North Mississippi Medical Center is seeking high school seniors from Lee and Itawamba counties for its Nurse Mentorship Academy, Feb. 10-April 7.

Phase I of NMMC's Nurse Mentorship Academy will meet from 3:30 until 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays for eight weeks. Tuesdays will be nursing education and mentoring. Thursdays will feature guest speakers, life skills, job shadowing and volunteering.

Participants will be provided a uniform (scrubs and lab jacket) and T-shirt.

Interested students should apply before Nov. 14 and must be 18 before June 1, 2009. Applications are available in high school guidance offices, from the NMMC Employment Services Department and at www.neonms.com.

Twenty students will be selected to participate in the program based upon interest in the health care field, two letters of recommendation, grade point average, ACT score, a 250-word essay, personal interview and a panel interview.

Participants who successfully complete Phase I of NMMC's Nurse Mentorship Academy advance to Phase II, which is the 80-hour Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training program at Itawamba Community College. Upon completion of the course, students are eligible to take the Certified Nursing Assistant examination. The program ends with a pinning ceremony and celebration at NMMC. Students who become certified are then employable in the field of nursing and are at a great advantage to succeed in an LPN or RN program of their choice.

The NMMC Nurse Mentorship Academy is made possible by grants from the Health Care Foundation of North Mississippi and NEON (Navigating Education Opportunities in Nursing).

For more information, call 662-377-3245, 662-862-8394 or 1-800-843-3375.