Michelle Rawson

It's definitely a catch-22. In a perfect world, meds can always be available, those in charge of ordering meds NEVER make a mistake, and the pharmacy is available 24/7. LTC is an entity of it's own. We are governed so rigidly, second only behind the Nuclear program. To have a medication unavailable may be reason for a medication error, but that needs to go back to the one who ommitted ordering or reordering the med. However, writing that it is unavailable will get a citation. A write up for writing that, however, is a little overboard. Orientation, even on a slower shift, should never be considered complete with less than a week's worth of supervision. It's unfair for nurses to get thrown on the floor, expected to figure out all the rules and regulations on their own and be expected to stick around. Again, though, nursing is seldom performed in a perfect world.

I'm really grateful to know I"m not the only one with concerns. I've been the MDS/Care Plan Coordinator for 8 years, but along with that, other duties have been added by means of the "trickle down" system. We are not coorporate, therefore, we are on our own without assistance or informational backing. Along with these MDS changes, we've just been approved for our Medicare certification. I worked in a prior facility that went from strictly Medicaid to SNF, and it's overwhelming in itself. We should be getting our Medicare number just about the time we transition to the new 3.0. Not many nurses understand the importance of the MDS or how time consuming it can be. For the time being, it's all mine. It is overwhelming. Big picture of the new MDS is that it's resident focused. Big picture is that I'll most likely never have a vacation again...lol