Turned in my Resignation

Specialties MDS

Published

I'm an LPN and have been the MDS Coordinator at a 105 bed facility for 7 mths. I was hired with no experience, and got approximately 1 week of training (from a corporate MDS consultant for the company) spread out over a couple of weeks. When I was hired, the DON at the time (their on the 3rd one now) told me that they would try not to work me on the floor, so the MDS work could get done. Nobody else in the building has done this job, so they couldn't help me at all. I've worked M-F, at least 8 1/2 hrs a day, and at times, I work weekends to get caught up.

The MDS consultant also assists in the MDS billing for my facility, and has told me over & over, what a great job I'm doing. But, I've never had a job review/evaluation - nor has anyone come around to 'check' that I'm doing the job correctly.

This past Friday I was in a department head meeting, and it was told to me that I would need to be added to the 'on call rotation' (which is a week at a time) as part of my job. During this meeting, teamwork was also talked about, and suggestions that we 'dept. head nurses' need to work together to see that things get done (because we're in our state survey window).

What pi**es me off the most, is that nobody ever came to me and said, "hey we could really use your help out on the floor - would you mind picking up some hours?" And when I was 2 weeks behind on the MDS', nobody talked about team work and giving me any assistance when I needed it. So, I went to the administrator, and turned in my 30 day notice.

I've known for months that I didn't want to keep working at this facility - there's alot of angry people working there, I have to fight with the other team members to get them to turn in their parts of the MDS, and many of the dept. heads haven't had any sort of raise for years.

Specializes in MDS/Office.
The only people that update the care plans in our facility are the MDS nurses. Tara

Poor Things......:jester::jester::jester:

Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Home Health.

Well I am applying for mds job within the new facility I am at. If they do not give it to me I have a job offer at a hospital . The other facility that I worked for did not adequately train me not to mention the other mds coordinator was slack to say the least and called out frequently and also did not know medicaid. But yet because I was NEW MDS nurse it was all my fault. It had nothing to do that I was pulling her load too. She even told DON and corporate mds nurse she was burnt out. After having our 2cnd review in which prob 90% of the assessments were mine and only 2 were found without enough supporting documentation and they didn't loose money. We were told that it wasn't good enough that they couldn't promise us a job. I had only missed one day at work while I was there. So I walked out with dignity. we were pulled to the hall all the time covering when everyone else was out. We were on call one week a month. And then they even had me working one weekend a month as charge which took away two days from mds nurse position. The company I am at now does not require mds nurse to take call or be pulled to the floor! Wish me luck!

Specializes in MDS/Office.

MSRosebud28.....

I'm glad you are now working for a Company that values their MDS Coordinators. Good for You & Good Luck!! :yeah:

Specializes in Long term care-geriatrics.

The facility you worked for obviously doesn't understand that the MDS can make or break a facility. MDS must be done timely inorder to get the appropriate funds. The MDS must have appropriate documentation of where all the information came from so the facility will not lose money. I will say that the MDS's from the summer cause that the facility to get a default rate which is usually around $100. The facility will always have problems keeping a nurse doing MDS if the MDS nurse has to take call. The MDS nurse is all ready under stress and doesn't need call stress to. We used to call our On Call Week, "Hell Week." They should make ALL the nurses take some call time. I did that and the people that called out alot eventually got worked out.

Specializes in gerontology.

Several years ago, we had a survey going, and some of the surveyors had issues with MDS work not being up to their standards. It was because I had to hurry them to keep up! (I got pulled to the floor at least one morning a week, and shared w/e rotation with 6 other nurses. ) The end result of that survey is that I have never once been pulled away from my MDS position to work the floor! I do believe they had a talk with adm. and "suggested" keeping the MDS nurse on task for her work only., We have never once had a deficiency involved in MDS production, and I am happy to say I complete all comprehensive MDS' in a building of 245-275 residents.

Specializes in long term care - MDS.

I've been talking with several other "old timers", venting our frustrations, low staffing, poor moral, no support at the facility or corporate level. No one seems to put any money into the facilities anymore. I can't tell you how many have peeling wallpaper, cracks and leaks. We've actually been coersed at several different facilities to come in on our time off and paint, hang pictures and generally spruce up the place. Actually had a VP suggest it to me.

What I don't understand is, why wouldn't a company want to have the best facility in the area? Attact potential customers, make staff proud of the care they provide? Is it that most of the residents are either mcr or mcd recipients and who knows when the money will run out? We've noticed the decline over the years, but the last few make employees act like dog eat dog. Each one of us love the elderly, heck some of us will be there soon enough, desire to give good care and a little TLC. Must be health care in general and probably a lot of other companies. If things don't change, we're afraid if the whole thing doesn't collapse from the outside, it's going to implode from the inside. We used to have the best healthcare in the world. We can't say that anymore.:( Maybe some of you youngsters can come up with a movement toward better care and better outcomes. You are the future. Maybe AANAC is a start, other nsg organizations. NURSES UNITE!!!

Specializes in gerontology.

OMG! Where is the survey process in giving deficiencies for poor upkeep of the physical building? there should be some fines given at the very least and these places put into code. Nursing Staff is there to care for the person, not to fix the building...unless it is something special that is over and above routine maintenance and a group takes it upon themselves to do so. I can't believe management would suggest that you do that!

Specializes in long term care - MDS.

it's not the first time, or the first company. maybe some is mismanagement by admin. had one order a $6000 conference table and chairs, when it could go for new dressers, gerichairs, a nice paint job, maybe a new roof. maybe those things come out of different budgets. i'd rather see a nice area, an atrium even, where residents could sit in the sunshine and feel as though they were outdoors. the state's never come in the pouring rain, maybe they should.

i thought it was the landlords fault since we rent the building from another company. then i found out the other company was one of our subsidiaries.

we cleared with state today so i feel a little better. sorry to be a downer. i guess i'm an idealist and what i've seen isn't ideal. there is one new facility in the area, non profit, religious group. maybe that's how it should be.

right now, i'll keep chugging along, doing the best i can. get to know the residents better and maybe make them smile a little. i know i enjoy them and that's what has to count. thanks for letting me blow off steam.

Specializes in GERIATRIC.

Does it happen all of the time or just occasionally? If it's only once in a while then I would stay. They do the same thing to me but I like starting IVs because it keeps my skills up.

I have been an mds nurse for a very long time. Recently changed jobs several months ago in order to spend more time with the family. What a joke. We have a census in the 170's and 2 mds nurses. We have skilled in the 20's. We do all the insurance updates, morning meeting last 1 1/2 hrs per day, careplan meetings twice a week, therapy meetig daily for 1/2 hr, UR weekly, reports completed weekly and sent to the regional, responsible for updating all the careplans from the telephone orders, in addition to all the other mds duties. We are to do room rounds daily and pass bkf and lunch trays. Working 60-70 hrs a week and still behind 40 assessments and we are told that everyone is busy. There is 8 nurses on duty as well as 4 unit managers but mds still has to update all the careplan from telephone orders. Good luck with getting wound or fall reports let alone immunization info. Computer system moves extremely slow which makes completing mds's difficult. Heaven forbid if you voice how overwhelmed you are because you will be told that you are negative and not a team player. I think it's time to start looking for a new job, maybe even take a break from mds for awhile.

Specializes in MDS/Office.
I have been an mds nurse for a very long time. Recently changed jobs several months ago in order to spend more time with the family. What a joke. We have a census in the 170's and 2 mds nurses. We have skilled in the 20's. We do all the insurance updates, morning meeting last 1 1/2 hrs per day, careplan meetings twice a week, therapy meetig daily for 1/2 hr, UR weekly, reports completed weekly and sent to the regional, responsible for updating all the careplans from the telephone orders, in addition to all the other mds duties. We are to do room rounds daily and pass bkf and lunch trays. Working 60-70 hrs a week and still behind 40 assessments and we are told that everyone is busy. There is 8 nurses on duty as well as 4 unit managers but mds still has to update all the careplan from telephone orders. Good luck with getting wound or fall reports let alone immunization info. Computer system moves extremely slow which makes completing mds's difficult. Heaven forbid if you voice how overwhelmed you are because you will be told that you are negative and not a team player. I think it's time to start looking for a new job, maybe even take a break from mds for awhile.

What you are going through is just plain Nonsense!!

Just the Size of your Building demands MORE MDS Coordinators.

I would Bet that your Building IS Budgeted for more Hours in the MDS Dept.....

But the hours are probably being given to Nursing.....

Hope you are not Salary working all those hours.....

And as for the MDS Dept. updating all the Careplans from the telephone orders, passing trays, etc.....That's a Load of Crap they're Dumping on the MDS Dept.....

Do you have a Corporate person you can go to with your concerns? :)

Unfortunately I am salary. Yes the regional and corporate is all aware. Basically they say its our time management and everyone is busy. What?? It is a revolving door there with admissions and discharges. Our casemix is low but who has time to go out and check charts for orders and visits let alone redo the assessment. One would think that the regional would come help out with that but unfortunately not the case. Just frequent emails that we need to get it up and what to look for. Like we know what to look for but who the time.

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