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"So, are you back to work yet?" Re-conceptualizing 'work' and 'return to work' in the context of primary bone cancer

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  • Parsons, Janet A.
  • Eakin, Joan M.
  • Bell, Robert S.
  • Franche, Renée-Louise
  • Davis, Aileen M.

Abstract

People with primary bone cancer typically are young (usual age-at-onset 16-35 years old) and undergo arduous treatments. The current standard of care (tumour resection and limb reconstruction with or without chemotherapy) results in survival rates in excess of 60%, but also results in significant disability at a time when patients are choosing career paths, establishing their independence and embarking on new roles. To date, the nature of the relationship between experiences of osteosarcoma illness and experiences of vocation has remained unclear. This study sought to examine this relationship using qualitative narrative methodology. In-depth audiotaped interviews were conducted with 14 osteosarcoma survivors (8 men, 6 women) who were being treated at Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Canada. Interview transcripts were analyzed for story typology and thematic content via constant comparison. Respondents reported engaging in three types of 'work': 'illness work', 'identity work' and 'vocational work'. Osteosarcoma illness represented a crisis for respondents, one which necessitated considerable illness work. Illness work was portrayed as all-consuming, whereby respondents were forced to stop vocational work for considerable periods. The illness crisis also precipitated 'identity work'. Respondents recounted a transformative process, of 'becoming other' to whom they had been prior to illness. As a result, respondents told of re-entering the vocational sphere with a different sense of themselves from when they left it. When patients return for surgical follow up, clinicians routinely ask, "So, are you back to work yet?" expecting simple 'yes/no' answers. This study suggests that the answer is instead highly complex, and that patients could be seen as having been 'working' all along. This study offers a re-conceptualization of 'work' and 'return to work' in the context of osteosarcoma, with implications for clinical and return-to-work practices.

Suggested Citation

  • Parsons, Janet A. & Eakin, Joan M. & Bell, Robert S. & Franche, Renée-Louise & Davis, Aileen M., 2008. ""So, are you back to work yet?" Re-conceptualizing 'work' and 'return to work' in the context of primary bone cancer," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 67(11), pages 1826-1836, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:67:y:2008:i:11:p:1826-1836
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jodi Messer Pelkowski & Mark C. Berger, 2003. "The Onset of Health Problems and the Propensity of Workers to Change Employers and Occupations," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(3), pages 276-298, August.
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    4. Baril, R. & Clarke, J. & Friesen, M. & Stock, S. & Cole, D., 2003. "Management of return-to-work programs for workers with musculoskeletal disorders: a qualitative study in three Canadian provinces," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 57(11), pages 2101-2114, December.
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    1. Jae-Mahn Shim, 2022. "Patient Agency: Manifestations of Individual Agency Among People With Health Problems," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(1), pages 21582440221, March.
    2. Hollenbeck, Candice R. & Patrick, Vanessa M., 2016. "Mastering survivorship: How brands facilitate the transformation to heroic survivor," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(1), pages 73-82.
    3. Dumas, A. & Cailbault, I. & Perrey, C. & Oberlin, O. & De Vathaire, F. & Amiel, P., 2015. "Educational trajectories after childhood cancer: When illness experience matters," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 67-74.

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