CPHON exam guide
About the Certified Pediatric Hematology Oncology Nurse (CPHON) exam
CPHON assesses pediatric hematology-oncology nursing across diagnosis, treatment, acute and late effects, emergencies, development, family-centered care, survivorship, and professional practice. Clinical decisions must reflect the child's age, developmental stage, diagnosis, treatment phase, family system, and rapidly changing risk.
MedPorium is an independent education platform and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation (ONCC). Exam details can change; confirm them with the official source before applying.
CPHON exam format at a glance
- Questions
- 165
- 125 scored; 40 unscored
- Time
- 3 hours, including the tutorial and post-test survey
- Delivery
- Computer-based testing through PSI
Knowledge to review for the CPHON exam
These foundations support the practical tasks in the official examination matrix.
Pediatric hematology-oncology foundations
- Pediatric cancers and hematologic disorders, anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, genetics, genomics, diagnostics, staging, grading, cytogenetics, and histology
- Growth, development, age-specific assessment, communication, assent, consent, family roles, school, peers, and social environment
- Clinical trials, ethics, scope, professional guidelines, regulation, and patient-family education
Treatment and supportive care
- Chemotherapy, biotherapy, immunotherapy, cellular therapy, radiation, surgery, coagulation therapy, blood products, leukapheresis, and HSCT
- Acute, chronic, and late neurologic, respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, renal, endocrine, reproductive, hematologic, immune, sensory, and lymphatic effects
- Pain, fatigue, sleep, mental health, devices, transfusion support, growth factors, palliation, rehabilitation, and integrative care
Emergencies and family support
- Sepsis, typhlitis, TLS, CRS, DIC, hemorrhage, hyperleukocytosis, VOD, vaso-occlusive crisis, acute chest syndrome, stroke, seizures, PRES, and cord compression
- Hypersensitivity, extravasation, obstruction, respiratory distress, arrhythmia, pleural effusion, joint bleeding, and thrombosis
- Family dynamics, coping, grief, culture, sexuality, gender identity, socioeconomic needs, community resources, survivorship, and transitions
CPHON examination matrix
The percentages below are the approximate exam-score weights published by Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation (ONCC). Use them to allocate study time, then adjust for your own weak areas.
6%
Care Continuum
Support transitions, health promotion, maintenance, survivorship, and end-of-life care across pediatric settings.
- Coordinate primary, rehabilitation, home, outpatient, and end-of-life transitions
- Promote age-appropriate health maintenance and prevention
- Support survivorship planning, late-effect follow-up, and continuity
18%
Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Nursing Practice
Apply pediatric disease, diagnostic, prognostic, clinical-trial, professional, ethical, regulatory, and education principles.
- Relate presentation, anatomy, pathophysiology, genetics, genomics, tests, staging, grading, cytogenetics, and histology
- Apply clinical-trial phases and informed-consent principles
- Use scope, standards, ethics, regulation, and developmentally appropriate patient-family education
21%
Treatment Modalities and Side Effects
Provide safe care across pediatric hematology and oncology therapies and anticipate modality-specific effects.
- Support chemotherapy, biotherapy, immunotherapy, coagulation therapy, blood products, and surgery
- Apply nursing principles for cellular therapy, CAR-T, radiation, leukapheresis, and HSCT
- Monitor expected response, acute effects, delayed effects, safety, and education needs
26%
Symptom Management and Supportive Care
The largest domain covers system-specific acute, chronic, and late effects plus devices, transfusion support, palliation, and interdisciplinary care.
- Assess and manage treatment and disease effects across body systems within nursing scope
- Support pain, sleep, fatigue, mental health, nutrition, function, and late-effect care
- Manage devices, blood products, growth factors, palliative needs, integrative modalities, and team coordination
21%
Pediatric Hematologic and Oncologic Emergencies
Recognize and respond to infection, metabolic, vascular, cardiopulmonary, neurologic, gastrointestinal, infusion, and disease emergencies.
- Recognize sepsis, typhlitis, TLS, CRS, SIADH, DI, DIC, hemorrhage, hyperleukocytosis, VOD, sequestration, and vaso-occlusive crisis
- Respond to acute chest syndrome, respiratory distress, stroke, seizures, PRES, ICP, cord compression, thrombosis, and joint bleed
- Initiate safe first actions for hypersensitivity and extravasation and escalate deterioration promptly
8%
Psychosocial Dimensions of Care
Integrate development, family systems, culture, school, peers, sexuality, grief, resources, and socioeconomic context.
- Assess the effect of acute and chronic illness on the child, siblings, caregivers, and family
- Support reintegration into school, work, camp, peers, and social life
- Address development, grief, culture, identity, sexuality, resources, and financial barriers
How to use this CPHON diagnostic
The 15 questions sample all six bank-aligned domains. For every miss, identify the diagnosis or disorder, treatment phase, developmental consideration, family context, body system, urgency, and whether the gap was assessment, treatment safety, supportive care, emergency response, education, or psychosocial care.
High-yield CPHON study priorities
Priority 1
Anchor care to development
Adjust assessment, communication, medication safety, symptom expression, assent, education, coping support, and family involvement to the child's developmental stage.
Priority 2
Separate hematology from oncology patterns
Practise disorder-specific cases involving bleeding, thrombosis, sickle cell disease, marrow failure, leukemia, solid tumors, and therapy-related risk.
Priority 3
Study acute and late effects together
For each therapy, track immediate toxicity, chronic organ effects, growth and endocrine impact, fertility, neurocognition, secondary malignancy, and surveillance.
Priority 4
Make emergencies age-specific
Use pediatric vital signs, perfusion, respiratory effort, behavior, caregiver concern, access devices, treatment phase, and diagnosis to prioritize early action.
CPHON exam FAQ
How many questions are on the CPHON exam?
ONCC currently lists 165 multiple-choice questions. Of these, 125 count toward the score and 40 are unscored pretest questions that cannot be identified during the examination.
How long is the CPHON exam?
The test session is three hours, including 15 minutes for the computer-based testing tutorial before the exam and a post-test survey. There are no scheduled breaks, and the timer continues during an unscheduled break.
How is the CPHON content outline weighted?
The 2026 outline is weighted Care Continuum 6%, Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Nursing Practice 18%, Treatment Modalities and Side Effects 21%, Symptom Management and Supportive Care 26%, Pediatric Hematologic and Oncologic Emergencies 21%, Psychosocial Dimensions of Care 8%. The percentages apply to the 125 scored questions.
How long is the CPHON testing window?
ONCC currently provides a 90-day testing window after authorization to test. Candidates should confirm processing times, authorization dates, and scheduling instructions directly with ONCC.
Who should verify eligibility for CPHON?
Candidates should confirm the current license, education, experience, practice-hour, and continuing-education requirements on the official ONCC page before applying. This study page does not determine eligibility.
Does this diagnostic predict whether I will pass?
No. A 15-question diagnostic is a low-confidence baseline, not a validated pass prediction. Review every rationale, then use larger mixed and domain-specific sets to build a more stable readiness estimate.
Is MedPorium affiliated with ONCC?
No. MedPorium is an independent education platform and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation.
Review and official source
Clinical reviewer: K. O. Poppy
Exam format and matrix information were checked against the ONCC Certified Pediatric Hematology Oncology Nurse certification page. Source reviewed October 12, 2026.
Ready to check your CPHON knowledge?
Take the free 15-question practice test to identify strengths and topics that need more review.