This page collects what Mississippi law and state agencies say about background checks, immunizations and training for nursing and allied health students, with a link to each primary source. Most day-to-day clinical requirements, such as the drug screen panel, TB schedule and CPR level, are set by your clinical sites and affiliation agreements rather than by the state; see your program’s guide for those.
Background checks
- Before clinical rotations. Mississippi Code § 37-29-232, enacted in 2004, has deans of nursing and allied health programs ensure that criminal history record checks and fingerprinting are obtained on their students before the students begin any clinical rotation in a licensed health care entity; certain felony convictions bar admission unless the program grants a waiver. (source)
- Students aren’t “employees” under the facility rule. The State Department of Health’s rule on criminal history checks for licensed entities says the term “employee” does not include healthcare professional or technical students, as defined in § 37-29-232, performing clinical training under contracts between their schools and the licensed entity. (source)
- Licensure. The Nurse Practice Act requires all RN and LPN applicants to undergo a fingerprint-based criminal history records check of the Mississippi central criminal database and the FBI database. (source)
- Who fingerprints for licensure. The Board of Nursing’s exam instructions say only fingerprints and checks performed by the Board will be accepted; board staff fingerprint in-state graduates on campus, and results are valid for 2 years. (source)
Immunizations
- Public universities. The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) requires proof of hepatitis B vaccination for students in health education programs that may expose them to blood or other body fluids, and two doses of MMR for students. (source) This policy covers the public universities, not community colleges or private colleges.
- Other colleges. The State Department of Health tells students to check with their college for any required vaccinations. (source)
Nurse aide training
- Federal minimum. Federal rules require state-approved nurse aide programs to provide at least 75 clock hours of training, including at least 16 hours of supervised practical training. (source) See CNA programs.
Medical cannabis and drug screens
- No accommodation required. The Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act does not require any employer to permit, accommodate or allow the medical use of medical cannabis, and does not stop employers from keeping drug-testing policies. (source) Clinical sites set their own drug screen rules; see marijuana, CBD and drug tests.
Drug Free Schools does not take fingerprints. For Mississippi licensure, the Board of Nursing does its own fingerprinting. For the pre-clinical fingerprint check, students go where their program directs, usually Fieldprint, IdentoGO or the local police department. We handle the name-based background check, the drug screen and the tracking, so the rest of the student’s clinical file is ready.
How Drug Free Schools helps programs in Mississippi
- On-campus drug screening from $25 a student, depending on cohort size: our team comes to your campus and screens the whole cohort in one visit. Students who miss the date can test at any Quest location for $40–$55.
- Name-based background checks through Checkr: Standard ($35) covers SSN trace, national criminal, sex offender and global watchlist searches; Premium ($70) adds 7-year county criminal and FACIS Level 3 healthcare sanctions.
- N95 fit testing on campus, $25–$35 a student.
- Tracking for every requirement in our clinical compliance tracking portal: every upload reviewed within 24 hours, email and text reminders before anything expires, $30 per student, one time.
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Frequently asked questions
Do Mississippi health science students need fingerprints before clinicals?
Mississippi Code § 37-29-232 has nursing and allied health program deans ensure that criminal history record checks and fingerprinting are obtained on students before any clinical rotation in a licensed health care entity. Drug Free Schools does not take fingerprints.
Who fingerprints Mississippi nursing graduates for licensure?
The Mississippi Board of Nursing. Its exam instructions say only fingerprints and checks performed by the Board are accepted, and board staff fingerprint in-state graduates on campus.
Does Mississippi require hepatitis B for health science students?
At the public universities, yes: IHL policy requires proof of hepatitis B vaccination for students in health education programs with potential blood exposure. Other colleges set their own requirements.
Sources
- Mississippi SB 2607 (2004), Miss. Code § 37-29-232
- Mississippi State Department of Health: criminal history record checks rule
- Mississippi Nurse Practice Act
- Mississippi Board of Nursing: exam application instructions
- Mississippi IHL Board Policies and Bylaws, March 2026
- Mississippi State Department of Health: college vaccinations
- Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act, SB 2095 (2022)
This page summarizes Mississippi statutes, rules and state agency pages as checked on 14 October 2026, with a link to each source. Rules change; confirm with the agency, your school and your clinical sites. Clinical sites can require more than the state does. Nothing on this page is legal advice. Quest Diagnostics, Checkr, Fieldprint and IdentoGO are trademarks of their respective owners.