The ONCC has set requirements for its nurses to be certified as oncology specialists: Active and unencumbered licensure as an RN, minimum of 12 months in the prior 36 working as an RN, a minimum of 1,000 hours oncology work experience in the prior 30 months and a minimum of 10 hours of continuing nursing education in the 36 months before applying. All of these prerequisites must be met and verified before an RN is eligible to sit for the basic Oncology Nurse Certification exam.
Once the eligibility requirements are met, a nurse can apply online to take the OCN exam. The test is composed of 165 multiple-choice questions, 145 of which are included when calculating the test-taker's score. The remaining 20 are considered experimental, although the nurse won't know which test section isn't being graded. Students are given three hours to complete the test. The material covered includes 11 major topic areas related to oncology nursing. See Resources for a link to detailed test information.
Many hospitals and cancer-treatment centers are requiring that nurses with direct-patient contact obtain oncology nursing certification prior to employment. The specialty certification helps employers feel confident that the care its nurses are offering is the most up-to-date and useful. Patients and their families also appreciate the expertise provided by OCN nurses. It helps specially trained nurses stand out from their peers as experts in the field of oncology nursing.
OCN is not the only oncology nursing certification available. For nurses seeking an even greater level of expertise or a niche specialty, the ONCC also offers certifications in the following areas: Certified Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurse, Oncology Nurse Practitioner, Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist and Certified Breast Nurse Care. Certifications require extensive training in the respective specialties.