Due to the rapid scientific, as well as technological advances in cancer care, nurses of today are bound to be current with these developments. Each and every nurse of the current generation should have highly specialized knowledge and skills in order to provide the quality care for patients. When it comes to oncology, especially breast cancer, a nursing certification is believed to be giving the nurses the validation of their specialized knowledge, as well as experience that will be required for providing good health care to the patients. This article will speak about certified breast cancer nurses and how to become one.

An Overview of Chemotherapy Certification:

As a registered nurse, one can obtain the chemotherapy certification in order to exhibit the skills and knowledge in her field. This would also be helpful to advance one’s career within the nursing field. With this view, the “Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation (ONCC)” is offering some nationally recognized options for certification in oncology nursing. Those include the following:

• Oncology Certified Nurse
• Certified Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurse
• Oncology Nurse Practitioner
• Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist
• Certified Breast Care Nurse

It’s to be noted that the requirements for each of these certification programs would vary slightly and one must be able to meet specific education, as well as training requirements to be eligible for the certification. Also, all the candidates applying for the certification will have to pass an examination in order to gain the initial certification.

Becoming a Certified Breast Cancer Nurse (CBCN):

Read below to know how to become a certified breast cancer nurse:

Taking the Right Decision:

One must remember that not all the above-mentioned certification programs will be same. Therefore, before choosing to become a certified breast cancer nurse, one must think whether the certification is suitable for oneself. It can be said that the designation of certified breast cancer nurse is right for the individual if the person’s focus is to provide inclusive care. In breast cancer, the inclusive care would include screenings, early detection of breast cancer, diagnosis, treatment, and breast cancer support to the affected patients. It has been found that this certification that is offered by ONCC is the only comprehensive certification for the registered nurses in the field of breast cancer.

Applying to CBCN Certification:

To apply to the certified breast cancer nurse certification, an individual must be a registered nurse with 12 months of work experience in the last 36 months. Also, she should have at least 1000 contact hours of working with breast care patients. Also, she should have at least ten contact hours of continuing education in the field of breast cancer in the past 36 months.

The criteria for application to the certification test would also include a passing score of 80% or more to become certified. If an applicant does not clear the examination in the first go, she may appear for the examination again during the next one year without any additional fee. On the other hand, if the applicant is willing to appear for the examination again after one year of the first registration or exam, she will have to pay the registration fee again for taking the examination.

Maintaining the CBCN Certification:

Although the CBCN is a lifelong certification, it must be renewed periodically to ensure it is up-to-date. In general, the renewal process would require the candidate to have an active CBCN certification, as well as active registered nurse license. In addition, it would require the individual to have an addition 1000 hours of breast cancer nursing experience in the 30 months before applying for a renewal.

Breast Cancer Nurse – Job Description:

The roles and duties of a breast cancer nurse would include the following:

• To provide support over the phone or e-mail.
• To provide support during the home and hospital visits
• To provide emotional support
• To provide information across various phases of the continuum:
  • Diagnosis
  • Treatment
  • Rehabilitation
  • Follow-up
  • Palliative care
• To interpret the results
• To make informed decisions about the patient care based on knowledge
• To explain what the breast cancer treatment involves
• To suggest the lifestyle changes that are necessary
• To arrange practical assistance to support the patients throughout the treatment
• To attend appointments with patients in an advocacy role
• To liaise with external agencies if needed on behalf of patients with no family support
• To assist patients in care coordination to ensure the good-quality outcomes

Final Thoughts:

Thus, to be a certified breast cancer nurse can help the patients feel confident about the caregivers. For the patients with breast cancer and their families, this certification would mean the registered nurse is a qualified caregiver. As the public awareness of certification has increased, this certification is becoming more and more important today for the nurses working in the breast cancer department.