Friday, May 18 2012 @ 11:44 PM CDT Welcome to Northwest Mississippi Community College

The Health Care Assistant Program is located at both the Lafayette-Yalobusha Technical Center and the Senatobia campus. This program prepares the individual to assist in providing health care as a member of the health care team under the direction of a health care professional.

 

Click here for course descriptions and details (Major 8062)


Graduates of the one semester program will be awarded the Certificate of Health Care Assistant and prepared to sit for the State Certification. Students who complete the program may qualify for employment in the Mississippi health care industry:

  • Long-Term Care Aides
  • Health Care Assistant
  • Home Health Aide
  • Certified Nursing Assistant
  • Home Health Provider
  • Caregiver
  • Direct Support Person 


Admission Requirements:

Admission to the program is on a competitive basis.

  • Must be at least 18 years of age
  • Must have high school diploma/GED scores
  • Must complete the Health Care Assistant application at the location of interest
    • Separate Northwest Application for Admission must be completed and submitted
  • Must be physically and emotionally able to meet the requirements of the program as determined by a qualified physician
  • Must successfully pass a background check and drug screening upon acceptance
  • A Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) may be required prior to or during the program
  • Obtaining a Health Certificate signed by a doctor may be required prior to or during the program

Instructor: Larenda Howe

Phone: 662-560-5355

Office location at Senatobia: Berry Building

 

Instructor: Cheryl Elkins

Phone: 662-238-8697

Office located at the Lafayette-Yalobusha Technical Center in Oxford

 

What can I expect from a career as a Health Care Assistant?

Home health aides and personal and home care aides help people who are disabled, chronically ill, or cognitively impaired and older adults, who may need assistance, live in their own homes or in residential facilities instead of in health facilities or institutions. They also assist people in hospices and day programs and help individuals with disabilities go to work and remain engaged in their communities. Most aides work with elderly or physically or mentally disabled clients who need more care than family or friends can provide. Others help discharge hospital patients who have relatively short-term needs.

 

Aides provide light housekeeping and homemaking tasks such as laundry, change bed linens, shop for food, plan and prepare meals. Aides also may help clients get out of bed, bathe, dress, and groom. Some accompany clients to doctors' appointments or on other errands.

 

Home health aides and personal and home care aides provide instruction and psychological support to their clients. They may advise families and patients on nutrition, cleanliness, and household tasks.

 

How much can I earn?

Median hourly wages of wage-and-salary personal and home care aides were $9.22 in May 2008. The middle 50 percent earned between $7.81 and $10.98 an hour. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $6.84, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $12.33 an hour.

 

Reference:
Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition
Bureau of Labor Statistics

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