The Blood and Marrow Transplant Certified Nurse credential is awarded by the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation (ONCC) to registered nurses who practise in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and cellular therapy. ONCC renamed the credential Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Certified Nurse (TCTCN), effective January 1, 2026, following its 2024 role delineation study. The PassProfessor program on this page prepares candidates for the current examination behind that credential, in its current form.
This program is part of the expanding PassProfessor catalog — join the notify list and we’ll email you when enrollment opens.
What this credential certifies
This certification validates specialised knowledge in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and cellular therapy nursing. ONCC describes the certified nurse as a registered nurse who practises in HSCT or cellular therapy — in clinical practice, nursing administration, education, research or consultation, with adult or paediatric patients. It is, in ONCC’s published wording, the only nationally accredited test that validates an individual’s specialised knowledge in transplantation and cellular therapy nursing, and the program continues to be accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) under its current name.
The rename matters to candidates, and this page does not hide it. A nurse who earned the Blood and Marrow Transplant Certified Nurse credential before 2026 now holds the Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Certified Nurse credential: ONCC directed holders to use the current credential from January 1, 2026, issued new certificates and digital badges, and offers the examination under the current name from January 2026. Eligibility months and hours are unchanged; the wording now states that practice hours and required continuing education must be in HSCT or cellular therapy nursing. Preparation that still teaches to the retired name and the older outline teaches to an examination that is no longer given.
The examination at a glance
| Item | Verified position |
|---|---|
| Program | Blood and Marrow Transplant Certified Nurse (BMTCN), renamed by ONCC to Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Certified Nurse (TCTCN) effective January 1, 2026 |
| Certifying body | Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation (ONCC) |
| Examination | Three-hour test of 165 multiple-choice questions; 125 count toward the score and 40 are pretest or experimental questions, unidentified to the candidate |
| Passing standard | ONCC publishes performance as a scaled score from a minimum of 25 to a maximum of 75; the scaled score required to pass is 55 |
| Eligibility (initial) | Current, active, unencumbered RN licence in the US, its territories or Canada; at least two years (24 months) as an RN within the four years before application; at least 2,000 hours of HSCT or cellular therapy nursing practice within those four years; at least 10 contact hours of continuing education in HSCT or cellular therapy nursing (or an academic elective) within the three years before application |
| ONCC test fee | $300 for ONS/APHON members; $420 for non-members, as published by ONCC |
| Credential term | Four years from passing |
| Administrator note | PassProfessor is independent and is not affiliated with ONCC, the Oncology Nursing Society, or APHON |
What the examination covers
The current Test Content Outline has six major subject areas. Each area appears on every test form at its published percentage of the 125 scored questions; not every sub-area appears on every form. Only generic drug names are used on ONCC tests.
Foundations of HSCT and Cellular Therapy — 22%. Basic concepts, including hematopoietic cell lineage and function, the immune system, and histocompatibility such as HLA typing; goals of therapy, including graft-versus-tumour effect and hematologic and immune reconstitution; indications across malignant, non-malignant and immune disorders; types of transplant and cellular therapy — autologous, allogeneic (matched related, matched unrelated, mismatched unrelated, umbilical cord, haploidentical) and cellular therapies including CAR T, tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes, natural killer cells, bispecific antibodies, gene therapy and donor lymphocyte infusion; sources of cells; recipient suitability, recipient education, caregiver education, and donor selection, care and education.
HSCT and Cellular Therapy Process and Administration — 22%. Cellular therapy product collection and storage; HSCT product mobilisation, collection, harvest and storage; conditioning and preparative regimens by intensity, chemotherapy, radiation including total body irradiation, biotherapy, immunotherapy and targeted therapies; management of acute complications of preparative regimens; and product administration — fresh against cryopreserved product, infusion and injection management, and hematologic compatibilities.
Post-HSCT Management and Education — 22%. Early management: immunosuppressive therapy, acute graft-versus-host disease, infection prevention and management, sepsis, hematologic care including engraftment, pancytopenia and transfusion support, immune complications including engraftment syndrome, cytokine release syndrome and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, acute system-specific complications including sinusoidal obstruction syndrome, graft rejection or failure, chimerism, and symptom management. Late management: chronic graft-versus-host disease, system-specific late effects, infection prevention including immunisations, disease relapse, subsequent malignancy, and follow-up and milestone visits.
Post-Cellular Therapy Management and Education — 22%. Early management after cellular therapy: infection prevention and management, sepsis, hematologic care, immune complications including neurotoxicity, cytokine release syndrome and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, symptom management, and treatment failure. Late management: system-specific late effects including neurotoxicity, pancytopenia and hypogammaglobulinemia, infection prevention, disease relapse, subsequent malignancy, and follow-up care.
Quality of Life — 8%. Navigation and coordination across the continuum, psychosocial care and caregiver support, health promotion and maintenance, sexuality, cultural and spiritual competence, survivorship, palliative care, and end-of-life care including hospice and legacy building.
Professional Performance — 4%. Standards of professional performance, ethical and legal considerations including informed consent, advance directives and donor advocacy, accreditation including FACT, The Joint Commission and REMS, and self-care.
What makes this examination distinct and demanding
The defining demand is breadth across two related but different practices. Transplant nursing and cellular therapy nursing share foundations, conditioning and supportive care, yet their post-treatment complication profiles diverge: graft-versus-host disease dominates one side, while cytokine release syndrome and neurotoxicity dominate the other. The current outline weights the two post-treatment areas equally at 22% each, so a candidate strong in transplant and thin in cellular therapy — or the reverse — leaves more than a fifth of the scored paper exposed.
Time is the second demand. Forty of the 165 questions are pretest items the candidate cannot identify, so every question must be answered as if it counts, inside a single three-hour session. The third demand is temporal judgement: the same sign can mean different things on day +5, day +30 and day +300, and the outline is built around those early and late windows. Candidates are tested less on naming a complication than on placing it correctly in the course of recovery and acting in the right order.
The route, in order
The route runs: confirm eligibility first — licence, two years as an RN inside four years, 2,000 hours of HSCT or cellular therapy nursing practice inside four years, and 10 qualifying contact hours inside three years, all met at application and examination. Apply online through ONCC with licence details, supervisor information and continuing-education documentation. Receive the Authorization to Test, which ONCC advises arrives within four to six weeks and opens a 90-day testing window. Schedule and sit the three-hour computer-based test at a PSI test centre inside that window. Pass at the published scaled score of 55 on the 25-to-75 scale, and the certification is valid for four years.
Staying certified
ONCC certifications are valid for four years. Renewal requires a current, active, unencumbered RN licence and one of three published options, each combining two of three components: practice hours, professional development points under an individual learning plan, and successful testing — Option 1, practice hours plus professional development, is the most used; Option 2 pairs practice hours with testing; Option 3 pairs points with testing. Renewal applications and completed learning plans are due months before expiry: ONCC publishes a September 15 early-bird deadline and an October 15 final deadline in the year certification expires, with reinstatement closing March 31 of the following year. Renewal eligibility is lighter on hours than initial certification — a minimum of one year as an RN inside three years and 1,000 hours of HSCT or cellular therapy practice inside two and a half years — and candidates should plan against the renewal page for their own cycle rather than assuming the initial figures repeat.
What the PassProfessor program will cover
The PassProfessor catalog includes a program built to the current outline as ONCC publishes it: foundations, process and administration, post-HSCT management, post-cellular therapy management, quality of life and professional performance, weighted as the examination weights them. Material is written from scratch against ONCC’s published outline and registration manual; nothing is drawn from another provider’s review course or question material. The program treats the rename as a study fact, not a footnote: candidates preparing in 2026 sit the Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Certified Nurse examination, with its heavier cellular therapy content, and the program is organised accordingly. Our companion guide, the Blood and Marrow Transplant Certified Nurse Exam Guide (/nursing-exam-prep/bmtcn-exam-guide/), works through the outline, the sitting and the renewal clock in full.
Independence, stated plainly. PassProfessor is an independent preparation provider, not affiliated with ONCC. Completing this program confers no credential and no eligibility; ONCC alone certifies, and candidates apply and test through ONCC and PSI.
Tell me when enrollment opens. This program is in the works and enrollment is not yet open. Leave an email address and PassProfessor will write to you when the program is ready — and only about this program. No date is promised, because the program will open when it meets the standard described above, not before.
Frequently asked questions
Has the Blood and Marrow Transplant Certified Nurse credential changed its name?
Yes. ONCC renamed it Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Certified Nurse (TCTCN), effective January 1, 2026, following the 2024 role delineation study, and examinations are offered under the current name from January 2026. Existing holders were directed to use the current credential from that date.
How many questions are on the examination, and how long does it take?
165 multiple-choice questions in a three-hour session. Of those, 125 count toward the score and 40 are pretest or experimental questions that candidates cannot identify.
What score passes?
ONCC expresses performance as a scaled score from a minimum of 25 to a maximum of 75, and the scaled score required to pass is 55. That is the published form of the standard; it is not a percentage.
Who is eligible to test?
A nurse with a current, active, unencumbered RN licence in the US, its territories or Canada; at least two years as an RN within the four years before application; at least 2,000 hours of HSCT or cellular therapy nursing practice within that period; and at least 10 contact hours of qualifying continuing education in the specialty within the three years before application.
What does ONCC charge to test?
ONCC publishes $300 for ONS/APHON members and $420 for non-members. That is ONCC’s test fee, not a PassProfessor price.
How long is certification valid, and how is it renewed?
Four years. Renewal combines two of three components — practice hours, professional development points, and successful testing — under one of ONCC’s three published options, with application deadlines in the September and October of the expiry year.
Does the examination use brand-name drugs?
No. ONCC states that only generic drug names are used on its tests.
Is experience in oncology generally enough to be eligible?
No. The practice hours and continuing education must be in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation or cellular therapy nursing specifically, within the published windows.
Is PassProfessor affiliated with ONCC?
No. PassProfessor is independent and is not affiliated with ONCC, the Oncology Nursing Society, or APHON.
When does enrollment open?
The program is in the works and enrollment is not yet open. Leave an email address on this page and PassProfessor will write to you when the program is ready — and only about this program.