getting oncology certified

miko014 · Apr 28, 2008

If you mean "how do I give chemotherapy", you will take a class at your institution. Mine breaks it up to basic and advanced. If you mean how do you get OCN after your name, you have to take a test, which costs, I believe, around $200-250.

I work oncology now, and am advanced chemo certified at my institution, but I am not an OCN, which is a credential given through the Oncology Nursing Society. The ability to give chemo has nothing to do with OCN. If I left my hospital and went somewhere else, I would have to take their chemo classes in order to be able to give chemo there, regardless of the fact that I have been giving chemo for several years. Even if I was an OCN, I would still have to take the other institutions classes. You have to have so many hours of oncolgy experience (might be 2000, but I could be way off on that!) in order to take the test, and they have CE requirements that you must meet to renew your OCN. There are classes that you can take before you take the test. Go to www.ons.org for more information. Look to see if there is a local chapter near you. I don't think you have to be an OCN to be a member of ONS, but I'm not sure. Hope this helps!!!

Ginger45 · Apr 28, 2008

I remember taking a day long class to be certified to give Chemo. Of course in 1982, I was mixing it, giving it with no special precautions. That was the way it was done then. Luckily, my kids are all fine. I don't know about the certification.

sziq1 · Apr 28, 2008

At the facility I hope to work soon, you have to be oncology certified. The day that I was visiting the outpt facility there was a girl from another hospital there that was getting her chemo cert. She said once she is done she will be able to give chemo at her own facility.

The hospital website says this

"The SwedishAmerican Regional Cancer Center is staffed with chemotherapy-certified and Oncology Certified Nurses"

The website also lists www.oncc.org as the place to get that cert.

I was just wondering what all there is to it. Someone had told me that the oncc test was really hard.

miko014 · Apr 28, 2008

Go to this page for more info http://www.oncc.org/getcertified/TestInformation/ocn/eligibility.shtml.

You have to have been a nurse for a year, and you have to have 1000 hours of oncology experience to be an OCN. Please note, though, that there is a difference between OCN (oncology certified) and chemo certified. It sounds like you need to check what the requirements are at this place where you want to work, because if they require an OCN, it's going to be awhile before you can work there. Also, there is no certification that allows you to travel from institution to institution without having to retake their chemo classes. You could be an AOCNP and still have to learn how things are done at the new place. If the place where this girl works is within the same system, that would make sense. We send RNs to the infusion room to get some experience if they aren't getting it on the floor. That's different than switching places all together, though. I have heard that the test is tough. If you are really interested in oncology, it would probably good for you, but you won't be able to take the test for at least a year.