Leadership in oncology care is often a struggle between the tensions of social work values for a just society pitted against the unfairness of inequitable environments. It is one thing to claim our power as oncology social workers when we are together at an AOSW conference. It is harder to sustain that authority when we go back into the world of health care inequities, inadequate staffing and vicarious trauma. The brief retreat into AOSW’s conference restores my professional soul. However, I need an ongoing connection to reinforce me throughout the year. I am thankful AOSW is present for me.

I am writing this article the day after the U.S. House of Representatives voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with a version that has inadequate protections for oncology patients and survivors. My dismay at what I was watching unfold on C-Span was tempered by the AOSW Board’s simultaneous discussion about our continued organizational advocacy. The words of our Advocacy Director Sarah Conning were particularly helpful in keeping me focused on my power as an oncology social worker in the midst of these systemic challenges: “Knowing I am part of AOSW helps me stay grounded and motivated at a time like this. There are things we can do, and so much the better when we do them together.”

My activity with AOSW is woven among the demands of patient visits, calls to return and my quirky 1980’s style digital pager summoning me to an urgent need. Sarah’s words of comfort and challenge centered me to return to the immediate needs of my patients and their concerns about future access to care. Sarah’s post to SWON and the affirming replies of other members was my reminder that the power of AOSW leadership is renewed annually at conference, and remains available to us every day.

AOSW provides many ongoing opportunities for us to do something to improve oncology care, both as individual social workers in our organizational collective and as part of broader coalitions. I hope that you came to conference looking for at least one idea you could adapt to improve your practice. I would also encourage you to participate in at least one of our webinars this year. It’s a good between-conference boost to try something new. Sharing advocacy information through the Action Network is a way of strengthening our collective resources. It is hard to keep up with legislation. The Action Network helps me focus on pending votes and ongoing advocacy. The OSW NewsBrief is a quick way to stay current on a variety of developments in oncology care. I recently attended the Association of Pediatric Oncology Social Work (APOSW) conference as the AOSW liaison to our sister organization. The transition of care from pediatric treatment to adult treatment or survivorship is an opportunity for our organizations to share research and advocacy activities.

AOSW has committees that need your volunteer time. This is an opportunity for you to learn new skills, expand your collegial network and feel like you are pushing forward to make the world more closely reflect our social work values. The Education Committee is responsible for our growing series of professional development webinars. Our state representatives engage new members and encourage networking around regional needs. We had a very successful regional workshop in the Philadelphia area and would like to expand that model to other areas. Our state reps need a core group of regional volunteers to develop local training. Our Research Committee helps to bridge the gap of practice and research, steering research that is useful in the real world of imperfect systems. If you don’t know where you can make a difference, ask any board member. We will help you identify the best fit for your skills and time, and connect you to the right team leader.

As you settle back into your post-conference routine, please consider a note of thanks to our 2017 Annual Conference Committee: Chair Meredith Cammarata, LCSW; Board Liaison/Co-Chair Chelsea Kroll, LGSW, OSW-C; members Christina Bach, LCSW, OSW-C; Joyce Hendershott, LISW-S, ACSW; Morgan Gonzales, LSW; Kate McFadien, LSW; and Jill Randall, LICSW. Our Communications Director Andrea Karoff and the communications team provided coverage to keep conference attendees connected with pre-event preparations and keep those at home in the loop with our events. We could not have a conference on the scale of an AOSW event without our management company team. I hope you met our Member Services Manager Jordan Burghardt. Jordan is indispensable at conference, and is our daily connection if you call or email the office throughout the year. Susan Tibbitts was in Denver with us in preparation for her stint as our interim Executive Director, partnering with our Executive Director Emily Burch. Emily was heavily involved in the pre-conference planning and participated in some of our conference meetings by phone. We look forward to hearing from Emily and photos of the new Baby Burch. 

Preparations for the 2018 Annual Conference in Atlanta have been underway for several months. While we look forward to more information about our theme and the call for abstracts, remember that AOSW is active throughout the year. There will always be legal and financial challenges to equitable cancer care. However, there is hope and power in our profession when we stand up together. There are things we can do to create a better system of care, and I invite you to do them together with AOSW.

Take care,
Catherine