The AONN+ nurse navigator certification task force committee is hard at work finalizing the inaugural nurse navigator certification exam that happens later this year.
It was a dreary, damp early February afternoon outside in the northeastern United States, but inside the accreditor’s voice was pleasant as she posed a question to the AONN+ nurse navigator certification task force committee. Like professors and administrators of a medical school deliberating on a program’s criteria, the task force committee put on their educators’ hats and sat down in a phone conference recently to discuss and finalize the nurse navigator certification exam.
When it is all said and done, AONN+ will put forth its inaugural test for its ON-CG certification, which will happen this coming November in Las Vegas at the AONN+ Annual Conference. Navigators will come from across the nation to sit down to take part and begin the process of a new accreditation.
The work being done behind the scenes by members of the task force cannot be understated. They have met several times to discuss various aspects of the certification, including developing the criteria for the test, going over individual questions, and weighing in on the other details associated with accreditation. The end result will be a new certification, which offers validation for an important, but undervalued profession.
“I think certification, for the first time, is going to show that this role has value, [and] promotes patient safety,” stated task force member Pamela Vlahakis, RN, MSN, CBCN, West Virginia University, in a previously recorded video.
For nurses considering a career in navigation, this will help them both professionally and with patient care.
“We know that it is going to help them build their careers—if they want a career ladder up into higher positions, and into leadership roles. We also know it is going to make them a better navigator because it is going to be providing them the education and the resources that they need to have the right knowledge and skills to really do a good job for their patients," said task force member and AONN+ Program Director Lillie Shockney, RN, BS, MAS, also in a previously recorded video.
If you are interested in registering for the 2017 Oncology Nurse and Patient Certification exam please submit your name, contact information, and Preliminary Nurse Navigator Certification Criteria to
