How to Become a Certified Nurse Aide in Mississippi

(found 135 schools, updated in November 2017)

A nurse aide in Mississippi performs important patient and long-term resident basic nursing care duties under the supervision of an RN or LPN. Individuals interested in becoming a Certified Nurse Aide in Mississippi need to meet state requirements for training and competency evaluation. The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDOH) Bureau of Health Facilities Licensure and Certification is responsible for the approval and administration of statewide nursing assistant programs. The following information provides an explanation of the major steps individuals must take in order to successfully earn CNA certification and maintain active status in the Mississippi Nurse Aide Registry.

• 6 Steps to Becoming a CNA in Mississippi
• How to Keep CNA Certification Active
• Salary and Job Outlook for CNAs in Mississippi
• Becoming a CNA in Bordering States

6 Steps to Becoming a CNA in Mississippi

Anyone interested in becoming a CNA in Mississippi should first review the different routes available to applicants. The best route depends on the status of the person. New Certified Nurse Aides must complete a state-approved nurse aide training program, but there are other routes available for out-of-state CNAs, nursing students and graduate nursing students, and foreign trained nurses.

Mississippi has approved facility-based and non-facility based programs. Facility-based training programs refer to training programs students complete while working in an approved long-term facility. Per federal and state law, students can work as a paid employee for up to 120 days before earning certification as a nursing assistant. Non-facility based programs are offered at community colleges, vocational tech centers, job corps centers, career centers, junior colleges and other privately owned training facilities.

48 Facility Based CNA Programs in Mississippi

86 Non-Facility Based CNA Programs in Mississippi

Step 1: Review and Select the Appropriate Pathway

Following is a summary of the various Mississippi routes or pathways to earn CNA certification in Mississippi.

New Nurse Aide

New nurse aide who trained in a Mississippi non-facility-based program or trained in a proprietary school or college – A person who completed a state-approved nurse aide training and has never been certified as a nurse aide must take and pass the competency evaluation examination.

A new nurse aide who successfully completes a training program in a nursing home or long-term care facility (facility-based training) must take and pass the competency evaluation examination within 120 days from the hire date.

Student Nurse

Nursing students who have taken and passed the fundamentals of nursing or basic nursing skills course in a state-approved RN or LPN program within the prior 24 months can apply to take the nurse aide competency evaluation examination in Mississippi without additional training.

Graduate Nurse

Graduate nursing students who completed a state-approved RN or LPN program in the previous 24 months in Mississippi can also apply to take the competency evaluation examination without additional training.

Foreign-Trained RN or LPN

The foreign-trained nurse aide applicant must get permission from the Mississippi State Department of Health, Bureau of Health Facilities Licensure and Certification to take the examination.

Out of State RN or LPN

The nurse aide applicant must get permission from the Mississippi State Department of Health, Bureau of Health Facilities Licensure and Certification to take the examination.

Out of State CNAs

Mississippi will recognize out of state CNAs who are in good standing on the out of state nurse aide registry. The CNA submits a “Certification by Reciprocity” application to the Mississippi DOH. People who train in another state, but are not on the Registry in that state, are not allowed to take the Mississippi certification examination. Reciprocity is only possible when the person takes the test in the other state, gets their name placed on the out of state Registry and then applies for Reciprocity in Mississippi.

Step 2: Select a Training Program

Those who must complete a CNA training program In Mississippi will begin by reviewing the schools that are best able to meet their needs in terms of location, program schedule and costs. There are approximately 119 state-approved CNA programs in Mississippi that are offered all over the state.

Facility-Based Training Program

Many students choose to attend a facility-based training program because they can start earning money for up to 120 days. The classroom and clinical training can take place in the same facility. Besides earning money while training, nursing homes and other federal and state funded long-term care facilities are required by law to pay for all the training costs. In addition, if a CNA is employed by a nursing home within 12 months of completing nurse aide training, the law requires the employer to reimburse the student for training costs.

Non-Facility Program

Students who choose to attend a non-facility program in Mississippi will attend classes at the school and clinical training in a nursing home or other type of long-term care facility. Typical training program costs include tuition and fees, uniforms, medical supplies, health exam and immunization expenses, and exam fees.

Training Length and Costs

Each school determines the class schedule and course fees, and they can vary. For example, at Holmes Community College in Grenada, the Nursing Assistant program takes one semester to complete, and tuition is $400 (subject to change) which includes a fingerprint criminal history check. There are additional expenses for books and supplies. Some students can qualify for financial aid through the Mississippi WIN Job Center. Another financial aid option is private scholarships.

The Gulfport Job Corps Center offers a Nurse Assistant/Home Health Aide program which takes 8-12 months to complete. The Job Corps Center is funded by the federal government, so students can attend for free.

These are just a few options available to students.

Step 3: Meet Program Prerequisites

Each school and program in Mississippi has prerequisites. They may include the following:

• Be 16 or 18 years old or older, depending on the CNA program
• Show proof of a high school diploma or GED, as a minimum, from an accepted accredited school
• Pass a 2-Step Skin Test
• Show proof of current immunizations
• Pass a health screening exam
• Pass a fingerprint criminal history background check
• Achieve a minimum WorkKeys score or minimum scores on other types of Reading and Math assessment tests

Step 4: Complete Nurse Aide Training in Mississippi

Nurse aide training in Mississippi consists of a minimum of 75 hours of training which includes 16 hours of clinical time. Some CNA classes in Mississippi require more hours, but all CNA training programs are comprised of classroom, laboratory and clinical training. It can take anywhere from 2 weeks to a full semester to complete training, depending on the CNA program chosen.

The curriculum in every nurse aide program will cover the following areas, as a minimum:

• Activities of daily living – hygiene, nutrition, grooming, sleep, etc.
• Basic nursing – safety, infection control, data collection and reporting, etc.
• Restorative skills – maintaining maximum independence, prevention, self-care
• Psychosocial care skills – mental health, cultural needs, emotional needs, etc.
• Communication – with patients, residents, healthcare team, client’s family members
• Legal and ethical behavior
• Client rights
• Working as a member of the healthcare team

Step 5: Take and Pass the Competency Evaluation Exam

New nurse aides must take and pass the National Nurse Aide Assessment Program (NNAAP) exam which is a competency evaluation examination. MSDOH chose to contract with Pearson VUE to manage the testing process which includes administration, scoring and reporting of results to the state Registry. In turn, Pearson VUE contracted with Credentia to provide the competency evaluation services in a number of states, and Mississippi is one of them.

There are two parts to the CNA state exam.

Written/Oral Examination

This part of the exam asks 70 multiple-choice questions. The questions are derived from the training program curriculum and are designed to evaluate the nurse aide’s knowledge of typical job duties.

Skills Evaluation

During the skills evaluation, individuals are asked to perform five nurse aide skills. The skills were taught during classroom, laboratory and clinical training. Handwashing is always one of the skills the individual is asked to perform. The other four skills are randomly selected from the set of skills mastered during training, but one will involve a measurement skill. Measurement skills include taking and recording blood pressure, urine output, pulse, weight or respiration.

Step 6: Get Certified and Listed in the Mississippi Nurse Aide Registry

Pearson VUE will notify the Mississippi Nurse Aide Registry after passing both parts of the competency evaluation examination. Once a person meets certification requirements and is listed on the Registry, he or she can use the title “Certified Nurse Aide” and seek employment as a CNA in the state.

Individuals requesting reciprocity will also go through Pearson VUE by submitting a Reciprocity Application. If the application is denied, the applicant will have to take and pass the competency evaluation examination. Reciprocity applicants only get one attempt to pass both parts of the examination. Failing either part means the applicant must train in a Mississippi state-approved nurse aide program and retest.

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How to Keep CNA Certification Active

CNA Certification in Mississippi is effective for two years or 24 months from the issue date. To renew the certification, the individual needs to have worked as a paid nurse aide for at least eight hours in a health care facility or a nursing home. The eight hours of employment must occur within the 2-year certification period. The employer provides verification of employment during the certification period.

Lapsed CNA Certification

A Mississippi CNA who allows certification to lapse will need to retest in order to become active again on the state Registry. If the applicant fails either part of the two-part competency evaluation exam on the first try, it is necessary to retrain and retest.

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Job Outlook and Salary for CNAs in Mississippi

Certified nurse aides can work in hospitals, nursing homes, long-term care facilities, Immediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities (ICF/MR), mental health institutions, hospice facilities, physician offices, private homes and home health agencies. However, please remember that recertifying requires eight hours of employment in certain facilities, like hospitals, nursing homes, hospices, and ICF/MR facilities or for home health agencies. | See Job Openings

CNA Salaries in Mississippi

The average annual salary for a Mississippi CNA as of May 2016, per the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics (BLS), is $21,640 which equates to $10.40 per hour. The long-term employment projection for the 2014-2024 decade shows an 11.2 percent growth rate in the number of nurse aide jobs. | See Job Openings

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Becoming a CNA in Bordering States

• Alabama
• Arkansas
• Louisiana
• Tennessee