Advanced Certified Oncology Nurse (ACON™)
The Advanced Certified Oncology Nurse (ACON™) certification is for registered nurses in oncology with advanced nursing degrees (master's or higher" - whether in clinical practice, nursing administration, education, or consultation.
Since the retirement of the Advanced Oncology Certified Nurse (AOCN®) in 2005 (available for renewal only), the practice has continued to evolve. While the AOCNP® program continues to serve the role-specific oncology Nurse Practitioners, the evolution of the practice and growth of Master’s, PhD, and DNP prepared oncology nurses created the need for a new certification that validates the higher-level practice. This need, coupled with the completion of the 2024 Advanced Oncology Nurse Competencies fuels the creation of this new ONCC certification program.
Determining if you are eligible
- Active License
A current, active, unencumbered license as a registered nurse in the US, its territories or Canada at the time of application and examination, and - Educational Experience
A master's degree, PhD, or DNP in nursing, preferably with a focus in oncology, and - 3 years Experience
A minimum of three years (36 months) of experience as an RN within five years (60 months) prior to application, and
- 1,000 Hours of Practice
A minimum of 1,000 hours of oncology nursing practice within the four years (48 months) prior to application, and - One Graduate Level Course
One graduate level oncology course of at least two (2) credits or 30 hours of oncology continuing education within the past five years. The contact hours must have been provided or formally approved by an acceptable accredited provider or approver of continuing nursing education (CNE) or nursing professional development (NCPD).
Nursing Practice
Nursing practice may be work experience that is direct and/or indirect patient care in the clinical practice, nursing administration, education, research, or consultation in the specialty represented by the credential. The position must be one that may be filled by a Registered Nurse. A position that may also be filled by another licensed care provider may qualify as nursing practice so long as the position may be filled by an RN.
About the Exam
The ACON™ test is based on the ACON™ Test Content Outline (Test Blueprint). The Test Content Outline is based on the results of the role delineation study of advanced oncology nursing practice completed in 2025.
The ACON™ Test Content Outline is composed of eight major subject areas, each with a percentage assigned to it. Each major subject area is represented in every test with the appropriate percentage of questions. However, not all sub-areas are included on every form of the test.
The ACON™ Test consists of 165 multiple-choice questions (a question or incomplete statement followed by four answers or completions). Of those, 125 questions count toward the candidate's score and 40 are “pretest” or experimental questions. Candidates do not know which questions are scored and which are pretest. To determine the number of scored questions from each subject area, multiply the appropriate percentage by 125.
*Please note: Same day test results will not be available to candidates who participate in beta testing.
