Practical Nursing

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

• Must have an ACT composite score of 16 (12 if taken before October 1989);
  
  

OR

• Score 71 or higher on the Traditional ACCUPLACER Reading Section and a 61 or above on the Arithmetic Section;
  Score 250 or higher on the ACCUPLACER Next Gen Reading Section and a 250 or above on the Arithmetic Section or 231 or higher on the QAS/Algebra Section;

OR

• Complete the following courses within the last five years earning a grade of “C” or above:
  • Human Growth and Development EPY 2533)
  • Anatomy and Physiology I (BIO 2513/2511)
  • Anatomy and Physiology II (BIO 2523/2521)
  • Nutrition (BIO 1613 or HEC 1253);

AND

In addition to meeting one of the three options above, applicants must also:

• Provide evidence of the equivalent to the requirements above, subject to the approval of the Registrar of the local community/junior college, and
• Have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.00 (“C” average) on all previous college coursework, and
• Participate in a mandatory PN information session and take the TEAS exam. The mandatory information session will be scheduled for the prospective students only after all other requirements have been met. Students will receive notice from the Registrar’s Office about scheduling their information session and the TEAS exam.  

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The PN Admissions Committee will select each semester’s class from the pool of applicants who meet minimum admission requirements. Any application with incomplete records will not be considered for admission. The admission process is competitive, and completion of minimum requirements is not a guarantee of admission. Priority consideration for admission will be given as follows:

• In-district students who have taken coursework at MCC;
• Out-of-district students who have taken coursework at MCC;
• Mississippi residents with no MCC coursework;
• Out-of-state students. Check with the Health Education Advisor for selection details and deadlines.

Point System

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The deadline for application is March 1 for Fall admission and September 1st for Spring admission. (Beginning Fall 2025, the deadline will be January 15th for Fall admission).

• The application information which must be submitted by the deadline includes submission of all official transcripts, MCC admission application, and national ACT score or Accuplacer Score or previous coursework transcripts.  There is not a separate application for the nursing program.  On the MCC admission application, applicants should mark Practical Nursing as the program of interest.  The admission application should also be marked for the term admission is being sought.

• Admission requirements, curriculum, and other program information are subject to change.  See your program advisor/counselor for additional information.

• After program admission and prior to the first day of class, students must obtain American Heart Association CPR certification.  Students must provide proof of immunization for MMR and Varicella.  A Mantoux Two-Step TB Skin Test is required prior to the first day of class.  Drug screening will be scheduled after enrollment. Students must comply with influenza vaccination requirements of clinical agencies. Software requirements and other information will be provided in the admissions notification.

• All students admitted into the program will be required to pay for fingerprinting and background checks, 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.  For additional information, contact the program coordinator.

• Students in the Practical Nursing Program must attend MCC full-time (12 or more semester credit hours)

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Legal limitations for licensure as a licensed nurse:
Information related to applying for licensure to practice as a practical nurse, upon completion of the Practical Nursing Program, is contained in the Mississippi Nursing Practice Law and Rules and Regulations. Graduates must apply to the Mississippi Board of Nursing to write the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN®). Applicants to the Practical Nursing Program should be aware of the following restriction regarding who may qualify to write for the NCLEX-RN®:

“The Board may, in its discretion, refuse to accept the application of any person who has been convicted of a criminal offense under any provision of Title 97 of the Mississippi Code of 1972, as now or hereafter amended, or any provision of this chapter.”* *Mississippi Nursing Practice Law

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 check of the student discloses a felony conviction, guilty plea or non 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 nursing program.

If a student currently enrolled in the nursing 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 until the clinical restriction is removed.

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MCC’s Practical Nursing program is a program that meets the education requirements for a Practical Nurse license in MS, and qualifies graduates to take the NCLEX-PN®, a national examination for licensure. Requirements for nursing licensure vary from state to state.

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