I was heading into a meeting with our HR department and I needed information regarding our “scope of practice” ASAP. I needed the right words to define and elevate the understanding of the role of an oncology social worker. I went to our website and opened the “Professional Development” tab. Listed there were our scope of and standards of practice, which I promptly printed and brought with me to our meeting. So began my tab-by-tab exploration of aosw.org. And, let me tell you! I was impressed by all I found and slightly embarrassed that I didn’t know it was all there.

Member Resources not only shows me how to renew my membership and lets me pay my dues on-line but also has the ever-needed Member Directory. (You do not have to do a SWON post asking a SWONer from Massachusetts to call you. All the member information is right there in the directory, so convenient and easily accessible.) We are in the process of updating the CoC Standards for distress screening and patient navigation on our website (thank you, Susan Hedlund) and you can find guidelines on our social networking sites. Did you know we have our own Cancer Survivors Network? That’s right, a group for us survivors who spend our days working with and counseling other survivors. Who better to understand the duality of that role than other oncology social workers who are cancer survivors?

Professional Development is an absolute marvel! Here you will find services such as our Online Learning Program, presently offering two fantastic webinars for spring. On April 21 there's Adjusting to Cancer As a Family and on May 20 we're hosting Cancer and Sexuality. Watch for announcements of additional webinars too. All are offered for $45 with CEUs or $25 without. You'll also find our recently launched Career Center, a win-win across the board for AOSW, as it provides our members a site to search for jobs and is a source of revenue for AOSW. Our SIGs are listed here too, as is information regarding applying for and/or renewing your OSW-C certification. Scope and Standards of Practice are found under this tab as well, and believe me, they are very, very helpful in explaining who we are, what we do and the level of practice expected. Having this information definitely contributed to my getting approval for another FTE for our department.

Annual Conference information is at your fingertips, not only everything you need to know about our upcoming 2016 conference in Tampa, but also dates and locations for our 2017 (Denver) and 2018 (Atlanta) Annual Conferences as well.
 
Publications & Media was most definitely a surprise for me. We have our AOSW Navigator articles listed, as well as guidelines for submitting an article and we also offer the OSW NewsBrief, an exceptional resource for news items about our profession (and with advertising opportunities, another source of revenue for AOSW). Here you can find AOSW in the News, which shares articles that mention us as an organization. And little did I know that every single issue of the Journal of Psychosocial Oncology is available starting with Volume 1, Issue 1, 1983. We have Press Releases and Position Papers on such important and timely topics as the “Moonshot to Cure Cancer,” and "Physician Assisted Death.”

Impressed? I am. Take the time and see what a valuable member service our website really is. It’s not perfect—far from it. We still have much to do to make it even better….and that’s where you come in. Tell us what you think, send us your ideas, contribute a suggestion, an improvement, an article. If you read my previous President's Message you already know that I’m all about being an active member, a participant, a contributor to AOSW. After all, who better to ensure an organization continues to grow, to prosper, to be of value to its members than…its members?

As we move into spring, a time of renewal, rebirth, blooming flowers, warm days and cool nights, take the time to renew your commitment to the organization that exists solely to serve you, its members. Scroll through our website, get acquainted with or reacquainted with all we offer our members.

I am looking forward to seeing old friends and making new ones at the 2016 AOSW 32nd Annual Conference in Tampa, May 4-6!

Warmest regards,
Ali