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Oncology Team Resiliency

How To Build a Resilient Oncology Team

To help members of the cancer care team better manage stress and improve their overall well-being, ACCC 2021-22 President Krista Nelson—and several special guests—hosted a virtual Mindfulness Meditation series. Through meditation, we cultivate an awareness of the present moment and train the mind to better understand how and why we think and feel the way we do.
View Meditations

Results from Mini Z Burnout Survey

2019-mini-z-results-700x424

To gauge the level of burnout in the multidisciplinary cancer care team, ACCC surveyed its membership in 2019 using the clinically validated Mini Z survey developed by the American Medical Association. While only a small number of respondents (14.9%) report dissatisfaction with their current job, burnout and stress levels are significant.

Download Survey Infographic

 

Cancer Buzz Podcast

  • [MINI-PODCAST] Ep 74: The Business Case for Hiring Oncology Social Workers
    Jan 18, 2022

    Hear from ACCC 2021-2022 President, Krista Nelson, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C, FAOSW, as she talks about two new resources (a business case brief for hiring and a benchmarking survey) coming from ACCC that demonstrate the value oncology social workers play in cancer care.

  • [MINI-PODCAST] Ep 71: Leading with Gratitude
    Nov 23, 2021

    In this special podcast episode, we talk with oncology social worker and ACCC President Krista Nelson, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C, FAOSW, about finding opportunities to practice gratitude each day for colleagues and patients.   

  • [MINI-PODCAST] Ep 68: Supportive Care in Radiation Oncology
    Sep 21, 2021
    Early in the pandemic, members of the Stanford Health Care Radiation Oncology Department created an internal podcast for their department to creatively address the need for connections among onsite and remote staff, acknowledge the emotional and psychological toll of caring for patients during this challenging time, and support the well-being and mental health for oncology staff.
  • [MINI-PODCAST] Ep 67: Coping with Pandemic Grief
    Sep 14, 2021
    In this special podcast episode, we talk with oncology social worker and ACCC President Krista Nelson, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C, FAOSW, about the overwhelming grief of the pandemic and its toll on cancer care professionals.  
  • [MINI-PODCAST] Ep 64: A Summer of Disconnect for Cancer Professionals
    Jul 20, 2021
    In this episode, we focus on the mental and emotional toll that COVID-19 continues to have on cancer care professionals—while much of the public experiences a “summer of joy” due to rising vaccinations.
  • [MINI-PODCAST] Ep 14: COVID-19 Self-Care
    Mar 31, 2020

    Krista Nelson, ACCC President 2021-22, shares self-care resources for cancer team members during the COVID-19 outbreak and guides us through a brief mindfulness exercise.

  • [PODCAST] Ep 02: Fostering Cancer Care Team Resiliency & Well-Being
    Jul 31, 2019
    Learn how organizations like Vidant Health and The Outer Banks Hospital are creating a healthier, more rewarding workplace by making employee wellness a strategic priority.

From the ACCCBuzz Blog

Beyond Burnout

Tom Gallo, MS, MDA
President, Association of Community Cancer Centers
August 13, 2018
Compass Pointing to Well-Being

A privilege of serving as ACCC President is selecting a theme for your term in office and then having the opportunity to bring together thought leaders and key stakeholders for an in-depth conversation to explore the issue and develop strategies to address it. On June 27, 2018, the sixth annual ACCC Institute for the Future of Oncology forum was held in Washington, D.C., for a conversation focused on my ACCC President’s theme “Reflect, Renew, Reignite: Creating a Resilient Oncology Team in Your Community.” During the half-day meeting, experts and leaders from within and outside of oncology participated in activities to spark creative thinking and dialogue, breaking into small groups to discuss two critical areas with great potential to impact resiliency and well-being: 1) organizational structure and culture and 2) practice efficiency and administrative burden.

While it’s difficult to convey the dynamic energy of the day’s discussion here, I can share some key takeaways:

  • Leaders must see well-being as a strategic initiative and fund it accordingly; they must prioritize a healthy workforce by investing in the necessary staff and infrastructure to meet this goal. Many organizations have created the executive level position of Chief Experience Officer to oversee the efforts for employee engagement and well-being as well as patient satisfaction. To be successful, organizations and individuals must make well-being a priority.
  • Although physician resiliency and burnout have garnered attention, there is a critical need to develop tools and resources for the entire cancer care team. The Cleveland Clinic has taken the step of defining every staff member who has contact with a patient as a caregiver. Each one of these team members can experience burnout.
  • Resilient, engaged cancer care teams provide better service and produce better outcomes for our patients.
  • Throughout the cancer care system, varying levels of burnout frequently exist. This is often manifested as physical fatigue, compassion fatigue, and emotional depletion.
  • Practices must normalize wellness and self-care by setting them as expectations and creating an environment where people feel safe to show vulnerability.
  • Trusting leadership and believing in organizational values are essential to a healthy workforce. It is critical to create a culture of trust where staff knows there will be follow-up for concerns and issues.
  • When designing wellness interventions, cancer programs and practices should include team members from all levels of the organization rather than developing a top-down strategy and imposing it on staff.
  • There must be acknowledgement that there are some drivers of burnout that individuals and organizations cannot change; thus, there should be a focus on those areas where individuals and organizations can have an impact.

The Institute meeting is just the initial step in the Association’s year-long effort to develop tools and resources to support wellness and resiliency for every member of the multidisciplinary cancer team. Over the next few months, we will:

  • Construct a burnout measure specifically for cancer care team members, adapted from an existing validated tool
  • Develop a web-based repository of oncology-specific tools related to burnout, resiliency, and well-being
  • Create a resource for building and articulating the business case for improving the well-being of the cancer care team.

To enrich our offerings, we are asking ACCC members to share their experiences working toward improving the resiliency and well-being of cancer program staff. What sort of programs have you tried? Were these focused on the individual, program, or hospital- or health-system level? What worked? What were your challenges? How did you measure improvement? Please send a short description of your efforts—including any tools or resources you’d like to share with others—to mmarino@accc-cancer.org. And keep in touch. Improving the well-being of the cancer care team is important work that we must do together. Our colleagues and our patients deserve nothing less.

Tom Gallo, MS, MDA, ACCC President 2018-2019, is Executive Director of the Virginia Cancer Institute. 

From Oncology Issues

Building a Resilient Oncology Team: Issues and Solutions

Burnout is on the rise as oncology becomes increasingly complex with new treatment options, growing financial toxicity, an aging patient population, and an increasingly burdensome healthcare system. It has received much media attention, with some calling it an epidemic.

Thomas A. Gallo, MS, MDA, ACCC President, selected his 2018–2019 president’s theme: Reflect, Renew, Reignite: Creating a Resilient Oncology Team in Your Community, in order to shed light on the pain points that frustrate physicians, nurses, social workers, administrators, pharmacists, and all of the other professionals who collaborate to provide the highest level of patient care.

The ACCC 35th National Oncology Conference, October 17 – 19, in Phoenix, AZ, featured stories and strategies for fostering resilience and a healthcare culture that mitigates burnout among all members of the cancer care team. Three featured speakers inspired while providing practical strategies to help increase engagement, transform your work culture, and embrace experimentation. 

6 essential standards for a healthy work environment

ACCC is committed to identifying shared strategies and solutions to help combat the burnout and frustration that many of its members experience. This Building a Resilient Oncology Team: Issues and Solutions infographic details key findings on clinician burnout and a bevy of solutions to help you mitigate stress and bring the joy back to your workplace. 
Download as PDF
Or click each thumbnail below to view full size version:

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