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AONN+ is proud to offer 3 unique certifications:

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What Is AONN+ Certification?

AONN+ created these professional certifications in response to the increasing demands of its membership to have a specific type of certification to distinguish the knowledge, skills, and experience of an Oncology Nurse Navigator (ONN) from that of other types of nursing certifications provided by other organizations. Hence, the AONN+ Certification Task Force was born.

Made up of experienced leaders within the field of navigation, the AONN+ Certification Task Force Chairs developed the educational criteria and curriculum for each certification exam. AONN+ established the ONN-CG℠ and ONN-CG(T)℠ programs, as well as the OPN-CG℠ program in collaboration with The George Washington University Cancer Center.

AONN+ Certification Scope

The purpose of the Oncology Nurse Navigator–Certified Generalist (ONN-CG) and the Oncology Patient Navigator–Certified Generalist (OPN-CG) certifications is to ensure that clinical nurse and patient navigators have the knowledge to competently demonstrate effective navigation services across the cancer care continuum within their scope of practice.   

Why Should I Get My AONN+ Certification?

AONN+ certification is unique to the field of navigation. The establishment of baseline competencies for oncology navigators, centered on their roles, responsibilities, educational level of knowledge, and evidence-based best practices, will help to ensure consistent delivery of optimized patient care across the care continuum. Your AONN+ certification will provide you with specific credentials and knowledge that can help you improve patient care and further your career development.

With your AONN+ certification, you gain:

  • Knowledge and expertise derived from a navigation-specific formalized testing curriculum and process
  • Patient treatment optimization with increased awareness of care options
  • Opportunities for career enhancement with prospective promotions and financial incentives
  • Recognition and respect from industry organizations, institutional leadership, peers, and patients as an integral member of the multidisciplinary oncology team

Where Can I Take the Certification Exam?

AONN+ facilitates the certification exams twice a year at our conferences. The 2019 testing opportunities include the Midyear Conference (May) and our Annual Conference (November)

The next Annual AONN+ Navigation & Survivorship Conference is going to be held in Nashville, on November 6-10, 2019.  If you are approved to sit for any of the AONN+ exams, you MUST bring photo ID with you to the examination. The exam will be held on Wednesday and Thursday, November 6 and 7.

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For more information about certification, please visit our Certification FAQ or contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..


Governance: 
AONN+ is a business legally incorporated in the state of New Jersey and governed by its Board of Trustees.  The Board of Trustees grants authority to the AONN+ Leadership Council who in turn grants authority to the Certification Advisory Commission to independently make essential certification decisions related to standards, policies and procedures of the certification.  These decisions shall be made independently of and under no influence by any other individual or business entity within or outside of AONN+.  The AONN+ Certification falls under the AONN Foundation for Learning, Inc. 501(c)(3) which is separate from AONN Inc.

What Navigators Are Saying About AONN+ Certification

Riana Buford Headshot
The AONN+ certification is different because it focuses more on the patients. It focuses on the resources you can give patients and the understanding of what it takes to be a patient navigator. A lot of other certifications are more like standardized testing and just understanding words and theories and not really understanding one-on-one patient encounters.

– Riana Buford, MSA, OPN-CG, Community Health Coordinator

Certification Testimonial Headshot Daugherty Penny 350x320
"Last week I received my notice from AONN+ that I passed the first certification exam for Oncology Nurse Navigator Certified Generalist (ONN-CG). I immediately added this to my signature line and smiled – a lot! When I look at this new addition I know it doesn’t automatically make me a better Nurse Navigator, rather it inspires me to uphold the standards (and knowledge) expressed and queried in this first national exam and I feel a true fellowship to navigators all across the country. I am grateful to AONN+ and those who assiduously constructed this exam to provide a tangible national standard for us to aspire to as we each guide our patients and loved ones through the formidable labyrinth of their cancer diagnosis and treatment. You have taken what was a concept and shaped it into a world where the highest quality education for patient navigation is available. I feel like we in AONN+ are all part of an amazing phenomena where history is being made by us, as nurses, carving out a new path for our colleagues to come."

—Penny Daugherty, RN, MS, OCN, ONN-CG, Northside Hospital Cancer Institute, Atlanta, GA

Conference Testimonial Headshot Lisa Whitaker 350x400
"If you’re a nurse navigator, you’re working in this great field, we have to be certified. We have to show that we have unity, that we have a purpose, that there is a mission, and AONN+ does that for us."

—Lisa Whitaker, RN, MSN, ONN-CG, Thoracic Nurse Navigator

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