Nondiscrimination—ONCC does not discriminate against candidates based on age, gender, ethnic origin, religion, race, disability, marital status, or sexual orientation.

Applications

• ONCC adheres to all published deadline dates.
• ONCC must receive complete applications, including required documentation, on or before the published deadline dates, regardless of postmark.
• Incomplete applications, including those without proper documentation, will be charged a $100 late fee if the documentation is received after the first deadline; all documentation must be received by the final deadline.
• Complete applications received after the first deadline date, but before the final deadline, will not be granted the early application discount fee. Applicants who do not include the correct fee will be invoiced for the difference and will not be permitted to take the examination unless the invoice is paid in full.
• Payment will not be accepted at the test site.
• ONCC will return applications received after the final deadline date, regardless of postmark or other circumstances.
• Candidates who submit an application form, ONC-PRO Logs, or documentation by mail or fax may be charged the $25 paper application fee.

Renewal of ONCC Certification

• Certification renewal is due every four years.
• There are three components to certification renewal: practice hours, professional development activities (known as the Oncology Nursing Certification Points Renewal Option or ONC-PRO), and successful retesting. Two of the three components are required for certification renewal. The available renewal options are based on combinations of the three components and include Option 1: Practice Hours + ONC-PRO; Option 2: Practice hours + Successful retesting; Option 3: ONC-PRO + Successful Retesting.
• Renewal information is mailed to ONCC certified nurses at the beginning of the calendar year in which renewal is due.
• Those who do not renew certification within the calendar year of its expiration may not continue to use the certification credential, will be considered initial candidates, and must meet the eligibility criteria for initial candidates should they apply to become certified in subsequent years.
• The fee for renewal by Option 1 is less than the fee for renewal by Option 2.
• The fee for renewal by Option 3 is $100 more than the test fee.
• Failure to receive a renewal reminder does not relieve the candidate of the responsibility to apply for renewal of certification by the required application deadline date as posted on the ONCC web site.

Candidates who are renewing two certification credentials in the same year by Option 1must meet the eligibility criteria for each certification. Candidates renewing two credentials in the same year by Option 1 may use the same set of ONC-PRO points, provided those points meet the criteria for renewal of each certification. The fee to renew two certification credentials in the same year by Option 1 is $100 more than the regular Option 1 fee.

Candidates who are denied renewal by Option 1 may transfer to the next applicable certification test date by paying a transfer fee of $100.

Candidates who choose to renew their certification by Option 2 and who do not attain a passing score on the test may not renew by Option 1.

Candidates who apply for renewal by Option 1 and who are denied by ONCC will not be granted a refund of the renewal fee. This includes candidates who are denied renewal due to insufficient points, insufficient documentation, or failure to submit audit or other documentation requested by ONCC.

Reinstatement Policy
All applications for certification renewal using Option 1 (practice hours + ONC-PRO) must be received by the ONCC office by October 15 (or the following business day if October 15 falls on a weekend), regardless of postmark, of the year certification is due to expire.

• Candidates who wish to maintain their certification, but miss the final deadline for certification renewal, may:
  • Apply to re-take the examination in the following year as an initial candidate, or
  • Apply for certification reinstatement by Option 1 (practice hours + ONC-PRO) on or before March 31 of the year immediately following the credential expiration date, or
  • Apply for certification reinstatement by Option 3 (test + ONC-PRO) on or before the final application deadline for the first test administration window of the year immediately following the credential expiration date. AOCNP^® and AOCNS^® must test on or before February 28 of the year immediately following the credential expiration date.
• Nurses may not use the credential after their certification expires on December 31, but may again use the credential after being notified that their certification has been reinstated.
• Reinstatement is retroactive and the certification period will not be extended for nurses who reinstate. For example, if a nurse who was due to renew certification in 2010 then misses the October 15 final deadline, applies for and is granted reinstatement in February 2011, his/her next certification expiration date will be the same as if he/she had renewed certification in 2010; the expiration date would be December 31, 2014.
• Reinstatement requires the candidate to submit all required applications and logs, as well as documentation of meeting the Option 1 or Option 3 requirements, as they would do if their ONC-PRO logs were audited. All CE certificates, transcripts or other documentation that would usually be required if the candidate submitted the application on time and was audited must be submitted with the application for reinstatement.
• Candidates who apply for reinstatement must submit their application and required documentation to ONCC by mail or fax; the ONC-PRO logs may be submitted electronically. Candidates who apply for reinstatement by Option 3 (test + ONC-PRO) must meet the deadline for the first test administration window of the year immediately following the credential expiration date.
• Candidates must pay the reinstatement fee of $300, in addition to the final deadline application fee for Option 1 or Option 3.
• Candidates who miss the final deadline for reinstatement of their certification may request a review, the results of which may be appealed. All requests for review and appeal must document the extenuating circumstances that caused the candidates to miss the deadline. The Director of Operations will conduct the review and the ONCC Appeals Committee will review and decide all appeals.

Candidates who apply for reinstatement must have earned all points by December 31 of the year certification was due for renewal; points earned after December 31 will not be accepted.

Code of Ethics Policy
The Code of Ethics sets forth values, ethical principles, and standards to which professionals aspire and by which their actions can be judged. The purpose of this code is to identify the moral obligations of all oncology certified nurses inherent in their professional roles. Specifically, oncology certified nurses are obligated to support and maintain the integrity of the profession of oncology nursing in order to promote the health and well-being of patients and families.

Nurses certified by the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation will:

1. Respect the basic human rights and the dignity of all patients, without consideration of social or economic status, race, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability, personal attributes, nature of the health problem(s), or any other factors.
2. Protect the patient from harm and advocate for the patient’s welfare.
3. Maintain confidentiality of patient information, except when disclosure is required by law.
4. Maintain the knowledge and skill necessary for competent practice in the specialty.
5. Respect his/her own self worth and professional integrity, and the integrity of the profession.
6. Report known or suspected violations made by ONCC-certified nurses and potential ONCC-certified nurses to ONCC.

Fraudulent Use of the OCN^®, AOCN^®, AOCNS^®, AOCNP^®, CPON^®, CPHON^® or CBCN^® Credential
ONCC shall thoroughly investigate all reports of an individual fraudulently using the OCN^®, AOCN^®, AOCNS^®, AOCNP^®, CPON^®, CPHON^® or CBCN^® credential. If proof is obtained that an individual who is not authorized to use the OCN^®, AOCNS^®, AOCNP^®, AOCN^®, CPON^®, CPHON^® or CBCN^® credential has used the credential, ONCC shall write a letter to the individual stating that ONCC has documented proof that the individual has used the OCN^®, AOCNS^®, AOCNP^®, AOCN^®, CPON^®, CPHON^® or CBCN^® credential and that ONCC has no record of the individual's certification or renewal of expired certification. The individual shall be requested to provide proof of current ONCC certification (e.g., prove that certification was obtained under a different name) or discontinue use of the credential. The individual shall be informed that if fraudulent use of the credential continues, ONCC shall report the act to the individual's state board of nursing and take the appropriate action against the individual.

Transfers
OCN^®, CBCN^®, and CPHON^® test candidates may transfer from a scheduled test date to another test date one time only. To transfer, candidates must pay a $100 fee and make a written request to ONCC. The request must be received at least 4 weeks before the first day of the scheduled test interval, regardless of postmark, and include the candidate's name, address, desired test interval, and fee. Candidates who are granted a transfer must test within the next 12 months. Candidates who have made a test appointment prior to requesting a transfer or refund must cancel the testing appointment at least 24 hours prior to the appointment. Renewal candidates who apply to renew by testing and subsequently transfer to a future test administration must meet the initial eligibility criteria if the transfer is to a test administration following the expiration of their credential.

AOCNP^® and AOCNS^® test candidates who are eligible to test have a 90-day period in which to take the test. Transfers to a test date beyond that 90-day period will not be granted. Candidates who do not take the test within the 90-day period will forfeit all test fees. Candidates who wish to test after the expiration of their ATT must submit a new application and pay all fees.

Sanction of ONCC Certification

• ONCC Certification may be sanctioned for any of the following:
• Failure to meet eligibility requirements or pay required fees
• Failure to meet ONC-PRO requirements for renewal of certification
• Falsification of the application
• Falsification of any information requested by ONCC
• Misrepresentation of the OCN^®, CPON^®, AOCN^®, AOCNP^®, AOCNS^®, CBCN^®, or CPHON™ credential
• Misuse of the OCN^®, CPON^®, AOCN^®, AOCNP^®, AOCNS^®, CBCN^®, or CPHON™ credential
• Lack of current, active, unrestricted RN license
• Cheating on the certification examination
• Assisting others to cheat on the certification examination
• Unauthorized possession of ONCC examinations or other confidential materials
• Criminal convictions or limitation, sanction, revocation, or suspension by a healthcare organization, professional organization, or other private or governmental body relating to nursing or public health safety
• Gross or repeated negligence or malpractice in professional practice
• ONCC may issue sanctions that include, but are not limited to, denials of initial certification, renewal or recertification, revocation, suspension, or any other limitation of certification or combination of sanctions. Upon being notified of a possible violation, ONCC shall, in its sole discretion, investigate the allegation or decline to act on the matter. If ONCC believes that there has been a possible violation of the conditions listed in Section 1, ONCC shall provide the certificate holder or applicant with written notice of the allegations.
• The review and appeals process may be instituted.
• The official sanction shall state whether official notice of the sanction will be provided to the nurse's state licensing board(s). Such notice, if authorized by the sanction, shall not be given until the expiration and/or resolution of any appeal.

Release of Information
Certification is a voluntary credentialing process with the goal of protecting the public. The purpose of certification is to ensure the public that the ONCC certified nurse has met all eligibility criteria and mastered particular knowledge to provide competent oncology nursing care as measured by the test. Names of nurses holding ONCC certifications shall be available to the public. Information will be released upon receipt of written request. Individual test scores shall be sent only to candidates at the home address indicated by the candidate on his/her certification application. Confidential information that will not be released includes names of candidates for certification; names of nurses who fail the examination; and individual test scores.

ONCC does not sell or rent email  addresses of certified nurses. However, ONCC occasionally releases email addresses of certified nurses to the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) or the Association of Pediatric Hematology Oncology Nurses (APHON) so they may share information about related opportunities.

Retaking the Test—Candidates who fail an ONCC examination for the first or second time may apply to retake the test during the next available testing window with no waiting period. Candidates who do not succeed in passing the examination after three attempts are required to wait a minimum of one year before retaking the examination. If the candidate fails to pass the examination on subsequent attempts, they must wait one year before retaking the test. ONCC highly recommends that failing candidates seek remedial education in the content areas of the test blueprint in which they perform below competence. This information is provided to candidates in their official score report.

The candidate must submit an application and test fee by the application deadline for each test. Because of overlapping testing intervals and deadline dates, ONCC cannot guarantee that a candidate who fails a test will be able to test during the next CBT interval if the candidate does not meet the final application deadline date (failing candidates are not required to pay the $100 late fee to test in the next CBT interval). Candidates may not take the same certification test more than one time during a CBT testing interval or 90-day testing period.

Requests for Verification—ONCC provides a free, online verification system. Those who require written verification of a nurse's certification status must make the request in writing, include a $15 fee, and contain the nurse's full name and home address. Certification will be verified in writing only. Confidential information that will not be released includes names of candidates for certification, names of nurses who fail the examination, and individual test scores of candidates.

Review and Appeals Process—A review and appeals process is available to individuals seeking an amendment of a decision regarding eligibility for certification, failure of the examination, sanction or revocation of certification. Requests to activate the review process must be sent in writing to Mary Wozny, Director of Operations, ONCC, 125 Enterprise Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15275-1214, Fax: 412-859-6168. There is a $50 filing fee for the appeals process.