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.

  1. Survey potential course participants and ask them about the timing they prefer (i.e., 2 full days, 2 hours/week x 8 weeks etc.).
  2. Review the OCN® examination blueprint and create your schedule around the weight/percentage of each content area
  3. Have multiple presenters in your course (but be sure you know they are high quality presenters).
  4. At the end of each section in the course, share slides of sample questions and discuss with participants.
  5. 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.
  6. 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).
  7. 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.
  8. Remind candidates that the exam is meant to test basic oncology nursing knowledge (not advanced).
  9. Review test-taking skills, such as tips and advice about answering questions and what to look for to rule out items
  10. 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.

Download these tips here.

 

Please note: ONCC does not guarantee success with the use of these tips. The tips are meant to provide suggestions that can be modified to best fit an institution.