Advance practice nurses who plan to take the OCNS-C® or ONP-C® examination must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Hold a current, full and unrestricted license as a registered nurse (RN) in the United States, or its possessions, or
• Hold a current, full and unrestricted license to practice as a first-level, general nurse in the country in which the candidate’s general nursing education was completed, and meet the eligibility criteria for licensure as a registered nurse (RN) in the United States in accordance with requirements of any of the following agencies:

• CGFNS , International
• Educational Credential Evaluation
• Foreign Academic Credentials Services, Inc.
• Foundation for International Services, Inc.
• International Consultants of Delaware, Inc.
• International Education Research Foundation Credentials Evaluation Service
• Josef Silny and Associates
• World Education Services, Inc.

The foreign-educated nurse who holds active certification from the following may submit a copy of his or her certificate in lieu of additional education verification:

• American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)
• Medical-Surgical Nurses Certification Board (MSNCB)
• Competency and Credentialing Institute (CCI)
• Oncology Nurses Certification Corporation (ONCC)
• American Association of Critical Care Nurses Certification Corporation (AACN Certification Corporation)

• Have three (3) full years of experience practicing as an RN, or with an equivalent license as described above.
• Have graduated with an advanced degree from a nursing program at an accredited institution in the United States offering graduate-level credit for all of the coursework, and which includes both didactic and clinical components.
• PLEASE NOTE: CANDIDATES FOR THE ONCB’S APN EXAMINATIONS MUST HAVE EARNED THEIR GRADUATE DEGREES IN THE UNITED STATES. WHILE ENTRY-LEVEL EDUCATION MAY HAVE BEEN EARNED IN A FOREIGN NURSING PROGRAM, CANDIDATES ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO TEST FOR ONCB’S ADVANCED PRACTICE CREDENTIALS IF THEY EARNED THEIR MASTER’S DEGREES ABROAD. ONCB’S ADVANCED PRACTICE EXAMS WERE DEVELOPED AROUND THE ROLES OF CLINICAL NURSE SPECIALIST AND NURSE PRACTITIONER AS DESCRIBED BY AGENCIES SUCH AS THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES OF NURSING, AND BASED ON APPROVED CURRICULA IN COLLEGES OF NURSING IN THE UNITED STATES. EQUIVALENCY WITH FOREIGN GRADUATE PROGRAMS CANNOT BE DETERMINED.
• Hold a Master’s Degree or higher in nursing from an advanced practice (APRN) nursing program as a clinical nurse specialist (CNS) or nurse practitioner (NP).
• Have a minimum of 1,500 hours of advance practice nursing work experience within the past three (3) years if a current ONC® and presently be functioning as a CNS or NP in orthopaedic nursing. If the candidate does not currently hold the ONC credential, he or she must have a minimum of 2500 hours of work experience as a CNS or NP in orthopaedic nursing practice within the past three (3) years, and presently be functioning as a CNS or NP in orthopaedic nursing.