Health Care Assistant

Minimum admission requirements (in addition to general admission requirements) must include one of the following:

• Attain a 15 composite score on the ACT; or
  
  
• Score a 210 or higher on the ACCUPLACER NG Reading Section and the ACCUPLACER NG Arithmetic Section.
  
  

Prior to clinical experiences, students must receive CPR certification. Students must provide proof of immunization for MMR, Varicella and HBV or sign a declination. A Two-Step TB Skin Test and a Drug Screening Test will be scheduled after enrollment.

All students admitted into the program will be required to be fingerprinted for a background check, which will be performed after admission and prior to clinical laboratories. These fees will be attached as registration fees. There are certain convictions that will prevent an individual being eligible to participate in clinical experiences. If a student is unable to participate in clinical experiences, he/she will be dismissed from the Program.

Mississippi Law now requires health care professionals or Workforce Education students enrolled in programs whose primary purpose is to prepare professionals to render patient care services to submit to criminal background checks and fingerprinting prior to beginning any clinical rotation in a licensed health care entity. If such fingerprinting or criminal background checks of the student disclose a felony conviction, guilty plea or plea of nolo contendere to a felony of possession or sale of drugs, murder, manslaughter, armed robbery, rape, sexual battery, sex offense listed in Section 45-33-23 (g), child abuse, arson, grand larceny, burglary, gratification of lust, aggravated assault or felonious abuse and/or battery of a vulnerable adult which has not been reversed on appeal or for which a pardon has not been granted, the student shall not be eligible to be admitted to such health program of study, nor will he/she be eligible to participate in clinical training in a licensed entity. In addition, clinical affiliates have identified “other exclusions” or other criminal offenses that will preclude a student from participating in the clinical practicum. The student’s eligibility to participate in the clinical training phase of his/her health care program shall be voided if the student receives a disqualifying criminal record check; therefore, the student will be dismissed from the program.

If a student currently enrolled in the HCA program is prohibited from participating in clinical experiences by any clinical affiliate of Meridian Community College (e.g., positive drug screen, egregious behavior, violation of patient safety, non-compliance with the College’s “Student Behavior Code,” etc.), then the student will be dismissed from the program of study. The student is not eligible for program readmission unless the clinical restriction is removed.

MCC’s Health Care Assistant program is a Mississippi State Approved Nurse Aide training Program that meets the education requirements for Nurse Aide certification in MS, and qualifies graduates to take the NNAAP® exam, a national examination for certification.

Determinations about whether the Health Care Assistant program at MCC meets the state education requirements for US States, Territories, and the District of Columbia can be found here.