I PASSED!
OCN stands for Oncology Certified Nurse. I registered to take this exam back in April and I have been studying for the past 3 months off and on. I have had this as a professional goal for the past 5 years on my yearly performance appraisal...guess it was finally time to buckle down and do it! I purposefully registered for the exam the week before Christmas so I could...hopefully pass...and then sit back and relax and enjoy the holidays with my family. We, of course, got hit with the big snow storm on Wednesday into Thursday. I called the testing office on Wednesday to verify that the exam would still take place and they assured me that yes it would unless a very rare situation occurred, and they don't count a blizzard a rare situation. I was relieved to hear this because I was more than ready to take it and have it over with! I woke up at 5:00 Thursday morning and called the testing office. There was a message saying that as of 5:30pm Wednesday night all exams were still on as scheduled, but to call again at 6:30am to check again. I called again at 6:00, 6:15 and at 6:30 a lady answered and told me to call back at 7:00 and they would know. I was like "WHAT...I'm supposed to be there at 7:30...there is no way I'll make it in time in this snow!" She calmed me down assured me they understood. I called back at 6:50 and all exams were GAME ON! Thank God!
Now...the trick was how in the heck was I going to get out of the neighborhood? Our street was drifted shut. Jason, bless his heart, shoveled the driveway and let me take his truck. He had to stay home with the girls because daycare wasn't sure if they were opening at all due to power outages...that's a whole other story! Jason told me to get in the passenger side (he knows I would never have made it past the driveway) and he barreled through the snow and got me to Q street where the roads had been cleared and then he walked back to the house...God love him. I made it to the testing office just after 7:35! I had 3 hours to take the test and I was done in 1.5 hours. It was almost worse than taking my nursing boards nearly 8 years ago. I hit the last button and it instantly tells you if you PASS of FAIL...PASS! I don't know why, but my heart sank and I filled up with tears. I was so happy and relieved to have this behind me.
I know that I will be a better professional for having done this. Certification exams are voluntary...except for the hospital just mandated that anyone in a Leadership position maintain a professional certification by May 2013. As a lead nurse that included myself...thankfully I had already begun the process many months ago!
Now that I have my certification in Oncology Nursing I must maintain it. This means that over the next 4 years I must earn 100 hours of continuting education in adult oncology hours. You are up for renewal after a 4 year period. If you don't get enough hours to maintain the certification you have to re-test...NO THANK YOU! The test alone was a pretty penny to take and it is also a pretty penny to maintain....but of course it is worth it!
A big thank you to my husband and daughters for putting up with a more than stressed out mommy for the past few months!
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