Long-term care nurses who follow the path of becoming nurse assessment coordinators (NACs) can advance their careers and skill levels through experience and gained knowledge over time. At every stage of professional development, NACs can take steps to boost their knowledge to be prepared and access resources for success.
Part one of this blog series will focus on tips for the new NAC and how to get started in the role.
Tips for the NAC Novice
For new NACs, some of the top tips to start their career and get ahead include:
- Become familiar with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS’s) resources that are crucial to the NAC’s job:
MDS 3.0 RAI User’s Manual and MDS Item Sets
MDS 3.0 Quality Measures User’s Manual
Internet-Only Manuals (IOMs), which include information on Medicare and Medicaid, as well as resources like the State Operations Manual
Internet Quality Improvement & Evaluation System (iQIES), the portal used to submit MDS data and access reports - Join a professional nursing association, such as the American Association of Post-Acute Care Nursing (AAPACN), for more essential resources, tools, education, and a community of experienced NACs.
- Put together a professional development plan/orientation that includes all the areas the NAC needs to know and start gaining that competency. Much of what the NAC needs to know for this specialized role was not taught in nursing school. Thus, this specialized knowledge will have to be learned on the job. NACs may work with a trainer, director of nursing services (DNS), or another NAC in the facility to cover this information. AAPACN estimates that this education should take up to 10 weeks. See AAPACN’s 10-Week Nurse Assessment Coordinator Orientation Guide for more information and a sample plan.
- Learn from more experienced NACs. One of the best ways to get comfortable in the NAC role is to have a community of other NACs to ask questions and learn from. AAPACN’s MDS General Discussion message board in the member exclusive AAPACNConnect community is a great resource to start with and to find others including experts that NACs can depend on for help when needed.
The NAC role can be challenging, but if the right environment is set up to encourage success from the start, nurses can succeed as NACs and be incredible advocates for nursing home residents and their needs, as well as be a crucial member of the interdisciplinary team to produce the best facility outcomes too.
Other AAPACN resources to assist the NAC novice include:
- MDS Essentials
- Medicare Basic Training for the NAC and IDT
- Multidisciplinary Management of Five-Star Quality Measures On-Demand Workshop
- Care Area Assessment (CAA) Training for the IDT On-Demand Workshop
- Quality Measures Survival Guide
- Navigating the Role: Essential Training for New Nurse Assessment Coordinators (this article lists several AAPACN articles and tools helpful for new NACs as well)
AAPACN Quiz and Learning Ladder
Not sure where to start with AAPACN education as a new NAC? Take the AAPACN Education Guide: Where Can I Start? Quiz or review the Learning Timeline for AAPACN Education and Resources.