MDS Coordinators on call question

Specialties MDS

Published

]Good Morning! Got a question for ya'll MDS people out there..

]Do you all have to take staffing call?

]Week at a time,just weekends?

]Do you find it to be nerve racking and horrible?

]Just curious to know how it works in other places

]Thanks

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call schedule where i work revolves around 3 of us. the don, the restorative nurse who also does schedules and myself (mds) the don takes the call phone during the week and we all take turns with weekends. we do all get along well and are flexible covering each other for special events we need off, etc. some weekends are pure hell and i have found myself working midnite shift but some weekends the phone never rings. but yes it can be frustrating at times.

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Specializes in MDS coordinator, hospice, ortho/ neuro.

At my facility, the MDS nurses have no on-call, no weekends, no holidays.

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My building has a MDS nurse, PPS nurse, and a TILE nurse, none of which take call. My administrator and RN consultant feel it is too taxing on that position and we need to be in our office doing assessments and not out working the floor due to call offs.

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Specializes in LTC, Hospice, Case Management.

Their are 5 of us who take call in rotation. We are also expected to come in 4 hours on Saturday and Sunday of our "on call" weekend (and we always have the possiblity of being called right back in to cover a call off). If we are really lucky we MIGHT get a day off sometime to make up for it, if not its a 12 day/row stretch (and the crabbiness sets in about day 8). All of us are hourly, but we get no extra $ for ruining our whole weekend.

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Call without pay is unacceptable...plain and simple.

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Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

"On top of that, one of the sister facilities found out we were having to take call and they think it's absurd and wonder why the DON isn't doing like she's supposed to.

I'm disappointed that this is turning out this way. I took this job, with a 12$ hr pay cut so I could be home more and now this. Why do some facilities and management try to take advantage and squeeze every living breath out of you? "

Hmmm...what is the DNS supposed to do? Did anyone force you to take that job? I have 2 MDS nurses, 3 nurse managers, and one SDC. They rotate on call on weekends. I have a supervisor as well. If there is one call out the supervisor covers the shift. If there are 2 call outs, the on call nurse comes in and gets time and a half. It is a rare occasion for an on call nurse to come in.

On the other hand, some of us are on what we call Administrative Duty....we HAVE to be in the building on a Saturday or Sunday...not on call mind you...we must be there. In theory we take another day off during the week because we are all salaried, but we really never have the time to actually take a day off.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, WCC.

I have two MDS coordinators, an RN & an LPN. THe RN does rotate weekend call with myself, my 3 floor managers, my admissions nurse, and my ed director. We all get an automatic 4 hours comp off during the next week and if we come into the building to work a shift, then take that time off during the week. The MDS nurse is the only one that is not salaried, so she can chose the overtime if wanted.

It is difficult for all of us to take a day off from our own work but, it's the luck of the draw.

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:cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers:

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Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

yikes...I hardly think having to come in on the weekend raises one to the level of martyr. I have, at the moment, 123 residents. 15 of them are Medicare. The 2 MDS nurses work 40 hours, on call every 6th week for a weekend. If they come in, they get paid. They do NO extra work...they do not have to try to fill the slots. They don't ever help out with anything else in the building. They hid in their office during survey. And now one of them, the PPS MDS nurse, is complaining that 15 medicares are too many. Get a grip ladies. Most facilities our size have 27 Medicares and 10 managed cares thrown in for more fun (yes, I have been the MDS Coordinator and had that many at one time).

Everyone's job is important, but let's not let our titles go to our heads and think we are more special or worthy or better than any of the other nurses in the building with jobs just as important.

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Specializes in Vascular Access Nurse.
and now one of them, the pps mds nurse, is complaining that 15 medicares are too many. get a grip ladies. most facilities our size have 27 medicares and 10 managed cares thrown in for more fun (yes, i have been the mds coordinator and had that many at one time).

everyone's job is important, but let's not let our titles go to our heads and think we are more special or worthy or better than any of the other nurses in the building with jobs just as important.

gosh, i want to work where you work!!! i do all the mds' for medicare and managed care...along with the quarterlies, annuals, significant changes, etc for the rest of our residents. we're a 139 bed facility and there are 2 of us...but the rnac doesn't do any of the mds'....she's doing a lot with medicare part d and ...well...i don't know what else, but it's not my place to ask. i do the mds', write the care plans, do one units icc meetings...and other duties as assigned. your mds people should be on their hands and knees thanking you!!!

and no, i don't take call on the weekend, but i'm not an rn yet. my boss used to take call, but her health is failing & it was to much for her. i imagine when i get my rn that i'll have to rotate call. even our don takes call....they just take time off during the week to compensate. :pumpiron:

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I thought I'd update on the call thing. Once our corporate clinical lead found out what kind of deal the administrative nurses were dealing with, she was floored and said this is the only one of their facilities (out of 15) that had such crazy ways of doing things. Immediately effective, CNA's are not to be calling the administrative nurses at home...they are to call into the facility and it gets taken care of there. The only call the adminstrative nurses take is for other nurses.

So for those that seemed to think it I was being unreasonable for c/o call....once the adminstrator had the DON give her the call in numbers...she was also floored. 29 call in's in the last two weeks...all night shift CNA's calling between the hours of 1am and 4am to our homes. 26 call in's the previous 2 weeks before that. Not one nurse called in that month. The DON had this information and done nothing. She has let the CNAs know she needs them more than need us and they take advantage. Finally the Administrator and Lead corporate nurse is nipping this call in thing in the bud.

The DON had to actually take call recently and she left the entire skilled unit without an nurse, LPN or RN for an entire nightt...only a med tech was on the unit.

The previous team of adminstrative nurses that were recently fired, had taken the staffing issue upon themselves and off anyone else which has corporate and everyone trying to figure out why...why would you want deal with staffing all day and all night every night and do your MDS stuff. We've also found that there have been tons of $$$ lost because of the way they were coding MDS assessments.

I know I'm not crazy now...or unreasonable. Things can be changed and improved upon if we only speak up and say...Hey this is not reasonable and necessary.

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