Skip to content
AOSW
Sign In

Join Now

Donate

Search
  • My AOSW
    • Renew Membership
    • Logging Into Your AOSW Account
    • My Learning Portal
    • AOSW Member Directory
    • Mentorship
    • Communities
    • SWON
      • SWON Netiquette Guidelines
    • Connect with Colleagues
    • Update Your Profile
    • Membership Certificate
    • Volunteer
    • Career Center
    • Member Resources
    • Log Out
  • Annual Conference
    • 2025 Annual Conference
    • Registration
    • Schedule
    • Conference Objectives and Presentation Types
    • 2025 Continuing Education
    • 2024 Exhibitors
    • Past Conferences
  • Events & Education
    • Calendar
    • Webinars
      • Continuing Education
      • Leadership Series
      • Recordings Library
    • 2024 Conference Recordings
      • Continuing Education
    • 2022 Conference Recordings
      • Continuing Education
    • 2021 Virtual Meeting Recordings
      • Continuing Education
  • Resources
    • Publications
      • AOSW Connections
      • Journal of Psychosocial Oncology (JPO)
      • OSW NewsBrief
      • Advertise in OSW NewsBrief
    • Advocacy
      • COVID & Screenings
      • Post-COVID Telehealth Priorities
    • Scope and Standards of Practice
    • OSW-C Certification
    • Research
    • Student Supervision & Field Instruction Resources
    • Affiliated Organizations
  • Patients & Caregivers
    • Find an OSW Near Me
    • Tips for Care
    • Resources
  • About AOSW
    • Be Part of Our Community
    • Mission, Vision & Goals
    • Volunteer
    • Awards & Scholarships
      • 2023 Award & Scholarship Recipients
      • Quality of Life Award Recipients
      • 2022 Award & Scholarship Recipients
      • LLS 2021 Awards
    • Leadership
      • Board of Directors
      • Committees
      • SIG Leaders
      • AOSW Fellows
      • Nominations & Elections
    • Special Interest Groups
    • State Representatives
    • Find an OSW Near Me
    • Contact Staff
    • Media Room
    • Sponsors & Support
    • Privacy Policy
    • Diversity & Inclusion Statement
    • Statement on Race
    • AOSW Statement of Policy Principles
    • Logging Into Your AOSW Account
AOSW
  • My AOSW
    • Renew Membership
    • Logging Into Your AOSW Account
    • My Learning Portal
    • AOSW Member Directory
    • Mentorship
    • Communities
    • SWON
      • SWON Netiquette Guidelines
    • Connect with Colleagues
    • Update Your Profile
    • Membership Certificate
    • Volunteer
    • Career Center
    • Member Resources
    • Log Out
  • Annual Conference
    • 2025 Annual Conference
    • Registration
    • Schedule
    • Conference Objectives and Presentation Types
    • 2025 Continuing Education
    • 2024 Exhibitors
    • Past Conferences
  • Events & Education
    • Calendar
    • Webinars
      • Continuing Education
      • Leadership Series
      • Recordings Library
    • 2024 Conference Recordings
      • Continuing Education
    • 2022 Conference Recordings
      • Continuing Education
    • 2021 Virtual Meeting Recordings
      • Continuing Education
  • Resources
    • Publications
      • AOSW Connections
      • Journal of Psychosocial Oncology (JPO)
      • OSW NewsBrief
      • Advertise in OSW NewsBrief
    • Advocacy
      • COVID & Screenings
      • Post-COVID Telehealth Priorities
    • Scope and Standards of Practice
    • OSW-C Certification
    • Research
    • Student Supervision & Field Instruction Resources
    • Affiliated Organizations
  • Patients & Caregivers
    • Find an OSW Near Me
    • Tips for Care
    • Resources
  • About AOSW
    • Be Part of Our Community
    • Mission, Vision & Goals
    • Volunteer
    • Awards & Scholarships
      • 2023 Award & Scholarship Recipients
      • Quality of Life Award Recipients
      • 2022 Award & Scholarship Recipients
      • LLS 2021 Awards
    • Leadership
      • Board of Directors
      • Committees
      • SIG Leaders
      • AOSW Fellows
      • Nominations & Elections
    • Special Interest Groups
    • State Representatives
    • Find an OSW Near Me
    • Contact Staff
    • Media Room
    • Sponsors & Support
    • Privacy Policy
    • Diversity & Inclusion Statement
    • Statement on Race
    • AOSW Statement of Policy Principles
    • Logging Into Your AOSW Account

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 

President’s Message

August 31, 2023

By Leora Lowenthal, LICSW, OSW-C, MPA, FAOSW
AOSW President
 
In this issue of Connections, you will read about financial toxicity and a myriad of ways in which it impacts the well-being of patients and their families.  It is a subject near and dear to my heart, a frequent source of distress in my clinical work, and something I am grateful to see written about so eloquently here.  As AOSW President, I am admittedly also concerned by the myriad of ways in which finances impact the well-being of our members and larger profession.  Social workers may experience serious illness of course (their own or that of a loved one), but even without that they may experience financial distress.

Prior to the pandemic social workers already faced the unfortunate combination of growing student loans and relatively low salaries.  In a report published by the Fitzhugh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity at The George Washington University in August 2020, following three years of surveying new social workers they summarized: “Graduates are generally satisfied with their jobs and profession, but there is frustration with the low salaries for new social workers. This frustration is probably heightened by the high levels of educational debt. The mean starting salary was $47,100, and the median debt was $66,000” (1). In 2020 the Council on Social Work Education also released a report stating that "Educational debt for baccalaureate and master’s social work graduates is higher today than it was 10 years ago. Master’s graduates have, on average, more than 50% more debt today.” (2)

Notably, these reports looked at time periods preceding the pandemic. Since that time, a new set of challenges emerged and while it is early to fully understand the impact, studies suggest that social workers were impacted both professionally and in their home lives (3, 4).  For some this may have included periods of underemployment, due to furloughs and layoffs, medical and family leaves, or caregiving demands at home. Furthermore, in a study looking at “The Experiences of Caretaking and Financial Stress among Social Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic”, the authors report disparity of impact by race, noting “social workers of color were more likely to report caretaking (p < .001) and financial stress (p < .001) compared with White counterparts.” (3)  They additionally found that older age was a protective factor for both caretaking (p < .001) and financial stress (p < .001).

This year, following a review of the recent challenges being faced by the larger healthcare industry (5, 6, 7) the board of directors recognized an additional potential stressor; namely that the financial health of employers may impact support for time and expenses associated with continuing education. As part of our commitment to health equity we believe it is essential to expand our reach to those who, for whatever reason, may not have the financial means for continuing education and conference attendance. After considering all these factors and more, the board made the decision to hold a virtual conference in 2024 with the priority of ensuring that the conference will be affordable and accessible for as many individuals as possible. We hope to achieve record attendance in 2024, continue to explore other ways to bring members together prior to returning for an in-person 2025 conference and as always, look forward to sharing more in the months ahead.
 

  1. Report to The Council on Social Work Education and The National Association of Social Workers from the Fitzhugh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity at The George Washington University  (December, 2020). The Social Work Profession: Findings from Three Years of Surveys of New Social Workers. https://www.socialworkers.org/News/Research-Data
  2. Council on Social Work Education (2020). 2019 Statistics on Social Work Education https://www.cswe.org/news/newsroom/new-report-2019-statistics-on-social-work-education/
  3. Julie A, C., Lisa, de S. Z., Abigail M, R., Jennifer R, Z., Hee-Eun Helen, P., & Betty J, R. (2022). The Experiences of Caretaking and Financial Stress among Social Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Social Work, 68, 47–56. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/swac040
  4. Zebrack B, Grignon M, Guan T, Long D, Miller N, Nelson K, Otis-Green S, Rayton M, Schapmire T, Wiener L. Six months in: COVID-19 and its impact on oncology social work practice. J Psychosoc Oncol. 2021;39(3):461-468. doi: 10.1080/07347332.2021.1893421. Epub 2021 Mar 10. PMID: 33689675; PMCID: PMC9308894.
  5. Li K, Al-Amin M, Rosko MD. Early Financial Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on U.S. Hospitals. J Healthc Manag. 2023 Jul-Aug 01;68(4):268-283. doi: 10.1097/JHM-D-22-00175. PMID: 37410989; PMCID: PMC10306278.
  6. Graves JA, Baig K, Buntin M. The Financial Effects and Consequences of COVID-19: A Gathering Storm. JAMA. 2021;326(19):1909–1910. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.18863
  7. Rhodes JH, Santos T, Young G. The Early Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Hospital Finances. J Healthc Manag. 2023 Jan-Feb 01;68(1):38-55. doi: 10.1097/JHM-D-22-00037. PMID: 36602454.

 
 

About the Author

Leora Lowenthal, LICSW, OSW-C, MPA, FAOSW

Senior Clinical Social Worker
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Boston, Massachusetts
Leora_Lowenthal@dfci.harvard.edu

Leora Lowenthal, LICSW, OSW-C, MPA, FAOSW, has been in healthcare for 26 years and currently works as a Senior Clinical Social Worker at Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA. Ms. Lowenthal’s education includes master’s degrees in...
Read Full Author Bio

Leora Lowenthal, LICSW, OSW-C, MPA, FAOSW

Senior Clinical Social Worker
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Boston, Massachusetts
Leora_Lowenthal@dfci.harvard.edu

Leora Lowenthal, LICSW, OSW-C, MPA, FAOSW, has been in healthcare for 26 years and currently works as a Senior Clinical Social Worker at Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA. Ms. Lowenthal’s education includes master’s degrees in Social Work and Public Administration respectively, and a post-graduate certificate in bioethics and the Medical Humanities. In addition to her clinical work she has served on several boards, including three years as Education Director for the Association of Oncology Social Work (AOSW) and four years on the Board of Directors for the Board of Oncology Social Work Certification (BOSWC). Ms. Lowenthal currently serves as a member of the Medical Advisory Council for the Cutaneous Lymphoma Foundation (CLF) and is President-Elect for AOSW.

Articles

AOSW Meets the Biden Cancer Initiative
Ethics in the Time of Covid
President's Message
President's Message
President's Message

 

Contact Us

AOSW Headquarters
111 W. Jackson Blvd. Suite 1412
Chicago, IL 60604

Phone: +1-847-686-2233
Email: info@aosw.org

  • My AOSW
  • Annual Conference
  • Events & Education
  • Resources
  • Patients & Caregivers
  • About AOSW

Copyright © 2025 Association of Oncology Social Work

Registered 501(c)(3). EIN: 13­-3736895

Privacy Policy  Terms of Service