The findings also revealed factors that promote or inhibit work-related well-being of oncology social workers. Participants had several recommendations to offer other oncology social workers and oncology organizations to promote work-related wellness.
Introduction
Statement of the problem
Rationale and significance of the study
However, little research has investigated the work-related well-being of the oncology social worker in the South African context. The researcher hoped that the findings of this study would reveal oncology social workers' perceptions of work-related well-being.
Research sites
The above literature highlights the importance of this study as it aims to highlight the importance of promoting oncology social workers' work-related well-being. In the international literature, there is extensive research on the functions and roles of the oncology social worker in the health care setting, however little research focuses on the work-related well-being of the oncology social worker specifically.
Research Topic
Aim of research
Main Research Questions
What do the participants understand work-related wellbeing to mean?
What do the participants perceive as the factors that promote wellbeing in the
What do the participants perceive as the factors that inhibit wellbeing in the
What recommendations would the participants suggest to promote wellbeing in
Main Research Objectives
Main assumptions
Clarification of terms
This can be measured by looking at work engagement, which refers to the involvement and enjoyment of the job itself, overall job satisfaction, which refers to attitudes towards the job, and affective commitment to the organization, which refers to the attitude towards the organization as a whole (Fisher, 2010). ). Multidisciplinary team: This refers to the care team, which includes oncology social workers.
Ethical considerations
The researcher made sure that the participants understood that their participation was voluntary and that they could withdraw from the research process at any point. The researcher ensured that the purpose of the study was outlined in the informed consent form to avoid misleading participants.
Reflexivity
The researcher chose this topic because she has a particular interest in the welfare of social workers in South Africa. The researcher found the process of data collection inspiring and humbling as she became aware of the deep work that oncology social workers do.
Summary of the chapter
Particular interest was placed on the oncology setting as oncology social workers face a unique set of challenges as they work within the context of death and dying. The researcher received regular supervision to ensure that she practiced reflexivity throughout the research process.
Introduction
Theoretical Frameworks
Ecological Systems Theory
For example, oncology social workers play a central role in the multidisciplinary team, and to maximize collective performance, communication between team members is essential. Organizational factors such as having a large caseload, experiences working in a team, and access to resources may well influence an oncology social worker's work-related well-being (Turner, Kelly & Girgis, 2011).
Social Learning Theory: self-efficacy
Oncology social workers with high levels of self-efficacy are more likely to demonstrate confidence in their ability to work with cancer patients and their families. 13 for exploring core aspects of work-related well-being and how to promote them in the context of oncology social work.
Theory of resilience
The construct of resilience in relation to the work-related well-being of oncology social workers appears to be an important theoretical perspective to consider for this study. Moreover, this theory can provide insight into the factors that promoted resilience in oncology social workers and how this contributed to the improvement of work-related well-being in oncology social work.
Policy and Legislation related to oncology social work
There are a number of ways in which resilience can be promoted among social workers in the workplace. This may provide an understanding of how oncology social workers have positively adapted to an ever-changing and challenging work environment in ways that contribute to professional growth and improved work-related well-being.
15 This legislation is relevant because it outlines the roles and responsibilities of oncology social workers, including the delivery of holistic patient-centered care to cancer patients and their families (Newman & Medeiros, 2015). To fulfill this role, oncology social workers must be aware of current health care policies and legislation at both the state and national levels (Newman & Medeiros, 2015).
It states that social workers must be supervised by a supervisor who is a registered social worker (The Act on Social Service Professions 110 of. Oncology social workers must register annually with the SACSSP so that their practice is monitored by a professional governing body and be controlled..
Oncology social work
16 for Social Workers' determines the ethical responsibilities of social workers and their employers in practice environments and outlines the requirements for supervision/management and consultation of social workers in practice environments. In addition, the provision of supervision and management of social workers is of particular interest in this study as the above policy states that supervision is an ethical requirement for social workers in practice, highlighting the responsibility of both the employer and the social worker to provide support and guidance in the workplace.
Work-related wellbeing
In addition, reflective practice is associated with job satisfaction and enthusiasm (Sutton, Williams & Allinson, 2015).
Factors which promote work-related wellbeing
- Organisational factors
- Occupational factors
- Psychological factors
- Social factors
This indicates the need for an organizational climate, which promotes social support in the workplace (Schutte & Loi, 2014; Petruik, Freeman, McGillicuddy & Dimitropoulos, 2017). Another social factor to consider is the role of spirituality in oncology social work.
Factors which inhibit work-related wellbeing
Organisational factors
As previously discussed, work-related stress is an occupational hazard in the field of oncology social work. The following section will examine the specific challenges associated with oncology social work and how this may impede work-related well-being.
Occupational factors
The concept of 'death anxiety' is relevant to oncology social work as it deals with the emotions, fears and thoughts surrounding working with death. There are a number of other challenges that oncology social workers face in their line of work.
Psychological factors
These perspectives align with the research presented above (see Joubert, Hocking & Hampson, 2013) on the importance of social support and professional supervision in the oncology social work arena. It is clear that oncology social workers and organizations can benefit from recommendations aimed at promoting wellness in the workplace.
Recommendations for oncology social workers and oncology social work
Continued professional development and training
It is recognized that social workers are required to practice in a constantly changing work environment (Craig & Muskat, 2013). It is argued that CPD enables professionals to experience personal growth and develop the professional self.
Work/life balance
More specifically, they wanted to investigate the link between poor work-life balance and poor health (Lunau et al., 2014). Their findings showed that workers who reported poor work-life balance were at greater risk for health problems.
Summary of the chapter
33 The importance of a work-life balance and its connotations for work-related well-being are explored in a study conducted among employees based in 27 European countries. These perspectives are consistent with the findings of Yang, Suh, Lee, and Son's (2018) research, which revealed that employees who struggled to maintain work-life balance were more likely to experience poor psychosocial well-being.
Introduction
Research design
First, the researcher should develop a self-critical attitude during the research process to avoid the influence of personal bias. The researcher followed these processes by using theory to formulate hypotheses related to the research questions and by practicing reflexivity throughout the research process.
Population and sampling
There are two key processes, which are characteristic of an exploratory research approach, which must be followed by the researcher. Those who agreed to participate in the study were able to assist the researcher with contact details of other oncology social workers who might be eligible to participate in this study.
Data collection
- Pilot study
- Data collection approach
- Data collection tool
- Data recording
The use of digital recordings ensures that the researcher is able to capture a complete verbal record of the interview (Guest, Namey & Mitchell, 2013). By signing the consent form, the participants thus gave the researcher permission to digitally record the content of the interview.
Data analysis
The researcher read through all transcripts to get a sense of the data as. Once the list of topics was established, the researcher returned to the data and abbreviated topics into codes.
Data verification
The researcher must ask whether the research findings can be confirmed by someone else (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). Consistency can also be ensured when the researcher provides a detailed description of the research process and when a clear connection between the data and findings of the study is shown (Lietz & Zayas, 2010; Kalu & Bwalya, 2017).
Limitations pertaining to this study
- Research design
- Population and sampling
- Data collection approach
- Data collection tool
- Researcher bias
To mitigate this, it is crucial that the researcher includes the use of the survey in the informed consent form, which is signed by participants before the interview takes place (DiCicco-Bloom & Crabtree, 2006). The researcher included a section on the use of recording in the informed consent form to deal with this potential challenge.
Summary of the chapter
This highlights why the researcher must be aware of their own personal views and perspectives, as this can affect the interpretation of data and the research process as a whole (Johnson, 1997; Rubin & Babbie, 2014). Once again, the process of reflexivity is seen as an important strategy to address researcher biases (Johnson, 1997), which is why the researcher used regular engagements with her supervisor to facilitate active self-reflection throughout the research process. .
Introduction
Profile of the participants
Among the participants there is a wide range of work experience, ranging from 1-21 years of work experience in the field of oncology.
Framework of analysis
Discussion of findings
Objective 1: To explore the participants’ understanding of the concept of work-
Many participants understand work-related well-being as work engagement and job satisfaction. Many participants discussed the notion of self-care in relation to work-related well-being.
Objective 2: To explore the participants’ perceptions of the promoting factors
Most of the participants perceived the multidisciplinary team as an important source of social support at the workplace. Most of the participants reported an experience of work engagement in the role of an oncology social worker.
Objective 3: to explore the participants’ perceptions of the factors which inhibit
The next section examines participants' perceptions of the factors that hinder work-related well-being. Almost half of the participants stated that they had not experienced burnout during their career as a social worker.
Objective 4: To explore the recommendations that participants have to promote
Many of the participants considered Continuing Professional Development (CPD) to be an important recommendation for oncology social workers and oncology organizations. Given the complex and challenging nature of oncology social work, many participants valued the importance of maintaining work-life balance.
Summary of the chapter
Introduction
Conclusions
- Objective one: To explore the participants’ understanding of the concept of
- Objective two: To explore the participants’ perceptions of the factors, which
- Objective three: To explore the participants’ perceptions of the factors, which
- Objective four: To explore the recommendations that participants have to
All these sources of workplace social support appear to enable the participants to navigate the emotional demands and challenges of the job, while promoting their work-related well-being. Access to social support outside the workplace emerged as one of the social factors, promoting work-related well-being.
Recommendations
The researcher’s recommendations for oncology and hospice organisations
Considering that multidisciplinary teamwork is an integral part of oncology social work, each training seminar can be presented by another health care professional within the multidisciplinary team. At the beginning of the year, the multidisciplinary team can decide on the dates of each workshop, which health care professional will present and possible topics of interest.
The researcher’s recommendations for oncology social workers
However, the researcher would like to give an example of how this recommendation can be implemented in the organization. These healthcare professionals could share their knowledge of the latest cancer treatment research as it relates to their field.
The researcher’s recommendations for future research
Summary of the chapter
Research Project Title: Oncology social workers: their perceptions of their work-related well-being. The first 20 social workers who agree to participate in the study will be used as participants.
