The Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation (ONCC) has received questions about how the Certified Breast Care Nurse (CBCN) Certification Program differs from other breast care programs. The CBCN Certification is a comprehensive specialty nursing certification that is based on a role delineation of the practice of registered nurses in the specialty. It is not linked to any one particular educational program. The content of the program is delineated in the CBCN Test Blueprint (copyrighted by ONCC) available at:
http://www.oncc.org/getcertified/testinformation/cbcn/06blueprint.shtml
The Test Blueprint was developed through the role delineation study. The study incorporated the input of a panel of breast care experts, with broad representation of roles in nursing, educational levels, practice settings and regions of the country. Like all of the ONCC certification programs, the development of the CBCN program is based on the standards set by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) and the American Board of Nursing Specialties (ABNS). As soon as the CBCN Program is eligible for accreditation by NCCA and ABNS, application for accreditation will be made. To be eligible for accreditation, a certification program must have been administered for one year or to a minimum of 500 candidates.
In order to help nurses understand the differences between the ONCC Certification Programs and other programs, ONCC published an article in the Spring 2008 issue of the ONCC Certification News to address the differences in the features of quality certification, assessment –based certificate programs and CE programs. The full article can be viewed at: http://www.oncc.org/publications/pdf/onccnews/CertificationNewsSpring08crop.pdf
To summarize, certification is the process by which individuals are assessed against predetermined standards for knowledge, skills, and competencies and granted a time-limited credential. The primary purpose of certification is assessment (e.g. through a multiple choice examination) that is independent of a specific course of study or educational provider. The assessment generally evaluates mastery of the knowledge and skills required to competently perform in a profession or occupation or to provide a specific service. Certification may be required for regulatory purposes or may have a significant impact on or be required for hiring, promotion, and other employment-related outcomes. Examples of high-quality certification programs include all of the ONCC certifications (OCN®, CPON®, AOCNS®, AOCNP®, CBCN) as well as many others that have received accreditation from ABNS or NCCA.
An assessment-based certificate program is a relatively short, non-degree granting program that provides instruction and training to aid participants in acquiring knowledge, skills, and competencies and designates that participants have passed an end-of-program assessment (test) derived from the course objectives. Assessment-based certificate programs typically cover a relatively narrow set of knowledge, skills, and competencies associated with fulfillment of a role, completion of a process, support of a product, provision of a service, or fulfillment of CE requirements. Although assessment is an integral part of a certificate program, the primary purpose is to provide instruction and training. An example of a high-quality certificate program is the ONS Chemotherapy and Biotherapy Course.
A certificate of attendance is issued after an individual attends or participates in an educational program. The certificate indicates only that the individual attended the program. Usually, knowledge at the end of the program is not measured, although participants may be required to complete an evaluation of the program to obtain a certificate of completion. These certificates most often are used to document that an individual has attended continuing education (CE) in a specific content area. CE programs can also be accredited and participants should make sure of this before they attend. Only accredited CE programs are acceptable for the fulfillment of ONCC recertification requirements. Examples of high-quality accredited nursing CE programs are the ONS Annual Congress and Institutes of Learning.
In summary, nurses, employers, and others who may invest in certification, certificate programs, or CE should be wise consumers and understand the ramifications of the programs in which they invest. All three types of programs have an important role to play in the professional development of nurses. However, nurses should be sure that the providers of the programs are not misrepresenting the programs. The developers of certificate programs often mislabel them as “certification”. Some providers of continuing education also mislead consumers into believing that the programs provide “certification”. Nurses also should be sure to represent themselves appropriately upon completion of a program. Those who attend certificate programs or CE should not represent themselves as “certified” based upon that attendance.
The CBCN Certification Examination is a comprehensive nursing certification. Nurses who pass the CBCN Certification Examination will demonstrate that they have the broad knowledge base required to competently care for patients with a potential or actual diagnosis of breast disease and will be able to use the CBCN credential after their name for four years. Nurses who achieve CBCN Certification will need to renew their certification every four years via one of the three available ONCC renewal methods. As illustrated in the CBCN Test Blueprint (content outline), CBCN Certification is comprehensive and nursing-specific. It is inclusive of nursing care from prevention, screening and early detection through diagnosis, treatment, symptom management, survivorship and end of life care. The CBCN Certification Examination tests knowledge of both physical and psychosocial nursing care.
Although other CE or certificate programs in breast care are available, the CBCN is the only nursing-specific comprehensive breast care certification currently offered by a nursing organization.
The information in this article is based on the publication by the National Organization of Competency Assurance (NOCA), Defining Features of Quality Certification and Assessment-Based Certificate Programs , which can be reviewed at:
http://www.noca.org/portals/0/9-4-08%20features%20document.pdf