For Mississippi DSP providers
Mississippi, meet the training pathway built around your DSP requirements
Mississippi's DSP requirements are set by the Mississippi Department of Mental Health, Bureau of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Some training is due before a new hire works alone, some renews every year or every few years, and some has to come from an outside certifying program. Keeping it straight for every staff member is a job in itself.
TES turns Mississippi's requirements into one checklist for each staff member. Mapped online courses are ready to assign, and outside certifications are tracked as evidence in the same record, so the file is ready when a reviewer asks.
Summarized from Miss. Admin. Code Title 24, Part 2, Rule 2-12.2; Miss. Admin. Code Title 24, Part 2, Rule 2-12.4; Miss. Admin. Code Title 24, Part 2, Rules 2-12.3 and 2-12.5. Last reviewed August 25, 2026.
- 400+ courses and programs
- 200,000+ professionals trained
What Mississippi requires
- Initial training deadline
- All orientation topics must be completed before contact with people served; de-escalation technique training before providing services
- Ongoing training
- Minimum 15 hours annually for unlicensed direct-care staff, including at least 2 hours cultural competency and 2 hours ethics (Miss. Admin. Code Title 24, Part 2, Rule 2-12.4)
- Background check
- Required — criminal background screening under DMH provider certification rules
- Miss. Admin. Code Title 24, Part 2, Rule 2-12.2 — Employee Orientation. Requires all orientation topics — sixteen minimum, from operational standards through HCBS rule training — before staff contact with people served.
- Miss. Admin. Code Title 24, Part 2, Rule 2-12.4 — Annual Training. Sets the annual topic list and the minimum 15 hours of continuing education for unlicensed direct-care staff, including 2 hours each of cultural competency and ethics.
- Miss. Admin. Code Title 24, Part 2, Rules 2-12.3 and 2-12.5 — Staff Development Plan; De-escalation Training. Rule 2-12.3 mandates an agency Staff Development Plan; Rule 2-12.5 requires a nationally recognized, DMH-approved de-escalation technique before service delivery.
What the Mississippi pathway tracks, and how
The Mississippi DSP pathway in the TES catalog has 11 requirements. Each one shows how often it renews and how TES handles it.
| Requirement | Renews | How TES handles it |
|---|---|---|
| Orientation: Rights, Confidentiality, and Abuse Reporting (Rule 2-12.2) | One-time | Mapped course: Fundamental Rights for Direct Support Professionals |
| Orientation: Infection Control (Rule 2-12.2) | One-time | Mapped course: Infection Control: Universal Precautions and Basic Safety |
| Orientation: Behavior Support and the HCBS Rule (Rule 2-12.2) | One-time | Mapped course: Positive Behavior Supports for Autism |
| Orientation: DMH Standards, Records, and Documentation (Rule 2-12.2) | One-time | Training assigned during setup and tracked per staff member |
| Orientation: Health, Safety, and Emergency Procedures (Rule 2-12.2) | One-time | Mapped course: Fire Safety for Direct Support Professionals |
| Annual In-Service — 15 Hours CE (Rule 2-12.4) | Every year | 15 hours tracked per staff member. Pathway courses count toward the total |
| Annual Cultural Competency — 2 Hours (Rule 2-12.4) | Every year | 2 hours tracked per staff member. Mapped course: Embracing Diversity: Cultural Competency in the Workplace |
| Annual Ethics — 2 Hours (Rule 2-12.4) | Every year | 2 hours tracked per staff member. Mapped course: The NADSP Code of Ethics and the Direct Support Profession |
| CPR and First Aid — Live, In-Person (Rules 2-12.2 / 2-12.4) | Every 2 years | Tracked in TES as external evidence, with its renewal date |
| DMH-Approved De-escalation Technique (Rule 2-12.5) | One-time | Tracked in TES as external evidence |
| Medication Assistance — Training and Skills Demonstration (Rule 2-12.2) | One-time | Tracked in TES as external evidence |
Where TES courses fit in Mississippi
TES courses cover the topics your agency is allowed to deliver itself. Hands-on certifications such as CPR and First Aid, medication credentials and any state-delivered modules stay with their required sources, and TES tracks them as evidence next to your online courses.
The records are what get reviewed
When a reviewer asks, you need more than certificates scattered across platforms. TES keeps each staff member's completions, certification cards and renewal dates in one checklist, so you can show who was trained on what, and when, in seconds.
Built for managers who are stretched thin
- One checklist per staff member. Every state requirement, its due date and its status in one record, so you can see who is on track and who is about to slip.
- Due dates and renewals tracked for you. Each requirement shows when it is first due and how often it renews, from "before first shift" to annual and multi-year cycles.
- Outside training lives in the same record. CPR/First Aid cards, medication-administration certifications and state-platform completions are tracked as external evidence next to your online courses, so one record shows what a reviewer asks for.
- Mapped online courses ready to assign. Self-paced courses from the TES catalog cover the topics your agency is allowed to deliver itself.
- NADSP Accredited Education provider. Completed TES hours can also count toward NADSP DSP-I and DSP-II accredited education through the NADSP E-Badge Certification Program.
Pricing
The Mississippi DSP pathway includes the requirement checklist, due-date and renewal tracking, and the trainings mapped to the pathway. See the Mississippi pathway in the TES catalog.
Buying for a team? Contact us or use "Request a team purchase" on the pathway page.
Frequently asked questions
What ongoing training do Mississippi DSPs need?
Minimum 15 hours annually for unlicensed direct-care staff, including at least 2 hours cultural competency and 2 hours ethics (Miss. Admin. Code Title 24, Part 2, Rule 2-12.4)
Does TES provide CPR, First Aid or medication certification?
No. Those come from their certifying programs. TES tracks each certificate and its renewal date in the same record as your online training.
What does the Mississippi pathway cost?
Pricing depends on your team size and states. Individual pathways are listed in the TES catalog; for an agency quote, contact our team.
Make Mississippi's requirements the easy part
See every staff member's Mississippi checklist on one screen, with renewals and outside certificates tracked. We'll walk you through the Mississippi pathway with your team in mind.