An MDS nurse or MDS coordinator does not have be MDS certified or have an MDS certification in order to start doing MDS assessments! Read on to find out what the actual regulation says. Before discussing this topic, the terminology used need to be considered. Often times, people mistake a “certificate of completion,” or “certificates” as a “certification” or "certified". Especially when it comes to MDS. There is a huge difference. Certificate of Completion- "Demonstrates