Excellence in Cancer Education and Leadership
The primary aim of this comprehensive educational program is to improve the delivery of psychosocial care for oncology patients through intensive education of oncology social workers. ExCEL in Social Work will address critical aspects of psychosocial support while encouraging oncology social workers to address the standard of care recommended by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) 2008 Report – “Cancer Care for the Whole Patient: Meeting Psychosocial Health Needs.” This will be accomplished through a collaborative partnership between the City of Hope and the two professional organizations dedicated to representing oncology social workers - the Association of Oncology Social Work (AOSW) and the Association of Pediatric Oncology Social Workers (APOSW).

Essential elements of this psychosocial education project include strategies for improved team functioning, family conferencing, enhancing team communication and collaboration, building leadership skills for institutional change, and the development of increased pain and symptom management skills. Attention to the family as the primary unit of care and an appreciation of diversity will also be key themes intertwined throughout the curriculum. Participating oncology social workers will identify goals that they will seek to change and be offered an opportunity to personalize their commitment to improve the delivery of psychosocial care within their scope of influence.
Pre-eminent leaders in the field have enthusiastically endorsed this proposal, in recognition that empowering oncology social work professionals is critical to the delivery of quality psychosocial care for cancer patients and their families.

Background and Significance
Deficits in the delivery of quality psychosocial care are numerous, with troubling findings continuing to emerge regarding disparities in the provision of care, substandard pain and symptom management, poor access to care, high caregiver burden, and communication deficits across the continuum of care. Unfortunately, there is an abundance of evidence gathered over the past decade that demonstrates that these concerns remain inadequately addressed.

The 2008 IOM Report recommends a standard for the delivery of quality psychosocial health care based upon an extensive review of the literature. To address this standard, a skilled workforce is needed with competencies in communication; screening; needs assessment; care planning and coordination; illness management and collaboration across disciplines. Although oncology social workers are typically master’s-prepared professionals, social workers, like their colleagues in nursing and medicine, are unlikely to enter their career sufficiently versed in these essential skills. Many oncology social workers are supervised by non-social work professionals and embedded in multidisciplinary departments or units, limiting access to seasoned social work colleagues as role-models. Yet, oncology social workers are ideally poised to develop these necessary competencies given sufficient education, mentorship and support.

ExCEL seeks to address these deficits through the development of oncology social work specific curriculum designed to enhance the skills and leadership potential of oncology social workers. With adequate training, adult and pediatric oncology social workers are ideally positioned in healthcare settings to provide care that meets the IOM recommended standard for quality psychosocial care.  This pre-conference training will support oncology social workers in reclaiming their role and responsibility as system advocates for improved psychosocial care within their network of influence.

ExCEL in Social Work enhances the clinical and leadership skills of oncology social workers through the following specific aims:

• Create an exceptional oncology social work-specific curriculum directly addressing the recommendations of the 2008 IOM Report on psychosocial health needs of oncology patients.
• Implement the curriculum through eight pre-conference courses offered in conjunction with the annual meetings of the AOSW and the APOSW.
• Provide evidence-informed information through the AOSW, APOSW and ExCEL newsletters and websites.
• Evaluate the impact of this training by measuring the process and the outcomes of the various educational activities and change efforts (goals) initiated by the participants.
• Disseminate the findings through peer-reviewed publications, various professional organizations and oncology networks.

Competitive Selection
Applicants are invited who demonstrate a commitment to improving the delivery of psychosocial care within his/her intitutions.

Although this program has an oncology focus; content will be applicable to other healthcare settings.

Potential applicants are encouraged but not required to be members of the AOSW or APOSW.

Excellence in Cancer Education and Leadership 

• ExCEL Course Agenda 2012