Care Continuum
14%of exam
Oncology Nursing Practice
15%of exam
Treatment Modalities
20%of exam
Symptoms + Support
25%of exam
Oncologic Emergencies
16%of exam
Psychosocial Care
10%of exam
DistressCultureBody ImageSexualityResources
Quick Facts
- Exam
- OCN
- Credential
- Oncology Certified Nurse
- Body
- ONCC
- Time
- 3 hours
- Items
- 165 MCQ
- Scored
- 145 scored + 20 pretest
- Pass
- Scaled 55/75
- Drugs
- Generic names only
- ATT
- 90 days
Curative vs Palliative
Curative
- Eradication intent
- Disease control
- Aggressive therapy
Palliative
- Quality focus
- Symptom relief
- Any disease stage
Intent differs
Continuum Map
- Prevention
- Risk reduction
- Screening
- Early detection
- Navigation
- Barrier removal
- Palliative care
- Quality focus
- Advance planning
- Goals documented
- Survivorship
- Late effects
- Hospice
- Comfort-focused care
Screening
- Tobacco
- Major modifiable risk
- HPV
- Vaccine prevention
- LDCT
- High-risk lungs
- Colonoscopy
- Colorectal screening
- Mammography
- Breast screening
- Genetic risk
- Earlier surveillance
Genomic vs Genetic
Genomic
- Tumor changes
- Therapy selection
- Acquired variants
Genetic
- Inherited risk
- Family testing
- Germline variants
Tumor vs family
Science Base
- Carcinogenesis
- Normal to malignant
- Angiogenesis
- Tumor blood supply
- Metastasis
- Distant spread
- Immunology
- Host defense
- Genomics
- Tumor profiling
- Genetics
- Inherited risk
Stage vs Grade
Stage
- Disease extent
- TNM basis
- Spread measure
Grade
- Cell appearance
- Differentiation
- Aggressiveness clue
Where vs how abnormal
Cancer Basics
- TNM
- Tumor node metastasis
- Grade
- Cell differentiation
- Stage
- Disease extent
- ECOG
- Performance status
- Biopsy
- Tissue diagnosis
- Imaging
- Extent assessment
Safe Practice
- PPE
- Exposure protection
- Safe handling
- Hazardous drugs
- Documentation
- Nursing record
- Advocacy
- Patient voice
- Ethics
- Values conflict
- Self-care
- Burnout prevention
Oral Therapy
Teach dose, timing, storage, missed doses
AdherenceInteractionsHandlingRefills
Chemo vs Immunotherapy
Chemotherapy
- Direct cytotoxicity
- Myelosuppression
- Cycle nadirs
Immunotherapy
- Immune activation
- irAEs
- Steroid management
Kill cells vs activate
Treatment Picker
- Local solid tumor→Surgery(Resectable)
- Local control→Radiation(Field effects)
- Systemic cytotoxic→Chemotherapy(Myelosuppression)
- Driver mutation→Targeted therapy(Biomarker guided)
- Immune activation→Immunotherapy(irAEs)
- Home dosing→Oral therapy(Adherence focus)
Treatment Map
- Surgery
- Local removal
- Radiation
- Local control
- Chemotherapy
- Cytotoxic systemic
- Immunotherapy
- Immune activation
- Targeted therapy
- Pathway blockade
- Hormonal therapy
- Endocrine blockade
- BMT
- Marrow rescue
- Oral therapy
- Home adherence
Drug Names
ONCC tests generic names only
Generic firstBrand lastClass toxicity
Systemic Therapy
- Alkylators
- DNA damage
- Antimetabolites
- DNA synthesis block
- Anthracyclines
- Cardiac risk
- Taxanes
- Neuropathy risk
- Platinums
- Nephro/ototoxicity
- Checkpoint inhibitors
- Immune toxicity
- Bispecifics
- CRS risk
Radiation + BMT
- External beam
- Focused radiation
- Brachytherapy
- Internal source
- Skin reaction
- Field-limited
- Mucositis
- Rapid-cell injury
- Autologous BMT
- Own cells
- Allogeneic BMT
- Donor cells
- GVHD
- Donor attacks host
OCN Weights
14-15-20-25-16-10
Continuum 14Practice 15Treatment 20Symptoms 25Emergencies 16Psychosocial 10
Symptom Picker
- New severe pain→Full assessment(Red flags)
- Nausea expected→Prevention plan(Before chemo)
- Oral ulcers→Mucositis care(Nutrition risk)
- Numb hands→Neuropathy safety(Fall risk)
- Low platelets→Bleeding precautions(Avoid trauma)
- Low ANC→Infection precautions(Fever urgent)
Symptom Priority
- Pain
- Assess routinely
- Fatigue
- Energy conservation
- CINV
- Antiemetic prophylaxis
- Mucositis
- Oral care
- Diarrhea
- Hydration risk
- Constipation
- Opioid companion
- Neuropathy
- Safety teaching
- Lymphedema
- Limb protection
Supportive Care
- Neutropenia
- Infection risk
- Anemia
- Oxygen fatigue
- Thrombocytopenia
- Bleeding risk
- Nutrition
- Weight maintenance
- Hydration
- Renal protection
- Integrative care
- Evidence check
- VAD
- Access device
- Extravasation
- Tissue injury
TLS Labs
K Phos Uric up; Ca down
K highPhos highUric highCalcium low
Hypersensitivity vs Anaphylaxis
Hypersensitivity
- Infusion reaction
- Rash possible
- Stop and assess
Anaphylaxis
- Airway threat
- Hypotension
- Epinephrine priority
Reaction vs airway shock
Emergency Picker
- Fever + neutropenia→Sepsis pathway(Antibiotic urgency)
- K high + uric→TLS protocol(Renal threat)
- Back pain + weakness→SCC escalation(Neuro threat)
- Face swelling + dyspnea→SVCS actions(Airway risk)
- Hives + wheeze→Anaphylaxis response(Stop infusion)
- Confusion + constipation→Hypercalcemia workup(Hydrate)
Emergency Map
- Febrile neutropenia
- Antibiotic urgency
- TLS
- Cell lysis storm
- Hypercalcemia
- Bones/renal/neuro
- SIADH
- Dilutional hyponatremia
- DIC
- Bleed and clot
- Sepsis
- Organ threat
- Anaphylaxis
- Airway emergency
- VTE
- Clot risk
Cord Compression
Back pain plus weakness means urgent
PainWeaknessSensory changeBowel/bladder
SCC vs SVCS
SCC
- Back pain
- Weakness
- Bowel/bladder changes
SVCS
- Face swelling
- Venous distention
- Dyspnea
Spine vs chest flow
Structural Emergencies
- SCC
- Back pain weakness
- SVCS
- Facial swelling
- Tamponade
- Obstructed filling
- ICP
- Neuro pressure
- Obstruction
- Blocked flow
- Pneumonitis
- Inflamed lung
Distress vs Depression
Distress
- Broad burden
- Screen all
- Resource matching
Depression
- Mood disorder
- Persistent symptoms
- Clinical referral
Burden vs diagnosis
Common Traps
Pretest vs scored
20 unscored mixed ≠ Treat all seriously
Scaled vs percent
55 is scaled ≠ Not 55 percent
Generic vs brand
Generic names tested ≠ Brand habits distract
Genomic vs genetic
Tumor profiling ≠ Inherited risk
Palliative vs hospice
Palliative any stage ≠ Hospice comfort focus
Neutropenia vs thrombocytopenia
Neutropenia infection ≠ Thrombocytopenia bleeding
irAE vs chemo toxicity
Immune inflammation ≠ Cytotoxic nadir
Last Minute
- 1.Symptoms 25%; treatment 20%
- 2.Symptoms are largest domain
- 3.145 scored; 20 pretest
- 4.Pass = scaled 55
- 5.Use generic drug names
- 6.Fever + ANC = urgent
- 7.TLS threatens kidneys
- 8.SCC = back pain weakness
- 9.SVCS = face swelling
- 10.Palliative is not hospice
- 11.Genomic tumor; genetic inherited
- 12.Oral therapy needs adherence
Buy on Amazon
Take courses on Udemy
Study guide on MometrixSame family resources
Explore More ONCC Oncology Nursing Certifications
Continue into nearby exams from the same family. Each card keeps practice questions, study guides, flashcards, videos, and articles in one place.
More From This Family
Videos and articles for deeper review.