Frustrated and overwhelmed...

[AltaEnfermera]

I'm basically at my wits end in my current position. I accepted the MDS coordinator position in September because I loved the facility and was dying to come back in any capacity I could. It was the only thing available, and my DON (who is lovely, btw) thought I could handle it...

I suppose I have for the most part, but I'm hitting a wall at the moment. The person I replaced was evidently quite burnt out with the job, and had essentially done less than the bare minimum for her last few months (years?). Care plans were dismal, MDSs were behind, et al. I asked to be told EVERYTHING I was to be responsible for, because I knew that I needed to develop a semi-routine to ensure I managed my time effectively. I was told "Just worry about this (MDS/care plans) for now. Everything else can wait."

Now I suddenly am being delegated more and more, and it's severely frustrating. I knew this would happen, which is why I'd asked to know ALL my responsibilities in advance. I'm in charge of coding/collecting info for the MDS, writing care plans, doing ALL the nursing assessments, writing/maintaining/evaluating restorative programs, Medicare certs/recerts, AND fixing missing documentation for 3rd quarter billing (for which I was not even here!) so we don't lose our rate.

On top of this, I was told by my administrator this week that "(my) office is a mess, and the owner was not happy"... Yes, it is a mess, for several reasons: 1) In addition to my other duties, I'm apparently Medical Records, so every scrap of past documentation gets dumped into my office, 2) The roof leaks and water drips through the light fixture, so said paperwork is piled on top of cabinets to avoid getting soaked, and 3) I taped trash bags over my windows because they don't seal and the baseboard heater plus my space heater can't keep the temperature bearable d/t the draft otherwise (and maintenance can't/won't do anything about it.)

This is essentially a rant, but I'd welcome any suggestion as to how I might better manage my time and/or be more assertive regarding my workload, etc from more experienced folk. Thanks :)

(And PS. You guys rock... I've learned a ton from this forum already :) )

[miccay]

First of all, I would ask myself "is this job really worth it?" You stated that you agreed to the job of MDS Coordinator because you love the facility and wanted to come back at any compacity. If you still feel that way, I suggest you make a detailed list of all your job duties and expectations and go to your D.O.N. Present it in a way that you are asking for support. Your job performance not only effects the revenue of your building but indicates the quality of care your residents are receiving. Stay positive (as positive as you can as you sit in your office with your space heater, windows sealed with garbage bags, and leaking roof) and express your desire to do a great job. Accentuate that your performance depends upon a team effort and you can not give 100% if you are constantly being delegated more tasks. It is like spreading your abilities too thin. Don't present it like a whine or complaint, but indicate how you can improve the case mix, etc. if you can concentrate more on assessments, care plans, and coding correctly. The so called "fixing" documentation does not need to fall on you. There should be inservices for the staff on what they need to document for support of the MDS. You can provide the information, but it should be up to nurse management to make sure it is done and done correctly. A good MDS needs support of the whole interdisciplinary team. Good luck.

[katoline]

How large is your facility? Are you the only employee in MDS? Surely your company wouldn't put someone new in there by themselves especially with the new 3.0 rolling out.

What is it about MDS getting the dirge of the buildings? I have often been in old utility and storage rooms. I know a lot of buildings were built before MDS, but a nice work environment goes a long way.