Educating Social Workers in Palliative and End of Life Care - Oncology - Project Summary/Abstract Excellent care of patients diagnosed with cancer requires the integration of palliative care and the close collaboration of professionals—all practicing at the top of their licenses. Data from the 2019 NASEM Report, Integrating Social Care into the Delivery of Health Care: Moving Upstream to Improve the Nation’s Health, reveal conclusively that social contexts influence the delivery and outcomes of healthcare. The burden on front-line oncology social workers to deliver best practices that address the structural and contextual factors influencing health outcomes has significantly increased. There is a growing need for ongoing education in primary palliative care skills—including biopsychosocial assessment, communication, advocacy, and leadership—to promote adjustment and coping, and provide clear role definition in addressing patient and family distress. This competency gap is especially critical in healthcare settings serving communities facing elevated health risks—such as those experiencing high rates of multimorbidity, complex psychosocial challenges, limited access to high-quality care, low health literacy, and adverse living conditions. The situation is further intensified in under-resourced healthcare systems, where staff shortages and limited opportunities for professional development are common. The Overall Aim of this comprehensive, multimodal educational program is to offer an oncology-tailored, evidence-based curriculum with engaging content and leadership skills training to support the integration of primary palliative care skills for 240 competitively selected oncology social workers. Using reliable adult learning strategies, we will target learner skill achievement through knowledge development, self-efficacy (competence and confidence), and mentorship in the implementation and enhancement of the delivery of cancer care. A pre/post-test design will assess the impact of the curriculum on process and learner outcomes. The curriculum is constructed using a pedagogically sound integration of the primary principles of palliative care and real-world oncology patient scenarios. Learners will be supported through an innovative combination of self-study, in-person training, and practice sessions (monthly webinars and monthly mentorship) geared towards improved competence and confidence in creating meaningful and sustainable changes in the delivery of cancer care. The Specific Aims of this program are: 1) Expand the oncology-specific, evidence-based, multimodal “Educating Social Workers in Palliative and End-of-Life Care-Oncology” (ESPEC-O) national training program for oncology social worker skill development and implementation guidance in palliative care to enhance the delivery of cancer care. 2) Train and mentor 240 competitively selected oncology social workers in five annual training cycles in the development of palliative care skills to enhance and strengthen their interprofessional oncology practice. 3) Evaluate the success of the training program and its impact on learners and their institutions through assessment of (a) learner skill achievement and (b) progress toward achievement of learners’ stated goals for clinical change within their settings.