OCN vs ONS certification

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Specializes in Hematology/Oncology.

Hello everyone.

Can someone be so kind to explain which route of certification I should take? OCN vs ONS? I am fairly new to the hem/oncology field. I use to work at an outpatient infusion center for 3-4 years starting as a LVN, then to RN for about a year and transfer to a hospital working as a Hem/onc case manager now. I still want to work in the field but not sure if I should proceed in getting my OCN or ONS. Which path/ route will benefit me? Pros vs cons?

Thank you in advance.

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Isn't the ONS the same as OCN? ONS is the Oncology Nurse Society and the OCN (Oncology Certified Nurse) is one of the certifications offered by ONS.

I would definitely recommend the OCN. It is pretty much the same as ICU nurses getting the CCRN.

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ONS is not a certification it is a group you can become a member of. You will need to start by getting your chemotherapy certification. It’s a course offered through the ONS with a test at the end that you have to pass. Once you do that, you can officially hang chemo. It won’t add any extra letters to your name.

as said above, an OCN is the same idea as a CCRN. However this is something that should wait until you have more experience under your belt. I don’t know if there is a certain amount of experience (I.e 1 year) you are required to have or you can just take the Certification exam whenever you want.

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On 3/31/2020 at 10:17 PM, NurseHong said:

Hello everyone.

Can someone be so kind to explain which route of certification I should take? OCN vs ONS? I am fairly new to the hem/oncology field. I use to work at an outpatient infusion center for 3-4 years starting as a LVN, then to RN for about a year and transfer to a hospital working as a Hem/onc case manager now. I still want to work in the field but not sure if I should proceed in getting my OCN or ONS. Which path/ route will benefit me? Pros vs cons?

Thank you in advance.

ONS is the professional group, Oncology Nurses Society. OCN is the certification. I can only think of benefits of being certified, such as preferential for hiring and if your employer is decent, they will give you a bonus for being certified, especially if they are a reputable institution and care about your professional advancement/well-being.

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Specializes in Oncology.

Hello, I am an OCN. The Oncology Nursing Society is an organization (and a stellar one in my opinion). You can take courses through the ONS to prepare for the OCN exam. The actual certification is issued through the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation (ONCC). Here are some links that might be helpful:

https://www.oncc.org/certifications/oncology-certified-nurse-ocn

https://www.ons.org/courses/ocnr-certification-review-bundle

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Specializes in Medical Hematology/Oncology/Stem Cell Transplant.

I just got my OCN earlier this year. In addition to the Core Curriculum for Oncology Nursing book and its associated Study Guide from ONS, I highly recommend these two books. The yellow one presents information in a concise structure as opposed to the detailed lengthy way in the Core Curriculum, so I’d prefer the yellow book. The white book has 2 practice tests with 150 questions each; they’re harder than the actual questions in the exam in my opinion, but I think it’s better that way than the other way around.

White book: https://www.amazon.com/OCN-Exam-Practice-Questions-Certified/dp/1627338780

Yellow book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1610723880/ref=sspa_mw_detail_0?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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