..determine if there are any guidelines on accepting gifts directly from private industry prior to accepting any offers from any company outright....
.2. The current Academy Code of Ethics and Academy Guideline for Relationships with Industry clearly prohibit the acceptance of such a gift by a professional audiologist who is a member of the Academy. ...
.3. Students, as members of the Academy, are required to abide by the Code of Ethics and ethical guidelines as published. However, they are typically not in a position of authority to recommend purchase and/or prescribe treatment during their training as they do not hold a degree from an accredited university and state licensure to practice autonomously. The current Code of Ethics/guidelines do not specifically address what may or may not be advisable for students to accept as members of the Academy based on the ..students.. limited ability to make.. independent.. purchasing/prescribing decisions. However, the preamble to the Academys Code of Ethics is excerpted here and clearly states that students are Academy members and therefore are obligated to abide by the Academy Code of Ethics:...
.The Code of Ethics of the American Academy of Audiology specifies professional standards that allow for the proper discharge of audiologists responsibilities to those served, and that protect the integrity of the profession. The Code of Ethics consists of two parts. The first part, the Statement of Principles and Rules, presents precepts that members (all categories of members, including Student Members) of the Academy agree to uphold. The second part, the Procedures, provides the process that enables enforcement of the Principles and Rules....
.4. T..he American Academy of Audiology and the Student Academy of Audiology (SAA) are currently reviewing whether specific ethical prohibitions should be developed for students because of situations such as that outlined above....
.5. You should review the current ethical guidelines in this area (see links above) and make a personal decision (along with your faculty advisors) as to whether the acceptance of such a gift is appropriate in light of your future professional endeavors....
.If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us directly ([email protected]). This e-letter has been sent to all SAA members and to Academy members in academia so that students and faculty are apprised of the ruling of the EPC and legal counsel for the Academy....
.Sincerely,
The Student Academy of Audiology, Board of Directors...
.Kari Morgenstein, President
Stuart Tomlin, Vice President
Ryan Bullock, Past President
Mariah Cheyney, Secretary
Rud Nast, Treasurer
Stephanie OBryan, Chapter Relations Committee Chair
Nicole Corbin, Humanitarian Committee Chair
Andrea Fowler, SAA Programs Subcommittee Chair
Sara Neumann, Education Committee Chair
Brianne Wright, Ph.D Committee Chair
Cory Workman, Media Committee Chair...
.I find this email a bit hypocritical and an overreaction to a non issue. Let me first start by saying that what the AAA is doing with these conventions can be considered unethical. Have you seen all who sponsor this event? Yep, all of them are manufacturers such as Starkey, Oticon, Phonak and many more. As some of you may know and most may not, that the manufacturers are buying out small practices and making them subsidiaries, guess who that hurts at the end? Has AAA been outspoken about this? Nothing that I have seen as of late, but if I am mistaking feel free to point me into the right direction. As an observer on the sidelines, it would seem that AAA would not broach this issue as they may lose sponsorship for AudiologyNOW!, at least thats what it seems like from this side of the field. After all isnt that why we cant get pens anymore, it may seem that we are in the bag for that manufacturer if we do. .
. .
.Now lets look at the scholarship that was given out. Last I checked many scholarships come from private industry, the onus of being ethical falls upon you on how you spend that scholarship money. If you decide to go and by a bag or shoes, instead of spend it on your education, well guess what, youre being unethical according to the guidelines you choose to abide by. .
. .
.It seems to me that AAA may be a bit bitter that Starkey is not coming back next year or maybe even ever. To suggest that more ethical regulations need to be set into place will lead to the suffocation of the profession. Before AAA and SAA start pointing their fingers and begin stuffing more regulations down our throat they need to look at themselves in the mirror..
. .
.Let me make something clear, I was a supporter of AAA and the SAA, so much that I started a local SAA chapter at my school. But, recently the promotion of the field or even the protection of the profession for the future doesnt seem to be the main focus of AAA. They are more concerned with fighting ASHA and making sure no one hands out pens or cups at the convention..
. .
.Last thing, fighting for the comprehensive hearing healthcare profession (ASHA) is a bit more important than fighting for direct access (AAA), but thats for another topic..
. .
.EMAIL:.
.Dear SAA Member:...
.Ethics. How do ethical decisions relate to best practice? Audiology programs across the country discuss ethics in clinical practice and some programs even have a class specifically devoted to this topic. As audiology students, much of our coursework is factual with the content being, black and white. However, students are faced with offers from the industry in which the best decision is not always clear. ...
.Unfortunately, information found in textbooks and discussions with professors and preceptors will not be able to teach us how to handle every ethical dilemma we face throughout our careers. As students, the national membership organization can help provide you direction and clear the fog that hangs over the professional relationship with manufacturers. Through the professional code of ethics and other contemporary guidelines and policies, appropriate behavior for best practice can be further defined....
.During AudiologyNOW! 2012 in Boston, you may have received notification about the following giveaway sponsored by Starkey Hearing Technologies:...
.Stop by the Starkey booth to give a video testimonial about why you chose Audiology. Starkey is giving a $500.00 scholarship to the first 400 AuD students who show up to do this on Saturday. We have been told that the number of scholarships may be extended beyond 400, AND there may be opportunities to do this on FRIDAY. Check for details at the Starkey booth in the exhibit hall. I hope you all are enjoying the convention!...
.Students who participated in the offer signed a consent form that allowed their video to be placed on ..YouTube.. and were informed they would receive a check, in their name, to be mailed to an address the student provided. We know that the email came with the AudiologyNOW! logo attached so it appeared that the Academy had approved and/or vetted the offer. The Academy, specifically the Board of Directors, the Director of Industry Services nor any of the program/convention planners, were not apprised of the offer until after it had been disseminated to students/faculty....
.Upon review by the Ethical Practices Committee (EPC) and the Academys legal counsel, the following information/advice is provided to you:...
.1. You should check with your academic training program and your university to.. ..determine if there are any guidelines on accepting gifts directly from private industry prior to accepting any offers from any company outright....
.2. The current Academy Code of Ethics and Academy Guideline for Relationships with Industry clearly prohibit the acceptance of such a gift by a professional audiologist who is a member of the Academy. ...
.3. Students, as members of the Academy, are required to abide by the Code of Ethics and ethical guidelines as published. However, they are typically not in a position of authority to recommend purchase and/or prescribe treatment during their training as they do not hold a degree from an accredited university and state licensure to practice autonomously. The current Code of Ethics/guidelines do not specifically address what may or may not be advisable for students to accept as members of the Academy based on the ..students.. limited ability to make.. independent.. purchasing/prescribing decisions. However, the preamble to the Academys Code of Ethics is excerpted here and clearly states that students are Academy members and therefore are obligated to abide by the Academy Code of Ethics:...
.The Code of Ethics of the American Academy of Audiology specifies professional standards that allow for the proper discharge of audiologists responsibilities to those served, and that protect the integrity of the profession. The Code of Ethics consists of two parts. The first part, the Statement of Principles and Rules, presents precepts that members (all categories of members, including Student Members) of the Academy agree to uphold. The second part, the Procedures, provides the process that enables enforcement of the Principles and Rules....
.4. T..he American Academy of Audiology and the Student Academy of Audiology (SAA) are currently reviewing whether specific ethical prohibitions should be developed for students because of situations such as that outlined above....
.5. You should review the current ethical guidelines in this area (see links above) and make a personal decision (along with your faculty advisors) as to whether the acceptance of such a gift is appropriate in light of your future professional endeavors....
.If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us directly ([email protected]). This e-letter has been sent to all SAA members and to Academy members in academia so that students and faculty are apprised of the ruling of the EPC and legal counsel for the Academy....
.Sincerely,
The Student Academy of Audiology, Board of Directors...
.Kari Morgenstein, President
Stuart Tomlin, Vice President
Ryan Bullock, Past President
Mariah Cheyney, Secretary
Rud Nast, Treasurer
Stephanie OBryan, Chapter Relations Committee Chair
Nicole Corbin, Humanitarian Committee Chair
Andrea Fowler, SAA Programs Subcommittee Chair
Sara Neumann, Education Committee Chair
Brianne Wright, Ph.D Committee Chair
Cory Workman, Media Committee Chair...