another person trying to get started/mds

Specialties MDS

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hey everyone... i am new to this site but not new to nursing. i am an rn with my bsn, have worked as a staff nurse for my entire career (11 years). my last 9 years i have been working in newborn nursery/postpartum. i worked ltc on a skilled primary care medicare wing for 18 months prior to going to work in nursery. i have worked as an aid while in nursing school in ltc for several years. i want desperately to get out of the hospital and would love to become an mds coordinator. here is the problem...no experience as an mds coordinator. i actually interviewed with a facility for the position but she offered me a staff position instead, stating she really needed someone with experience for the mds position. i politely turned down the staff position. i became a member of the aanac organization to become certified as a resident assessment coordinator. the first class that i am taking is so confusing. my question is...should i continue trying to get this certification with the confusion that i am experiencing. i am taking the classes on-line, the only option available @ this time. will this help me to get a job or is it a waste of time. the problem is i cant get a job without experience...but no one will hire me to give me some experience. catch 22 huh? any ideas on what i could do to land this type of job. i really did enjoy ltc and would like to be back in this setting but am tired of all the weekends and holidays, this being why i turned down the staff position. any advice would be appreciated more than i can say as i am desperate to make the right choice...i also have like 10 days left before i forfeit my entire membership fee to aanac. thanks sooooo much in advance. also if anyone in ky has a general idea as to the salary of mds coordinators in ky...that would be great too.:uhoh3:

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Specializes in ER CCU MICU SICU LTC/SNF.

See my previous reply to a similar situation...

https://allnurses.com/forums/f281/getting-started-mds-nurse-127117.html#post1958482

Certification or credentialing programs don't make a good MDS Coordinator... only experience does! It'll demand a lot of patience and the desire to learn.

Good luck!

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Specializes in LTC / SNF / Geriatrics.

Working as a staff nurse in LTC wouldn't be such a bad thing to get your foot in the door, learn the facility and learn the residents. That's probably the biggest challenge to doing the MDS, is knowing the resident. I would suggest considering taking a staff position while you do your online training and that will help you to put into practice in your charting what you learn in the class. At my facility, I still work weekends and holidays. My hours are 8-4 5 days a week, but I have many other responsibilities other than just MDSs. There is another RN who also works on MDSs as well as does RN supervision. When we have new RNs that start, we watch to see if they would be MDS trainee candidates to help out in the office when needed. It does take an attention to detail to get the most accuracy on the assessments in order to gain the best reimbursement rates possible. I don't make any higher of a wage than the other RNs at our facility (with the exception of anniversary raises that everyone gets - so due to longevity, I might make maybe a dollar an hour more than a new RN starting)

I wish you blessings in whatever you decide to do!

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i am trying to find an online training site for mds coordinator. can anyone help me out?

[email protected]

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Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

In order to be certified, don't you have to have a certain amount of experience in that particular field? I am certified in gerontological nursing and the requirements were something like 3-5 years of experience AND currently working full time? Maybe things have changed.

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Specializes in LTC / SNF / Geriatrics.
In order to be certified, don't you have to have a certain amount of experience in that particular field? I am certified in gerontological nursing and the requirements were something like 3-5 years of experience AND currently working full time? Maybe things have changed.

Not for MDS coordinator - just the training is needed. The more LTC experience a person has, the better. I've gone to a couple of different one day seminars for training and updates. Then too there is the "MDS manual" or jokingly referred to as the "MDS Bible" to refer to as different situations come up.

What did the certification in gerontological nursing entail and how has it helped you? I've been in LTC for a total of 16 years now and have wondered about certification.

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Specializes in ER CCU MICU SICU LTC/SNF.

Being "credentialed" or "certified" in the MDS is simply an indication that a participant successfully completed the MDS training course provided by a certain entity.

It is neither endorsed by CMS nor recognized by a state's professional licensure board or a known credentialing organization.

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