The Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation runs eight credential programmes and has more than 40,000 currently certified nurses. It is one of the most developed certification landscapes in nursing, and the one where checking current availability matters most.
Available for new testing
- OCN — the general oncology nursing credential, and the one most oncology nurses hold.
- CPHON — pediatric haematology and oncology.
- CBCN — breast care.
- TCTCN — transplantation and cellular therapy.
- ROCN — radiation oncology.
- AOCNP — advanced practice, for nurse practitioners.
Two further credentials, an advanced certified oncology nurse credential and an oncology navigation credential, have been announced.
Renewal only
Several older credentials can no longer be sat as new examinations and are maintained by existing holders only:
- AOCNS — advanced oncology clinical nurse specialist.
- CPON — pediatric oncology.
- AOCN — advanced oncology certified nurse.
- BMTCN — blood and marrow transplant, whose subject matter is now covered by the transplantation and cellular therapy credential.
This is why a nurse planning a certification path should check the corporation's current list rather than aim at a credential seen on a colleague's badge. The same pattern is spreading across nursing certification generally. See nursing certification boards.
Certification is not the chemotherapy certificate
These are separate things and are frequently confused.
Board certification attests to a body of oncology nursing knowledge and is voluntary.
The chemotherapy and immunotherapy certificate is a course-based credential that most employers require before a nurse may administer those agents at all. It is a competency gate rather than a career credential, and holding the OCN does not substitute for it.
A nurse entering oncology usually takes the certificate first, accrues practice, then sits the board examination.
What it is worth
Hiring, particularly in infusion centres and academic cancer centres, where it is frequently preferred and sometimes required.
Differentials and reimbursement, at many employers.
Credibility on safety. Oncology carries an unusual occupational hazard burden through hazardous drug handling, and certification signals fluency in the standards governing it. See oncology nursing.
Who should take it
Oncology nurses with a couple of years of practice. Nurses in a sub-field with its own credential — breast care, radiation oncology, cellular therapy, pediatric haematology and oncology — generally take the general credential first and add the specific one later, though that is convention rather than a requirement.
Related
Sources
- ONCC Certifications — Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation, on active and renewal-only credentials and the number of certified nurses. Accessed September 9, 2026.
- General Chapter <800> Hazardous Drugs — Handling in Healthcare Settings — United States Pharmacopeia. Accessed September 9, 2026.