Getting started as MDS nurse

Hi. I have been a nurse for 7 yrs. I've been out of patient care for the last year and traveling doing education for a pharmaceutical company. The travel is getting old and it's not as glamorous as many think it is, not to mention you have to do 2-4 shifts a day, meaning...morning shifts, evening and night shifts....to catch nurses on all shifts...so it really messes with your body and mind. I'm ready to take on a new challenge and I found an MDS Coordinator position open in my area and I've been researching this specialty. I've found some great advice from reading these threads as well as questions to ask my interviewer. I don't have any experience in this but thought if anyone had any new advice for the interview I would certainly appreciate it! Looking forward to a new challenge!

Current hands-on patient care experience is not a requisite. Being an educator will be very beneficial, that is, after you've mastered the MDS.

This is not to undermine anyone's ability. We did not learn MDS in the nursing curriculum. This is a whole new process that must be learned from the ground up. When an employer seeks an MDS Coordinator, they likely are expecting one who already has the skill. The state and federally required MDS process is actively ongoing and very time sensitive. It cannot pause to enable someone to learn. If I can put it simpler... put yourself in an actual surgery. You are designated to deliver anesthesia but you know nothing about anesthesiology. Would you be confident to tell the surgeon, "All set, Doc!" If the employer was the surgeon, would he proceed knowing you're not an anesthetist?

My suggestion, if there is no experienced MDS person to train you when hired, don't take the leap. Don't fall for false assurances of being enrolled in a 3-day MDS seminar or an online training course. Without MDS knowledge and ongoing hands-on involvement in the process, neither of these can make you an MDS coordinator overtime, regardless what certificate you're awarded after completing it.

With your experience, seek an educator or managerial position in the SNF. The bulk of the MDS responsibility will still be that of the MDS coordinator but you will have all the opportunity to participate and learn the MDS. Depending in your desire to master it, you may be able to relive glamour in just a few months.

Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately, educator positions are a rarity here as is anything else I've ever been interested in, in and outside of nursing. I have applied for a Health Educator position at a local hospital, but it was asked if I had physical education background...which I don't...and that seems to be the driving force as this position has been posted before and I never got a call back for an interview. But it is one for a community education for nutrition and physical well being and overall healthy lifestyles. I think I would be great with this type of job. I love preventative care and education. I've even thought of going to the health department but they don't have openings and when other counties have a job posted, the pay is a mere $15/hr for RN. What a slap in the face. I just can't live on that, when I've been used to 32-35/hr. I would take a pay cut at any hospital or LTC in my area but not to $15/hr. I just can't get over the poor pay.

As far as the MDS Coordinator position goes, I'm sure they won't have many knocking down doors with MDS experience and the ad said experience was desired but training would be provided if not. This is supposed to be one of the most reputable LTC facilities in the area. You never see job openings there. It's a 75 bed facility. Some of the facility is assisted living only.

Thanks for your information!

hi i have been a ed nurse for 16 years , and i need someone to assist me in starting in qi/qa , mds, pri certifation, please help. i am burned out

When I got my job as the MDS Coordinator I was quite honest with the DON I knew absolutely nothing and once I got the job I was fortunate enough to have a temporary nurse manager with MDS experience who spent time showing me things. I read the RAI manual cover to cover for the first 4 days and then I started by completing sections and having the nurse manager check it. I did take the 3 day training course but I had been working for 9 months and had some knowledge before I took the course I think that if I would have taken the course first i would have been extremely overwhelmed as it is a lot to learn. If it is something you are interested in I would go for it. I really enjoy my job and I get plenty of time to get to know the residents without doing all the hands on. I only work overtime during survery time and I don't work weekends or holidays I am salaried so I can count on my pay every two weeks. Good luck
Brenda

Careplans.com helped me
Learned the rest by the manual and doing

I agree, while I have not taken the course, I believe it would prove ver beneficial...once you have had a little time to work through things on your own. Waiting 6-9 months after you start the position as an MDS coordinator will give you time to learn the basic concepts and terminiology you will need to make the 3 - day course truly valuable to you.

Hi there fellow nurses, I am interested about MDS and I read some threads here but I still could not understand some stuff...I wish someone could give me the meaning of the ff...
MDS
AANAC
NRAI
MDS2.0 or 3.0
cmS
HHS
Thanks so much! It would help a lot

Help! I'm a RN at a long term facility and I was asked to write MDS notes on my residents. What is MDS notes? Someone was telling me it is like write nurses notes, but you look at the care plan and write on each of the care plan. Is this right? Please advise.

I am a lpn with 3 yrs mds experience, I just became certified, and now am the case manager for in the building i work, actually I am the only lpn casemanager in the company, I do the job well and even better than some of the RN casemanagers I just don't get paid for it, I am now in school for my RN, but anyone can do mds but you just have to be very organised and pay attention to details to do the job, also you don't start out knowing everything, you learn new things everyday, and always refer back to the rai manual, it should be your bible to mds always have it in you position, you cannot go wrong with it, and my pay is 24.00/hr and about to get a raise for being certified.