These are folks with BSW's and/or MSW's? Gosh I think at that level they'd be more than able to understand and do a RAP. After all the MSW had to do a thesis and that be much more complicated. And they have more education than I do as a diploma nurse. Every social worker I've had the pleasure of working with did both the MDS sections as previously indicated and their RAPs. Some needed my help, seminars or help from their consultants but they did the RAPs and well. I have had some resist doing the RAPs foreigning ignorance, but once it became clear it was part of their job and needed to be done or another social worker who could do the RAPs would be sought the problem cleared up. Yes, we often do the nursing aspect of the MDS, but ideally we should be coordinating the team that deals directly with the resident to complete the assessment and care planning process. I think we need to aim for that as much as possible.
In a message dated 1/5/2004 10:09:38 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
With all due respect to the many overworked, underpaid SNF social workers out there (and there are many), I do not think it reasonable to have a non-medical person work on a delirium RAP. There are too many complex items in the mix: medicines, illness, change of psychosocial status, loss of home, pain, and then mix in a possibly pre-existing dementia. It's unreasonable to expect a BSW, or even an MSW w/o special medical training to work their way thru that RAP. I think they can do cognition (most of them), mood & behaviour, but have often found the Activities person to be much more capable of doing psychosocial than social workers, although they are almost always the ones assigned to it.
Susann Irwin, RN
MDS Coordinator
Garner, NC
