ExCEL in Social Work: Excellence in Cancer Education & Leadership: An Oncology Social Work Response to the 2008 Institute of Medicine Report

Abstract

ExCEL in Social Work : Excellence in Cancer Education & Leadership was a multi-year National Cancer Institute (NCI)-funded grant for the development and implementation of an innovative educational program for oncology social workers. The program’s curriculum focused upon six core competencies of psychosocial-spiritual support necessary to meet the standard of care recommended by the 2008 Institute of Medicine (IOM) Report: Cancer Care for the Whole Patient: Meeting Psychosocial Health Needs. The curriculum was delivered through a collaborative partnership between the City of Hope National Medical Center and the two leading professional organizations devoted exclusively to representing oncology social workers - the Association of Oncology Social Work and the Association of Pediatric Oncology Social Workers. Initial findings support the feasibility and acceptability of this tailored leadership skills-building program for participating oncology social workers.

Advance Care Planning: Opportunities for Clinical Social Work Leadership

“…CSWs might introduce ACP into support groups or integrate these concepts into other educational events. CSWs benefit from support to negotiate the complex political climate so as to maximize their leadership role as advocates for institutional enhancement (Otis-Green et al 2015). Although CSWs may be well versed in the importance of communication, they, like all healthcare professionals, benefit from continuing education to refine these specialized skills to enhance team practice and engage more competently in effective ACP conversations (Back et al 2009).…”

Interprofessional collaboration strategies: A hematology unit case study

“…Sufficient staffing has a positive impact on patient outcomes. [9,10] For example, social workers provide the necessary psychosocialspiritual support for oncology patients and families, [11] and pharmacists actively participate in the multidisciplinary team to have a positive impact on patients' medical management and medication counseling. [12] …”

Enhancing Collaborative Leadership in Palliative Social Work in Oncology

“…The ExCEL in Social Work project is a multiyear National Cancer Institute-funded national educational program to prepare 400 competitively selected oncology social workers to improve the delivery of psychosocial care (Otis-Green et al, 2014). ExCEL grew from the ACE Project, an earlier National Cancer Institute-funded national program that provided advocacy and leadership skills to social workers, psychologists, and spiritual care providers focusing upon a transdisciplinary palliative care perspective (Otis-Green et al, 2009;Otis-Green, Yang, & Lynne, 2013).…”

“…The ExCEL curriculum was based upon current research and evidence-informed practice in oncology social work (Otis-Green et al, 2014). Designed by leading psychosocial oncology researchers and educators, the curriculum focused upon six core competencies identified and described in the IOM report: distress screening and assessment; leadership and advocacy; collaboration and teamwork; family caregiver support and family conferencing; culturally sensitive practice; and the use evidenceinformed interventions.…”