Eligibility Requirements

Candidates must meet education and experience requirements to be eligible to take the ODS exam. The routes (A1, A2, and B) are detailed below and outlined in the ODS Exam Eligibility Chart. 

Route A1

Education: Successful completion of an NCRA-Accredited Associate Degree Program.
AND
Experience: Successful completion of the NCRA-Accredited Formal Education Program’s practicum activities and competency assessments.. 

Route A2

Education: Successful completion of an Associate’s degree or the equivalent (60 college credits) PLUS successful completion of an NCRA-Accredited Certificate Program. 
AND
Experience: Successful completion of the NCRA-Accredited Formal Education Program’s practicum activities and competency assessments.

All cancer registry coursework must be completed before beginning the practicum.

Route B 

Education: Successful completion of any Associate’s degree or the equivalent (60 college credits). The coursework must include two semesters (six total credit hours) in Human Anatomy and Human Physiology. (Grade of C or better is required).
AND
Experience: 1,950 hours (equal to one year full-time) experience in the cancer registry field. 

Eligibility Review Requests

Need your individual eligibility reviewed? Complete the ODS Exam Eligibility Request Form. Complete the form in its entirety and allow 6-8 weeks to process. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable.

Cancer Registry Definition

For eligibility purposes, the Council on Certification defines the cancer registry field as the collection, management, and analysis of cancer incidence data for all the following purposes:

•    research
•    quality management/improvement
•    cancer program development
•    cancer prevention and surveillance
•    survival and outcome data
•    compliance of reporting standards
•    development of accreditation standards for cancer registration

A well-prepared candidate's experience within the last five years should include all basic aspects of a cancer registry, including, but not limited to, case finding, abstracting, follow-up, reporting, cancer committee, cancer conference, state and/or NCDB submissions.
 

Eligibility History

ODS EXAM CANDIDATE'S HANDBOOK

Eligibility Explainer Videos