RN Jobs As An MDS Coordinator
The MDS Coordinator is responsible for preparing reports, assessments and careplans in accordance with the rules and regulations of local public health departments, and to maintain compliance in licensing at long term health facilities as they pertain to the Medicare system. These RN jobs have the nurse conferring with other members of the interdisciplinary team such as nursing staff, social services staff, activities staff, dietary staff and the rehab staff. The physician can also contribute their input into the assessment.The MDS Coordinator must have great interpersonal and communication skills because in addition to coordinating resident assessments, the coordinator is usually responsible for coordinating careplan meetings which can include not only the resident, but family members as well. The MDS Coordinator is usually responsible for implementing a comprehensive plan of care for the resident. Since the coordinator is a nurse, they will develop the nursing careplans, while other department will coordinate their corresponding careplans.
The MDS Coordinator must also be prepared to perform the duties that any staff nurse would. These include, but are not limited to lifting, working different shifts, exposure to clinical areas and chemicals and direct patient care. The MDS Coordinator can also encounter frequent interruptions in their workday. This can become very challenging because the assessments that are needed for facility compliance are time sensitive and need to be electronically transmitted to the facility"s state office before a specified deadline.
With meetings and seminar attendance that is often required by most coordinator, the completion of their work can sometimes be challenging, to say the least. However, RN jobs for the MDS Coordinator offer flexibility in scheduling, as most facilities will allow their coordinators to choose working hours that are convenient to the nurse. Also, the nurse who chooses employment as an MDS Coordinator has less exposure to higher stress levels that are often encountered when the nurse works on the "floor."
Most MDS Coordinator job opportunities are available at skilled nursing homes or long term care facilities. Many hospitals that have extended care units also have the need to employ qualified MDS Coordinators. There are many seminar and continuing education opportunities for this highly specialized field of nursing. As the population continues to age, skilled nursing facilities will continue to need the expertise of the competent MDS Coordinator to fulfill their Medicare reimbursement requirement documentation.
RN jobs as MDS Coordinators can be a permanent career choice for the registered nurse or it can be a temporary job change from actual bedside nursing. Although the coordinator will have patient contact at the beside, it"s nowhere near the amount of direct patient care that the staff nurse will encounter. This can be a welcome change to the staff nurse who is seeking a change.