AOSW Connections
Editorial Team
Editor-in-Chief
Amy Colver, MSSA, MA, LISW
Editor
Katherine Easton, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C
AOSW Communications Director
Brittany Hahn, LCSW
Managing Editor
Patricia Sullivan
Contribute Today!
To submit a story or information for inclusion in a future issue of AOSW Newsletter, contact Amy Colver or Katherine Easton on the list above.
2025 Themes
February: Workplace & Culture
May: Therapeutic Techniques
August: Palliative Care
November: Caregivers
June 2016
Volume 2 | Issue 3
President's Message
Around AOSW: Do You Like What You Do or Do You Love What You Do? Does It Really Matter?
How do you wake up in the morning? Ready and raring to go? Or do you sit over coffee, delaying the inevitable?
Committee Updates
Director's Report: Education
I’m writing this from the 2016 AOSW 32nd Annual Conference in Tampa, Florida. To the nearly 500 of you who joined us for three days of learning, networking, friendship and professional development, thank you! This conference wouldn’t be what it is without your participation. I hope you took away new nuggets of knowledge that will inspire you to improve your practice. Perhaps you will try to implement a new program or service at your workplace as a result of a session you attended.
Ambulatory Care/Fee-for-Service SIG: Emergence of Ambulatory Care in Oncology Settings
Advancements in technology have allowed the delivery of cancer care to be flexible, portable and away from the hospital. Procedures and treatments that were once done only on an inpatient basis have drastically increased the use of ambulatory care. The role of oncology social workers in these ambulatory settings is to navigate patients throughout their entire continuum of care. In outpatient settings, screening and assessment by health practitioners can help “increase the awareness of psychosocial and environmental issues that affect a patient’s diagnosis and lead to effective early interventions” (Berkman, 2001, p. 548).
Research Report: Reimagining End-of-Life Care
Like many of you, my work as a social worker and researcher has focused on improving the care of individuals impacted by cancer, with a focus on post-treatment survivorship. My own experiences as a two-time cancer survivor informed and fueled a passion to help others through their experiences.
Director's Report: Spring Has Sprung and It’s Time for Self-Care
“Spring is in the air!” This is a phrase or even a cliché that we often hear, especially in the north—but do we really think about what it means and how it is applicable in our lives? Most of us can agree that seasons are a vital transition and a part of our planet’s evolution. But do we realize that seasons can also serve the purpose of human evolution as well, particularly human consciousness?
Education
Director's Report: Education
I’m writing this from the 2016 AOSW 32nd Annual Conference in Tampa, Florida. To the nearly 500 of you who joined us for three days of learning, networking, friendship and professional development, thank you! This conference wouldn’t be what it is without your participation. I hope you took away new nuggets of knowledge that will inspire you to improve your practice. Perhaps you will try to implement a new program or service at your workplace as a result of a session you attended.
Resources: When Comprehensive Cancer Care Includes the Patient’s Children
In February 2016, a public health worker in Colorado stood in front of a statewide audience that was reviewing the Colorado Cancer Plan and announced that, in addition to working on the plan, she had also been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. In less than one year she had endured six months of chemotherapy, six weeks of radiation, hair loss and the inability to work. Then she said the most powerful thing I heard during the conference: “The hardest part of my cancer journey so far has been telling my 9- and 11-year old daughters that I have cancer.” Not chemo, not radiation, not exhaustion—telling her children.
SIG Updates
Ambulatory Care/Fee-for-Service SIG: Emergence of Ambulatory Care in Oncology Settings
Advancements in technology have allowed the delivery of cancer care to be flexible, portable and away from the hospital. Procedures and treatments that were once done only on an inpatient basis have drastically increased the use of ambulatory care. The role of oncology social workers in these ambulatory settings is to navigate patients throughout their entire continuum of care. In outpatient settings, screening and assessment by health practitioners can help “increase the awareness of psychosocial and environmental issues that affect a patient’s diagnosis and lead to effective early interventions” (Berkman, 2001, p. 548).
Director's Report: Spring Has Sprung and It’s Time for Self-Care
“Spring is in the air!” This is a phrase or even a cliché that we often hear, especially in the north—but do we really think about what it means and how it is applicable in our lives? Most of us can agree that seasons are a vital transition and a part of our planet’s evolution. But do we realize that seasons can also serve the purpose of human evolution as well, particularly human consciousness?
Research
Research Report: Reimagining End-of-Life Care
Like many of you, my work as a social worker and researcher has focused on improving the care of individuals impacted by cancer, with a focus on post-treatment survivorship. My own experiences as a two-time cancer survivor informed and fueled a passion to help others through their experiences.
Book Review
Book & Film Reviews: When Breath Becomes Air
When Breath Becomes Air is the poignant and true story of Dr. Paul Kalanithi who died of lung cancer in 2015 at the age of 36. A gifted neurosurgeon in his residency at Stanford University Hospital, in one moment he was saving the lives of others and the next struggling to save his own. In this powerful memoir, Kalanithi describes his cancer experience as a physician and healer, husband, friend and father. With a foreword written by Abraham Verghese, author of Cutting for Stone and a fellow physician, Verghese prepares readers for the impact of this amazing journey. “Be ready, be seated. See what courage sounds like” (pg. xix).
Kudos
Kudos! Achievements of AOSW Members
Take a moment to recognize these oncology social workers who have been awarded, honored, published, licensed and certified in their endeavors to continue to improve the quality of life for cancer patients, their families and communities.
Member Spotlight
Member Spotlight: Eucharia Borden, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C
Eucharia Borden, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C
Landenau Medical Center
Wynnewood, Pennsylvania