Mds

Well.... First off what is the reasoning why you are wanting to leave the ICU unit after 8 yrs? Why chose MDS's? What have you been told about MDS's? First off I would recommend you work in a long term nursing home for a period of time before thinking of doing MDS's. Then if you like that go get training and tell your supervisor that you would like to work on MDS's. The best thing to do is by doing them.... Very rarely do you find a job that is just MDS- I have been doing MDS's for close to 18 years.... but I also am a nurse manager of a wing, do nurse aide schedules, evaluations, purchase nursing supplies, medicare billing ++++++ many many other jobs. Many floor nurses feel this is a cream of the crop job but let me tell you it takes alot out of you...

Here's a free gov site for general training to give ya an idea of whether you may like it or not, note that actual certification (RAC-CT) is agonizingly more intense. :chuckle Good luck.

http://www.mdstraining.org/upfront/u1.asp

i agree with poohmdsnurse. this is a job that you need ltc experience first. the icu is an entirely different world than ltc. in the icu you're going to have a whole different mindset if your pt has a bp of 180/110 then you do in ltc.....etc, etc, etc. plus, i doubt anyone would hire you as an rnac without have ltc experience and knowledge of medicare part a, rugs, cmi, and ltc regulations...which are way different than acf. plus, as pooh said....mds' are only part of it. writing and updating care plans, meeting with families, knowing how/when to submit the mds', setting up the mds schedule, running pps meetings, getting hmo authorizations, knowing what qualifies as a significant change, knowing what qualifies a resident for skilled coverage and all the fun things that go along with that(!), etc, etc, etc.....all part of the fun!!! icu sounds like an entirely different animal! but heck, if you're really interested, check out the rai manual first....and all it's addendums, updates, clarifications....here's a link!

http://www.cms.hhs.gov/nursinghomequalityinits/20_nhqimds20.asp

enjoy!

I was working in a hospital when a friend/former coworker came in to visit a child from her church and asked me if I was interested in a job. I interviewed, was hired and was sent to Louisville for 2 days of training. Having never done mds's before I wanted to cry. I had no idea what they were talking about. I have been doing this for 4+ years now and like it. It is difficult, stressful, but better than trying to admit, start IV's, order food and give meds to 9 new patients on one shift as I had done at the hospital.

I think that one of the greatest aspects of being a nurse is that you have the ability to change courses and leave say Pediatrics after 10 years to try OR or ER or LTC or whatever. I am glad that you're interested. You know you will have to learn something new- if you really want this, I'm sure it will work out.

Like someone wrote- I was in LTC, as a PCC (Pt Care Coordinator) when I was asked to get my MDS education, they sent me to inservices etc, and only then did I add to me already busy schedule MDS responsibilities. I was then able to moonlight and do MDS's at another facility ( in truth it wasn;t worth the money). To do it responsibly it might be worth working in LTC to get the feel of things but its not mandatory.

Good Luck!!

I went into long-term care as an RNAC with NO experience! I was a home health nurse for 12 years, and the agency I worked for was closing. The facility I now work for was advertising for an RNAC. I applied, though I had no idea what one was, but those Mon.-Fri. hours sounded like a dream! As i learned about the position in the interview, all the characteristics of it sounded like it was right up my alley [can you read detail-oriented and anal? :-) ]. I guess my enthusiasm for it was in my favor, and I had a good interview. So I started with no long-term experience whatsoever, and not even knowing what an MDS was. I was a quick learner because it's the perfect job for me. Even with all its challenges, it's a position I could see myself doing the rest of my nursing career.

Thanks for those replies .

When I interviewed for my position as the MDS nurse I had only been an RN for a year and only knew what MDS stood for. I chose to go to the interview because I liked the hours the position offered. I have been there two years now and still love it. I became certified at my choice about 9 months into the job. I have never regretted not taking the chance on a job i knew nothing about. Good luck to you. Just know that you must really enjoy computers and be focused on meeting deadlines.

:wink2:

yes, I know what you mean. MDS isn't just a desk job!