Ten Tips to Enhance OCN® Review Course Participation
Certification Adovcate and 2014 AOCNS® of the Year, Debi Boyle, RN, MSN, AOCNS®, FAAN, shares ten tips to enhance your OCN® review course participation.
- Survey potential course participants and ask them about the timing they prefer (i.e., 2 full days, 2 hours/week x 8 weeks etc.).
- Review the OCN® examination blueprint and create your schedule around the weight/percentage of each content area
- Have multiple presenters in your course (but be sure you know they are high quality presenters).
- At the end of each section in the course, share slides of sample questions and discuss with participants.
- Make a handout book that especially includes details for topics you have limited time to cover – they can read these after the course. Get the most current ACS Facts and Figures booklet to give with the handouts.
- Advise candidates to focus their studying on areas that they are weakest in (i.e., if you work in medical oncology, focus on radiation therapy and surgery).
- Encourage colleagues to sign up for the actual exam as soon as they can after taking the course – the longer you wait, the more you will worry.
- Remind candidates that the exam is meant to test basic oncology nursing knowledge (not advanced).
- Review test-taking skills, such as tips and advice about answering questions and what to look for to rule out items
- Make a ‘big deal’ when a staff member passes the exam. I make a cake and flyer that goes up in their area, and we also have their name put on a plaque and send their name to PR to put it in our internal publications.