Burned out MDS Nurse back in the game BUT...

LTCNS, LPN · Oct 17, 2012

Edited to add: The Hyperbaric therapy job would pay $15 an hour (maybe a little more) but that's okay because I feel the experience will be wonderful for me, esp. since I will have the opportunity to be certified and move up to a Safety Director position.

iheartangelinajolie · Oct 18, 2012

If I were you I would grab the opportunity to do what you love and leave ltc. I've been a MDS nurse in ltc for 4 years and I am so depressed because of how the upper management treats us. We are degraded and humiliated in the meetings when we do not meet their standards (census is low and we aren't able to capture high RUGS or a patient doesn't need therapy or has exhausted their medicare days). I stay because I can't go back on the floor and it's impossible to get another job. If you love wound care and are able to get into a hospital setting I say run and never look back.

LTCNS, LPN · Oct 18, 2012

If I were you I would grab the opportunity to do what you love and leave ltc. I've been a MDS nurse in ltc for 4 years and I am so depressed because of how the upper management treats us. We are degraded and humiliated in the meetings when we do not meet their standards (census is low and we aren't able to capture high RUGS or a patient doesn't need therapy or has exhausted their medicare days). I stay because I can't go back on the floor and it's impossible to get another job. If you love wound care and are able to get into a hospital setting I say run and never look back.

Exactly. I have been a MDS Nurse for about 14 years of my almost 17 years as a LPN. Things have changed so much with the implementation of MDS 3.0 it's just not that enjoyable anymore. I don't mind the actual process, but like you said, if your RUGs aren't exactly where management wants them to be, you're at fault in their eyes. The sad thing is, a good many managers have never attempted to learn the MDS process and have no clue what it takes to do the job.

I am praying hard that I am offered the job. I have a little wound care experience, but not as much as I would like. My job in the clinic would be to help patients into the chamber, get them situated and sit and document and monitor the patient during treatment, then assist them out of the chamber and document post treatment response. If they offer me the job I will gladly accept it and embrace it. I can see myself retiring there.

You are so right in stating how hard it is to get another job. I never thought I would struggle this much to find work, since it wasn't that long ago I could have left one job and had another one the same day. I'm really shocked to see RNs are having the same problem as well.

CapeCodMermaid, RN · Oct 20, 2012

$15 an hour? CNAs make more than that.

Nascar nurse, ASN, RN · Oct 21, 2012

$15 an hour? CNAs make more than that.

CNA's make no where near that here (start at $9 here) but an LPN with 17 years experience would likely make at least $19 here.

LTCNS, LPN · Oct 21, 2012

$15 an hour? CNAs make more than that.

Sadly CNAs here only make about $8 an hour and that is with experience. LPN and RN pay in MS. is sadly low as well with RN pay on the high end being $25 an hour in LTC. What I didn't mention is that I can go on to become certified as a Safety Director so the pay would go up significantly.

I realize $15 an hour is low but I'm looking for stability, and although I like working the floor, I honestly don't think I can do it full time since I have Fibromyalgia with moderate-severe pain some days.

CNA's make no where near that here (start at $9 here) but an LPN with 17 years experience would likely make at least $19 here.

$18-$20 an hour is about the norm for experienced LPNs here as well. I was offered $18 an hour for the temporary MDS job. The Administrator seemed embarrassed to offer me that since I had been making $20 an hour, but I honestly didn't even expect $18 an hour given that the nursing home is a tiny little home in the country. Very homey place with friendly folks and very low staff turnover. Jobs come few and far between there.

The DON and Administrator did tell me they would do whatever they could do to keep in the MDS position to help the current MDS nurse. She will be getting her RN very soon so they want to move her into a QA Nurse position as well as Medicare MDS coordinator, which would leave me doing the long term care residents and helping her with QA duties.

I really don't know what to do now. I did find out that they have been trying to fill that position at the wound clinic for over a month now, and reading the job description, I would be responsible for taking diving lessons, going through safety courses and becoming certified within a year, all at my own expense. The work sounds fascinating but there has to be a reason they have had a hard time filling the position right?

CapeCodMermaid, RN · Oct 21, 2012

Why in the world would you have to taking diving lessons to work at a wound clinic?I live on the East coast. Our cost of living is higher so our salaries are, too.

LTCNS, LPN · Oct 21, 2012

Why in the world would you have to taking diving lessons to work at a wound clinic? I live on the East coast. Our cost of living is higher so our salaries are, too.

It is a Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy clinic. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is used to treat decompression sickness so I assume that's the reasoning behind the diving requirements.

Here are the requirements for becoming certified:

1. Be at least 18 years of age with a high school diploma or equivalent.

2. The CHT® applicant must have completed a National Board of Diving & Hyperbaric Medical Technology (NBDHMT) approved hyperbaric medicine introductory course.

3. As part of the clinical internship, the CHT® must complete the Transcutaneous Oxygen Monitoring (TCOM) Module.

4. Upon completing an approved course, CHT® applicant must undergo a clinical work experience of 480 hours in undersea, hyperbaric medicine or aviation medicine technology. Forty (40) hours of the requirement must be a supervised clinical internship for all approved training courses attended after January 1, 2010. The Board must be notified in writing of the name of the preceptor prior to commencing the internship. The preceptor should be a CHT or a CHRN.

5. Military personnel must complete 1000 clinical hours in addition to required, approved, training received in the military (unless 480 hours of approved clinical internship can be completed at an approved facility)

6. Maintain a minimum 12 continuing education credits every two years.

I'm beginning to see why they are having problems filling the position. Then again, maybe it's much less complicated than it appears. I may not even have to take diving lessons for this particular clinic since they specialize in treating wounds. Honestly I don't see the rationale behind it since I highly doubt they treat decompression sickness.

LTCNS, LPN · Oct 22, 2012

Upon reading further, it doesn't look like I will be responsible for taking diving courses for that particular center. I would love to have the opportunity to work there and eventually become certified as I believe it would open other doors for me. I honestly have no idea what the actual pay will be. The recruiter I did a phone interview with said she thought it might be about $15 an hour if not more. It does sound like something I might enjoy doing.

LTCNS, LPN · Oct 22, 2012

I went to the interview this morning and was very pleasantly surprised. I find myself really, really wanting the job as I feel it will give me great experience and will be something I can make a career of once I become certified. If chosen for the position I will go to Jacksonville, FL. for a week of intensive training and that is fine with me! It sounds like a very interesting line of work!

LTCNS, LPN · Oct 25, 2012

I got the job!!! Hallelujah!! I start November 5th and am psyched! :)