This is my final “President’s Message” and I’ll begin by noting that serving as president of AOSW is an extraordinary privilege and opportunity and one I’ve been grateful to have. It has at times, also been an unnerving responsibility, and deeply humbling experience. As I prepare for my last month and get ready to transition …
In full disclosure, when asked to write about gratitude for this newsletter my initial response was more reluctant than grateful. It had been a particularly challenging day with innumerable sad and stressful moments. I was not in the mood to write about let alone admit feeling gratitude and yet I knew that gratitude had played …
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 …
In preparation for this issue of the newsletter I sat down with Dr. Lailea Noel, current AOSW Director for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, to discuss our history, our current-day, and our future.
As the AOSW Board of Directors met in early October to engage in a strategic planning process, we heard from one another about the ways that AOSW has shaped our paths and provided a professional home to us. We heard about transformational experiences at the AOSW conference, friendships and networks that have sustained us over …
The Association of Oncology Social Work (AOSW) recently convened for our first in-person conference since 2019. This thrilling event took place June 15-17 in Raleigh, North Carolina, just days after the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) held its in-person return in Chicago. In Raleigh, there were many happy reunions, many new faces, and time …
Making Space for Partnerships: Direct Practice, Research and Advocacy Read More »
Advocacy is Ethics in Action By Sarah Conning, LCSW, OSW-C, APHSW-C Social workers have an ethical imperative to engage in social and political action and to promote social justice. As our Code of Ethics reminds us, “Social workers should engage in social and political action that seeks to ensure that all people have equal access …
Distress: A multifactorial, unpleasant experience of a psychologic (i.e., cognitive, behavioral, emotional), social, spiritual, and/or physical nature that may interfere with the ability to cope effectively with cancer, its physical symptoms, and its treatment (NCCN). Social Determinants of Health: The non-medical factors that influence health outcomes. They are the conditions in which people are born, …
As I reflect on how COVID has impacted oncology social workers this past year, it is quite daunting to think about what we have experienced. But my greatest takeaway has been that we are needed now more than ever.
On Vision “Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.” – Japanese proverb