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Application Criteria
ONN-CG and OPN-CG Authoritative References List Updated July 27, 2020.
Attention all candidates preparing for the AONN+ FFL, Inc, ONN-CG and OPN-CG certification exams. Please note the authoritative references list for both exams has been updated for your consideration.
The Authoritative References List provides a concise yet detailed guide to informative oncology navigation peer-reviewed journals and textbooks. It serves as a valuable tool for all oncology navigators, especially those preparing for certification. This list is intended for use as a study aid only. The AONN+ FFL, Inc, does not intend the list to imply endorsement of these specific references.
In addition, for your exam preparation, please reference the ONN-CG and OPN-CG exam blueprint and accompanying candidate handbook to identify subject domains by certification exam.
Criteria
- Must have an active RN license in good standing
- Provide a copy of your curriculum vitae demonstrating current navigation employment and at least 3 years of direct navigation experience at time of application
- Provide documentation verifying you have earned at least 15 CEs in the past 12 consecutive months. No more than 5 CEs for Tumor Board attendance will be accepted.
- Continuing education hours must consist of education within the defined knowledge domains: Patient Advocacy and Patient Empowerment, Quality and Performance Improvement, Coordination of Care and Care Transitions, Psychosocial Distress Screening, Survivorship, Community Outreach and Prevention, Professional Roles and Responsibilities, Organizational Management, or End of Life
- Provide your current job description
- Provide a reference letter signed by your employer verifying your role
Willis A, Reed E, Pratt-Chapman M, et al. Development of a framework for patient navigation: delineating roles across navigator types. Journal of Oncology Navigation & Survivorship. 2013;4(6):20-26.
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Nurse Navigation Domains
Click the + to expand.Community Outreach/Prevention- Finding community resources
- Community needs assessment
- Identification of barriers to care
- Interventions to remove barriers to care
- Community education prevention and screening
- Population health
- Risk assessment
- Cultural competency
- Behavior modification
- Genetics
Coordination of Care/Care Transitions- Chronic Care Model (CCM)
- Identification/intervention of clinical and service barriers to care
- Patient care process/cancer care continuum (prevention/screening/risk assessment, diagnosis, clinical trials, treatment, survivorship/end-of-life care)
- Patient/family center education (screening, diagnosis, treatment, side effects and management, survivorship/end of life)
- Identify models of navigation
- Cultural competency
- Multidisciplinary approach to care
- Tumor board
- National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines (national guidelines)
Patient Advocacy/Patient Empowerment- Patient problem-solving
- Engagement in decision-making tools
- Relationship building/trust
- Assisting the patient with the care team/communication
- Counseling: conduit between patient and providers
- Patient/family center education (assess educational needs)
- Provide culturally sensitive care and education
Psychosocial Support Services/Assessment- Distress screening
- Strategies for coping: disease, treatment, distress/anxiety
- Referrals to psychosocial support/resources
Survivorship/End of Life- Goal-setting―life goals
- Survivorship education: long-term/late effects
- Care planning
- Palliative care
- Hospice
Professional Roles and Responsibilities- Critical thinking
- Problem solving
- Ethics
- Team building
- Leadership
- History/evolution of navigation
- Definition of navigation and types of navigators (community, lay, clinical navigator―RN/SW)
- Tracking workload
- Documentation
Operations Management- Healthcare reform
- Utilization of resources
- Workforce shortages
- Organizational structure, mission, and vision
- Organizational development
- Healthcare economics
Quality and Performance Improvement- Value/role of nursing research to validate practice and build evidence-based practices
- Research
- Quality metrics (selection of metrics; develop, measure, and create dashboards)
- Performance improvement (methodologies―Plan-Do-Study-Act [PDSA], SMART goals)
- Role in identifying quality needs, areas of quality improvement
- Role in improving the process
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Exam Blueprint
Click the + to expand.1. Community Outreach/Prevention – 9%- Identify community resources—local, regional, and national
- Review results of community needs assessment, carried out alongside senior leadership of program or cancer committee
- Identify barriers to care
- Provide interventions to remove barriers to care
- Assess population health (common diseases and/or risk behaviors)
- Conduct risk assessment (smoking, diet, occupation, etc.)
- Perform community education on prevention and screening (health screening)
- Draw on cultural competency for community outreach/prevention
- Educate community in behavior modification
- Assess patients’ genetic risk and family history
2. Coordination of Care/Care Transitions – 27%- Utilize Chronic Care Model (CCM) principles within a navigation practice
- Implement interventions to remove clinical and service barriers to care
- Implement into practice the Patient Care Process/Cancer Care Continuum (prevention/screening/risk assessment, diagnosis, clinical trials, treatment, survivorship/end of life care)
- Provide individualized patient/family center education (screening, diagnosis, treatment, side effect and management, survivorship/end of life)
- Identify models of navigation
- Draw on cultural competency for coordination of care/care transitions
- Take a multidisciplinary approach to care
- Use National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and/or other national guidelines
3. Patient Advocacy/Patient Empowerment – 21%- Facilitate patient problem solving using shared decision-making principles and tools
- Engage in relationship building/trust
- Assist the patient with care team/communication
- Serve as a conduit between patient and providers
- Assess educational needs (Patient/family center education)
- Provide culturally sensitive care and education
4. Psychosocial Support Services/Assessment – 10%- Conduct distress screening
- Promote strategies for coping: disease, treatment, distress/anxiety
- Make referrals to psychosocial support/resources
5. Survivorship/End of Life – 13%- Train in goal setting/life goals
- Provide survivorship education: long term/late effects
- Engage in survivorship or end of life care planning
- Provide access to palliative care
- Refer patient to hospice care
6. Professional Roles and Responsibilities – 8%- Engage in team building
- Use performance standards
- Provide leadership
- Generate documentation
7. Operations Management – 5%- Understand organizational structure, mission, and vision
- Draw on knowledge of healthcare reform
- Participate in patient flow and processes of care improvement
8. Quality and Performance Improvement – 7%- Explain the value/role of nursing research to validate practice and build evidenced-based practices
- Engage in research locally and nationally
- Implement quality metrics
- Report evaluation of outcomes against benchmarks
- Engage in performance improvement
- Identify quality needs, areas of quality improvement
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Recommended Study Materials
These reference materials support the 8 ONN-CG domains.
Click the + to expand.Foundational Resources- Oncology Navigation Standards of Professional Practice https://jons-online.com/issues/2022/march-2022-vol-13-no-3/4399:oncology-navigation-standards-of-professional-practice
- A Decade Later: The State of Patient Navigation in Cancer (2022) Cancer: Volume 128, Issue S13 Pages: 2553-2677, July 1, 2022 https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/10970142/2022/128/S13
- CMS Payment for Principal Illness Navigation: How Do I Credential My Navigators? https://www.jons-online.com/issues/2024/march-2024-vol-15-no-3/5030-cms-payment-for-principal-illness-navigation-how-do-i-credential-my-navigators
- Christensen DM, Cantril C, eds. Oncology Nurse Navigation: Delivering Patient-Centered Care Across the Continuum. Pittsburgh, PA: Oncology Nursing Society; 2020.
- Brant JM. Core Curriculum for Oncology Nursing. Pittsburgh, PA: Oncology Nursing Society; 2020.
- Desimini EM, Kennedy JA, Helsley MF, et al. Making the case for nurse navigators―benefits, outcomes, and return on investment. Oncol Issues. 2011:26-33. http://www.jons-online.com/issues/2012/october-2012-vol-3-no-5/1197-jons-607
- Oncology Patient Navigator Training: The Fundamentals. George Washington University Cancer Institute. 2015.
- Optimal Resources for Cancer Care: 2020 Standards. American College of Surgeons. Copyright © 2019 American College of Surgeons, 633 N. Saint Clair St., Chicago, IL 60611-3295.
- Shockney LD. Navigation needs for breast health and breast cancer populations of low- and middle-income countries. Journal of Oncology Navigation & Survivorship. 2013;4(1):21-31.
- Shockney LD. Becoming a Breast Cancer Nurse Navigator. 1st ed. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers; 2011.
- Shockney LD, Haylock PJ, Cantril C. Development of a breast navigation program. Semin Oncol Nurs. 2013;29(2):97-104.
- Shockney LD. Team-Based Oncology Care: The Pivotal Role of Oncology Navigation. Springer International Publishing; 2018. https://www.springer.com/us/book/9783319690377
- Yarbo C, Wujcik D, Gobel B. Cancer Nursing: Principles and Practice. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning. 2011:Chapters 4-10, 25-27, 30, 33, 70-75.
Community Outreach/Prevention- The Affordable Care Act and Patient Navigation - George Washington SMHS. https://smhs.gwu.edu; www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/disparities/cancer-health-disparities#1
- http://www.lls.org/#/diseaseinformation/getinformationsupport/financialmatters/copayassistance
- www.spohnc.org
- www.cancercare.org/copayfoundation
- https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation-topics/uspstf-and-b-recommendations#:~:text=For%20women%20aged%2030%20to,combination%20with%20cytology%20(cotesting)
Coordination of Care/Care Transitions- Canosa R, Gentry S. Helping your patients manage chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Journal of Oncology Navigation & Survivorship. 2012;3(5):22-26.
- Informed Consent and Patients with Cancer: Role of the Nurse as Advocate. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22842685
- Shockney LD, Tsangaris TN. The Johns Hopkins Breast Cancer Handbook for Health Care Professionals. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning; 2008.
- www.livestrong.org/we-can-help/healthy-living-after-treatment/late-effects-of-cancer-treatment
Patient Advocacy/Patient Empowerment- www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/cancer.cfm
- Mann S. Education and health promotion for new patients with cancer. Clin J Oncol Nurs. 2011;15(1):55-61. http://doi.org/10.1188/11.CJON.55-61
- Pillay T, van Zyl HA, Blackbeard D. Chronic pain perception and cultural experience. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences. 2014;113:151-160. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042814000238
- Shared decision making among individuals with cancer in non-Western cultures: a literature review. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23989019
- www.canceradvocacy.org/resources/employment-rights/how-employment-discrimination-laws-protect-cancer-survivors
Psychosocial Support Services/Assessment- Bush NJ. Psychosocial Nursing Care Along the Cancer Continuum. 3rd ed. Pittsburgh, PA: Oncology Nursing Society; 2018; Chapters 1-5, 8, 9, 17.
- http://www.canceradvocacy.org/resources/employment-rights/how-employment-discrimination-laws-protect-cancer-survivors/
- Kaplan, M. SPIKES-a framework for breaking bad news to patients with cancer. Clin J Oncol Nurs. 2010;14:514-516. http://dx.doi.org/ PMID: 20682509. https://cjon.ons.org/cjon/14/4/spikes-framework-breaking-bad-news-patients-cancer
- National Comprehensive Cancer Network. National clinical practice guidelines in oncology (NCCN Guidelines): Distress management. 2014. http://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/pdf/distress.pdf
Survivorship/End of Life- Bell CL, Somogyi-Zalud E, Masaki KH. Factors associated with congruence between preferred and actual place of death. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2010;39(3):591-604. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20116205
- Dow LA, Matsuyama RK, Ramakrishnan V, et al. Paradoxes in advance care planning: the complex relationship of oncology patients, their physicians, and advance medical directives. J Clin Oncol. 2010;28:299-304. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2815718/
- Jones J, Nowels C, Kutner JS, Matlock DD. Shared decision making and the use of a patient decision aid in advanced serious illness: provider and patient perspectives. Health Expect. 2015;18:3236-3247. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25439268
- Pizzi MA. Promoting health, wellness, and quality of life at the end of life: hospice interdisciplinary perspectives on creating a good death. J Allied Health. 2014;43(4):212-220. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25433185
- Shockney LD. Fulfilling hope: supporting the needs of patients with advanced cancers. Nova Science. 2014;50:109, 111, 124.
- Surbone A, Halpern MT. Unequal cancer survivorship care: addressing cultural and sociodemographic disparities in the clinic. Support Care Cancer. 2016;24:4831-4833. http://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-016-3435-4
Professional Roles and Responsibilities- Blaseg K. Patient navigation at Billings Clinic: an NCI Community Cancer Centers Program (NCCCP) pilot site. ACCC’s Cancer Care Patient Navigation: A Call to Action. Rockville, MD: Association of Community Cancer Centers; 2009:15-24. https://www.accc-cancer.org/docs/projects/resources/pdf/patientnavigation-guide/s15.pdf?sfvrsn=875c3b10_0
Operations Management- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2793740/
- Bellomo C, Strusowski T. The importance of operations management, organizational development, and health economics. Journal of Oncology Navigation & Survivorship. September 2017 Vol 8, No 9.
- Fraser I, Encinosa W, Glied S. Improving efficiency and value in health care: introduction. Health Serv Res. 2008;43(5 Pt 2):1781-1786. doi:10.1111/j.1475-6773.2008.00904.x.
Quality and Performance Improvement- Cunning S. The only constant is change…make it last with process improvement. Nurs Manage. 2014;45:15-17. https://journals.lww.com/nursingmanagement/fulltext/2014/04000/The_only_constant_is_change_make_it_last_with.4.aspx
- Stevens KR. The impact of evidenced-based practice in nursing and next big ideas. Online J Issues Nurs. 2013;18(2):4. http://ojin.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Vol-18-2013/No2-May-2013/Impact-of-Evidence-Based-Practice.html
- Strusowski T, Sein E, Johnston D. Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators announces standardized navigation metrics. Journal of Oncology Navigation & Survivorship. 2017;8(2):62-68. http://www.jons-online.com/issues/2017/february-2017-vol-9-no-2/1590-academy-of-oncology-nurse-patient-navigators-announces-standardized-navigation-metrics
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Candidate Handbook
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Code of Conduct
All AONN+ FFL–certified individuals must agree to comply with the Certificant Code of Professional Conduct as outlined below. The ONN-CG credential awarded through AONN+ FFL may be suspended or revoked if a certificant fails to meet the outlined Code of Conduct:
- I will conduct my business and/or professional activities with honesty and integrity.
- I will represent my certifications and qualifications honestly and provide only those services for which I am qualified to perform.
- I will strive to maintain and improve my professional knowledge and competence through regular self-assessments and continuing education or training.
- I will act in a manner free of bias and discrimination against clients or customers.
- I will maintain the privacy of individuals and confidentiality of information obtained in the course of my duties unless disclosure is required by legal authority.
- I will follow all certification policies, procedures, guidelines, and requirements of AONN+ FFL.
