mds certifications

Certification, credentialing, or accreditation is not endorsed by CMS nor am I aware of by any state. Whoever provides support after you've completed the course would be the ideal one, regardless the course fee, moreso when the employer pays for it. An ongoing annual membership fee may also be required.

No fancy title guarantees expertise contrary to what employers believe. You still need constant hands-on exposure and be an enthusiastic RAI Manual reader to reach that level.

Remember the certification is for MDS 2.0. MDS 3.0 will commence October 2009. You may need to take another course to become certified for the new version. Make sure you know what the credentialing organization does for their clients during the transition.

Good luck!

Go with AANAC. Both AANAC and NRAI require that you complete a course to get the certification, but only AANAC gives you a choice of doing them online. NRAI requires that you sit through their course, which is only offered a couple of times during the year. AANAC can be done anytime online. It is the more respected of the two, and I'm thinking it's also cheaper. As far as MDS 3.0 goes, you will still be working with MDS 2.0 for another fifteen months before 3.0 goes into effect. AANAC will have a 3.0 course available when the time comes.

Also check out http://www.mdstraining.org, which is a free online MDS tutorial from CMS. Good luck.

While it's technically true that certification is not required, you will find that doors open and pay increases (not to mention an increased understanding of MDS) with certification. The major difference between AANAC and NRAI that I see, is AANAC adopts and maintains a prescribed system and understanding of the RAI process while NRAI will accept any other course completion or certification for dual certification (for $99) (heck..so would I, LOL). AANAC is expensive, so is any mistake you make, and they recently have required membership to participate in their case mix forum (well worth the fee alone). The greater majority of "Who's Who" in current MDS/PPS education are members and actively participate in the forum. You will be required to recertify every two years (much the same as any other speciality), and employers often reimburse your cost. Give tham a call, they will be happy to answer your questions.