If you’re seeking continuing education for oncology nurses, we can help. There are tons of free and paid resources to help you meet CE requirements — whether it’s for licensure renewal, certification, or professional development.
What to Know About Continuing Education for Nurses
The first thing to know is how many hours you need to complete when combining requirements for your license, any certifications, or your workplace. In many cases, you can use CEs for multiple requirements to get the most bang for your buck. For example, if you’re going back to school for a BSN, you may be able to count those courses towards your license requirements.
Before enrolling in a course, verify that a CE provider is accredited by an institution that your state or organization accepts. If you’re completing CEs for licensure renewal, look to your state nursing board for any accreditation requirements. Common accreditation bodies include the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME).
If you work in oncology, continuing education for nurses helps you maintain and develop your knowledge in your highly specialized field. But there’s more than one way to complete them. Below are some common examples of accepted CE:
- Live classes
- Self-study materials
- Self-paced classes
- Conferences
- Micro-credentials
Free Continuing Education for Oncology Nurses
1. Blood Cancer United
Blood Cancer United, formerly the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, offers free live webinars for oncology clinicians on a variety of topics. Learn about non-Hodgkin lymphoma, myeloma, lymphocytic leukemia, and much more. This is an excellent opportunity to tune into multidisciplinary discussions on a variety of diagnoses and blood cancer issues.
2. Emory University
Emory Libraries maintains a list of free oncology CEs covering brain tumors, breast cancer, melanoma, and other cancers, with up to four contact hours awarded per course. Learn more about gallbladder cancer, tobacco cessation, pain management in older adults, and many other areas.
3. Lippincott Nursing Center
Lippincott has over 2,200 professional development activities and organizes their resources based on nursing specialties. Their CEs are peer-reviewed and evidence-based. You’ll just need to create a free account with your email to get started.
4. Medscape
Medscape’s free oncology articles can help you stay updated on changes in the specialty while completing CE requirements. Choose from topics like breast cancer, nicotine marketing influences, and spiritual wellness for the palliative care team. Looking to dive deeper? Their curated collections help you explore a single topic with more depth.
5. National Comprehensive Cancer Network
The NCCN maintains a catalogue of resources for nurses, physicians, advanced-practice providers, and more — and many of them are completely free. These specialized educational programs come in the form of recorded webcasts and journal articles. You can even choose from an extensive list of cancer types.
6. ONCC’s Big Lists of Free CE
The Oncology Certification Corporation (ONCC) periodically reviews its collection of free CE resources. They have individual lists for pediatrics, radiation, oncological emergencies, and others. Topics include artificial intelligence and the future of imaging, using arts in end-of-life care, palliative radiation therapy, and more.
Paid Continuing Education for Oncology Nurses
1. Academy of Oncology Nurse and Patient Navigators
The AONN recommends a list of oncology CE courses for nurses and patient navigators. If you’re interested in working on communication skills, health after cancer, or financial advocacy, check out these resources. Each is offered through independent organizations, so you may need to create new accounts to get started.
Price: Varies by course
2. American Nurses Credentialing Center
For more general accredited CE, the ANCC is a great resource. They offer continuing education courses on a variety of topics, from coaching and evaluating new grad nurses to gut microbiome and many areas in between. Courses are priced a la carte, so you can choose the ones that interest you.
Price: Varies by course
3. Elite Learning
Elite Learning offers nursing CEs that are divided by state requirements, making it easy to get ready for renewals. A membership plan includes all your state-required CEs, as well as over 100 courses and nursing podcasts. Plus, their partnership with CE Broker means it’s easy to track your requirements as you complete them.
Lite membership: $48/year
4. Lippincott Nursing Center
Alongside their free CE, Lippincott also offers a paid Oncology Nursing Certification Review Course. It includes 12 learning modules, pocket cards for chemotherapy, a knowledge assessment, and more. Use it to study for the Oncology Certified Nurse Credential (OCN) exam to give yourself the best shot at passing on the first try.
Price: $199
5. National Healthcare Institute
If your ONS credential is due for renewal this year, check out this renewal course from the National Healthcare Institute. It includes five CE credits on topics such as cancer pathology, treatment modalities, and symptom management. Plus, course credits can automatically transfer to your CE Broker account for easy tracking.
Price: $69.95
6. Nurse CEU
If you’re looking to take a course on a specific area of oncology nursing, Nurse CEU offers many options to try. Learn more about lung cancer, hospice and palliative care, survivorship care, and other topics. The courses on their list are priced individually, so you only need to purchase the credits you need.
Price: Varies by course
7. NursingCE
NursingCE offers specialty packages for RNs and LPNs, and their oncology set is designed to help you exceed licensure requirements. Dive into education on coping with patient death, teamwork and collaboration, ethical considerations, and detailed information on many types of cancer.
Price: $69
8. Oncology Nurse Advisor
The Oncology Nurse Advisor Institute offers specialty courses on a variety of topics through myCME. They update their catalogue regularly with new research and evidence-based practices, such as CAR T-cell therapy in multiple myeloma. They also feature recordings from their summit event, which can be viewed and used as CE credits. Create a myCME account to get started.
Price: Varies by course
9. Oncology Nursing Society
ONS has over 50 hours of continuing education and professional development activities for members. They have tons of education on both clinical and leadership topics, such as graft-versus-host disease, advocacy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and more.
Annual membership price: $75–$200, depending on your nursing level
10. StatPearls
If you’re an oncology NP, StatPearls offers an unlimited CE program to help you complete your certification and licensure renewal requirements. Their library features more than 6,000 CE activities and over 2,000 hours of pharmacology credit hours. Choose from three pricing options based on your needs.
Annual price: $579
11. University of Texas MD Anderson
If you want to knock out several CEs in a few days, register for a symposium or conference through UT MD Anderson. Their list also offers a la carte CEs, so you can complete all of your licensure requirements in one place. Learn more about conferences for nurses.
Price: Varies by conference
Check Off Your Continuing Education
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