Mississippi CNA Program Basics
All Nurse Aide training courses in the state of Mississippi are required by federal law to provide a minimum of 75 hours of training, though majority of programs go beyond that significantly. Mississippi, like many other states, has discovered that the hourly requirement implemented by the government is oftentimes insufficient to fulfil the needs of aspiring CNAs when the current health information about patients’ safety is added in the training program. All CNA training programs in Mississippi provide information on personal and patient safety, infection control, activities of daily living (ADLs) assistance instruction and many more.
Mississippi CNA Examination Requirements
- Aspiring nurse aides must complete an entire CNA training course before being eligible to sit in for the state’s assessment.
- The state assessment has two portions – written and a clinical skills assessment.
- The applicant must pass both sections of the exam before they can receive a Mississippi certification for nursing assistants.
- Should they fail to pass the exam, the test may be retaken up to 3 times in total.
- Those applicants that are unable to pass the state assessment within three tries will need to retake an approved training program prior to attempting to take the test again.
Mississippi CNA Classes
- Most secondary or high schools in the state of Mississippi offer classes that will help prepare students for a career as nurse aides or other healthcare related fields they want to pursue.
- Several high schools in the state also offer nurse aide training programs so that students who will be turning 18 years old before or right after graduation may enter the work force instantly.
- Majority of employers require that their nurse aides be 18 years old upon or right after hiring process.
Mississippi CNA Certification Reciprocity
- CNAs from other states may apply for reciprocity.
- Mississippi requires that all reciprocity applicants possess an active license or certification in the state where they were certified.
- The certificate or registry entry must be free from charges of patient neglect or abuse, otherwise the application will be automatically denied.
Mississippi CNA Certification Renewal
- Every 2 years, Mississippi’s Department of Health sends a renewal packet to all CNAs in the state.
- The renewal form must be filled out accurately or the certificate will be voided.
- Employers may be required to fill out renewal packets for the nurse aides that are employed at their facility.
- Most fields on the renewal form may need to be completed by the certified nursing assistant personally.
- If the nurse aide fails to work for at least 8 hours during a 2-year period (orientations do not count as work) or fails to send in the renewal form, their license will lapse and they will be required to retake the training course and exam.
