Mississippi CNA Registry: Verify a Certification
Verify a Mississippi certified nurse aide through the Mississippi State Department of Health, which operates the state's official nurse aide registry; the lookup tool is linked on this page. The department maintains records of everyone who has completed an approved nurse aide training program and passed the state competency evaluation, along with any substantiated findings against them. Federal law requires nursing facilities and home health agencies to check this registry before hiring anyone into a nurse aide role, and to check it again periodically during employment. If the online lookup does not resolve your question, contact the Mississippi State Department of Health directly through its website for registry assistance.
Look up a Mississippi nurse aide
The official lookup shows whether a person is listed as an active nurse aide in Mississippi, and any finding of abuse, neglect, or misappropriation on record. It is free and public.
How to verify a Mississippi CNA
Open the official lookup
Use the Mississippi lookup above. It is free and public.
Search by full legal name
A certification number narrows the result fastest. Try former or hyphenated last names if nothing comes up.
Read the status and findings
Active means the listing is current. A substantiated finding of abuse, neglect, or misappropriation bars work as a nurse aide.
What the lookup shows
You need the aide's full legal name, and ideally a date of birth or certification number, to run a lookup. A search result shows whether the person is listed as an active certified nurse aide in Mississippi. The registry also records substantiated findings of abuse, neglect, or misappropriation of property; anyone with such a finding cannot be employed as a nurse aide anywhere in the state. This lookup is not a full employment or criminal background check.
Mississippi registry at a glance
- Run by: Mississippi State Department of Health
- Training: 75 hours, 16 of them clinical
- Federal floor: 75 hours, 16 supervised practical
- Lapse rule: a listing lapses after 24 consecutive months without paid nursing work
- Not included: a registry check is not a criminal background check
What CNAs earn in Mississippi
Typical annual CNA pay in Mississippi · BLS OES May estimates, 2015 to 2025 · hover a bar for the year-over-year change
BLS OES May 2025 · CNA salary in Mississippi by city →
Renewal, lapses, and moving to Mississippi
A Mississippi CNA certification generally follows the federal 24-month renewal cycle that applies nationwide. Under federal rules, certification lapses if an aide goes 24 months without performing paid nurse aide work, and a lapsed certification usually means retesting rather than a simple renewal. Aides moving to Mississippi from another state do not start over from scratch; the registry processes reciprocity or endorsement based on the aide's certification history and standing in their previous state. Because exact renewal steps, forms, and timing are set by the Mississippi State Department of Health, confirm your specific situation directly with the registry rather than assuming a national rule applies exactly as written.
Keep your certification active
CNA work in Mississippi, by the numbers
About 14,200 certified nursing assistants work in Mississippi, according to BLS May 2025 figures. The median pay is $31,520 a year, or $15.15 an hour, which runs $10,740 below the national median CNA salary of $42,260. That gap is real, but Mississippi pay has climbed a lot over the past decade; the state's median CNA salary rose from $20,050 in 2015, a 57.2 percent increase. Mississippi's training requirement operates at the federal floor: 75 total hours, including 16 hours of supervised clinical practice, the same minimum set by federal nursing home regulations nationwide. Demand for aides remains strong nationally, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics projecting about 196,200 annual CNA job openings across the country through 2035, driven largely by turnover and retirements rather than rapid growth in the number of positions.
Registries in nearby states
Each state runs its own registry. An aide who worked in another state may be listed there too, and employers must check every state where they believe the aide has worked.
Questions about the Mississippi registry
- How do I look up a CNA license in Mississippi?
- Use the official lookup linked on this page, run by the Mississippi State Department of Health, which operates the state's nurse aide registry. Search using the aide's full name; a date of birth or certification number can help narrow results if there are multiple matches. The result shows current certification status. This is a status check, not a criminal background check.
- I passed my CNA exam. How long until I appear on the registry?
- You are added to the registry once your exam results and paperwork are processed by the Mississippi State Department of Health, not the moment you pass. Processing time varies and this page cannot state a specific number of days. If a reasonable amount of time has passed and you still do not appear, contact the registry directly rather than assuming something went wrong.
- What if I search and can't find someone?
- A missing result is not proof that someone is uncertified. Try searching name variants, such as a maiden name, hyphenated last name, or a different middle initial, since registry matches are usually based on exact name spelling. If you still cannot find the person after trying variants, confirm their status directly with the Mississippi State Department of Health rather than relying on the lookup.
- How often does a Mississippi CNA certification need to be renewed?
- Mississippi follows the federal baseline of a 24-month renewal cycle for nurse aide certification. Certification can lapse if an aide does not perform paid nurse aide work within that window, and a lapse typically means retesting rather than a routine renewal. For exact renewal requirements and deadlines, check directly with the Mississippi State Department of Health.
- How many hours of training does a CNA need in Mississippi?
- Mississippi requires 75 total hours of nurse aide training, including 16 hours of supervised clinical practice, which matches the federal minimum set for nurse aide programs nationwide. This is the floor, not a ceiling; some training programs may offer more hours. Confirm current program requirements with the Mississippi State Department of Health or your training provider.
- How do I update my name or address on the registry?
- Contact the Mississippi State Department of Health directly to update your name or address on the nurse aide registry. Updates like these are routine, but the department sets the exact process, required documents, and any forms involved. Check the department's website for current instructions rather than assuming the same steps apply as in another state.