Oncology nurses must be BCLS certified. In addition, the ONS offers many online courses you can take to gain skills in understanding cancer pathophysiology and giving chemotherapy.
You can apply to be an Oncology Certified Nurse (ONC) after working full time for two years, obtaining over 2,000 hours of oncology nursing practice within the last four years in either clinical practice, nursing administration, education, research or consultation, and ten contact hours of oncology nursing education within the previous three years. There are several other certifications you can obtain depending on the direction of your oncology career.
You can also get your MSN or doctoral degree with a focus in oncology and become an Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) or an Oncology Nurse Practitioner (ONP). With experience, you can become certified as an Advanced Oncology Certified Nurse Practitioner (AOCNP).