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How to balance work and treatment?

Page last modified on: October 10, 2008

Question from JHolt: I am a public school teacher at the high school level. I want to know how I can let administration know I cannot stay after school, drive back to school for meetings or cut my treatments out for a day or two each week. How do I stand up to them while I am holding on to my job?: Answer —Barbara Hoffman, J.D.: You have a similar issue to the previous teacher. The teaching does require physical presence, and discrimination laws protect cancer survivors only if they can perform their job with reasonable accommodation. Mostly the essential job function of a teacher is to be in the classroom and teach students, so I think you have a good argument that after-school meetings and other functions are not essential, and the school should accommodate you while you need time off for medically necessary treatments. Start by speaking directly to your principal or supervisor. If that doesn't yield a constructive response, try a union rep or even a colleague to try to work something out.

On Wednesday, September 19, 2007, our Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called Working During Treatment. Barbara Hoffman, J.D., Irene Card, and moderator Ruth Oratz, M.D., F.A.C.P. answered your questions about the legal, financial, physical, and emotional aspects of working during breast cancer treatment.

The materials presented in these conferences do not necessarily reflect the views of breastcancer.org. A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product or regimen discussed. All readers should verify all information and data before employing any therapies described here.

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Meet the Experts

Barbara Hoffman, J.D. is a member of the Legal Research and Writing faculty of Rutgers Law School B in Newark and is the founding chair of the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship.

Irene Card is president of Medical Insurance Claims, Inc., a health insurance services company in New Jersey, which she founded in 1980. Ms. Card is the former insurance advisor to the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship and Memorial Sloan Kettering Post Treatment Resource Program.

Ruth Oratz, M.D., F.A.C.P. is associate professor of clinical medicine at New York University School of Medicine. She is the founder of The Women's Oncology & Wellness Practice in New York City where she specializes in treating women with breast cancer and other malignancies, as well as women at risk for cancer.