UdonNomi

As a MDS Nurse with an upscale LTC, we had several clients of "old money" who had kept their Dr way past the time he should have joined them in our care. One such client was experiencing increasing trouble swallowing and so our Dr agreed to a MBS, results came back verifying a problem and the SLT wrote an order for "Honey thickened liquids". Order was noted and sent off to Dr for his signature..two days later, I get the telephone order back with a nastygram attached. "I'm sick and tired of idiot nurses!! She can't have honey, she's a diabetic!!" The red marker made it especially attractive. I entered the order for "No Honey". He retired shortly after.

It's no longer a prereq, you take it as one of the first courses in the program.

Says we need webcam for monitoring during exams, havent heard of any other though. Guess we'll fing out when the letters are out.

Will be starting the June Class, anyone else in the San Antonio area?

Just waitin on my acceptance letter, which they swear will be out "latter this month". Am also stil waiting to hear if my employer has received their "partnership" packet. Times gettin close.

Hi and congratulations of a great career choice. You've chosen an interesting time to get involved in MDS at least in Texas. We no longer do TILES, we became a case mix state last November. While, yes, there are some circumstances where knowing TILES would be helpful, any current billing will be a RUG. That being said, looks like the seminar Ron Orth and ANNAC had scheduled in June has been canceled. You may want to go to the AANAC website and do the online course, Sheri Kennedy (www.txhca.org) is offering a group of seminars in Jun, Jul and Sep. She can give you the "live" presentation factor you need until a "big" seminar comes along...which I think will be after Texas solves the problem they have with their portal and the MDS 3.0 gets closer. Good Luck.

You can pretty much count on anytime the facility says it's "mandatory" they have to pay you to do it. Same story with the "mandatory" payday meetings in the LTC industry in Texas.

I'd be more worried about what his wife would do than HIPPA.

I worked about an year for an organization that used PCC, I liked it, it had the ability to cross communitcate info betweeen admin, staff and nursing. The company was very responsive and worked hard to be innovative, keeping up with the times, they didn't seem to settle for just something that worked. I wish my current company put as much forethought in the choice of their software.

I think you're on to something good, but wish you would reconsider alignment with the AHA, sure they're a PIA..but, from the stand point of product to sell, they have the lions share of the market. I was an instructor several years ago, once I did their cert course I had to purchase the cards for my students. That and the rental for Annie was the only overhead, and you can cover the card cost in the fee to the student. Selling (which is really what you're doing) a certification to Joe's Small Wickets is alot easier if you have the "Biggest and Best" (in Joe's knowledge) product out there. It's an image, you provide the substance. Good Luck.

I got "harpooned" once by my co-worker who tossed an IV needle at the same time I was reaching for something. Our patient had just recovered from a crytospora infection (plus he was nuetropenic). I was a bit freaked out the first few days following, but that was over 15 years ago now....make sure you get your blood tests when scheduled, goes along way to giving you confidence.

AANAC and TASHA is sponsoring a class in Ft Worth in September, there was an earlier one, but appears to have been canceled. Here's a link http://www.tahsa.org/index.cfm?act=frontpage.cfm&name=MDS+RACC+2009 While you can do the program online, you can't get the experience and insight of the presenters, I will be doing my recert there, highly recommend it.

I dunno, 'course you'd have to regain your license and competentcy...but I think you'd be an exceptional candidate because of your experience. Our facility would certianly like to find several such nurses. Go for it and don't look back.

Austin, Tx check it out

In San Antonio the Methodist system is also opening new facilities, SE Baptist and University Hospital have been running ads for the last few months ( see www.mysa.com click on "jobs" ). The nusing homes (including ours) are always looking for RNs. Come visit, plan to stay. Good luck.