College of Direct Support
At MHDS, Inc. we believe our employees are our greatest investment. We strive to provide a fair and relaxed atmosphere that encourages employees to work at their highest level of ability. When employees encounter barriers in their job, they are encouraged to contact their immediate supervisor. MHDS, Inc. expects all employees to treat their clients, co-workers, and management staff with respect and promote a healthy positive work environment.
Employees are expected to attend all required trainings as assigned or requested.
All employees are required by DIDS (Division of Intellectual Disabilities) to complete online training through the College of Direct Support. The link to the left, CDS, provides instructions on how to access the College of Direct SuThe College of Direct Support is the Division of Mental Retardation Services (DMRS) training website for all employees who work for a DMRS Provider Agency.
All employees at MHDS, Inc. must complete this online training during their initial orientation. Annually, employees are required to take refresher courses online in the areas of Title VI and Universal Precautions.
Initial Employment Orientation Training
All new employees will complete their online orientation training at the Administrative Office. During this time, the training staff can assist the new employee with the training and will be available to answer questions regarding the training or use of the computer. Initial Orientation Training normally takes up to 40 hours to complete. Expert computer users, or staff who have worked in the DMRS field for sometime may take less hours to complete the online training.
Annual Refresher Training Online
Employees will be notified in advance of trainings that are due. The employee should also keep up with their training dates to ensure that they do not go over the due date. The due date for all annual refreshers is 365 days from the previous training date.
The Annual Refreshers include only: Title VI and Universal Precautions. CPR, 1st Aid, and Medication Trainings are still conducted in a classroom setting and not online.
Employees can complete their online refresher trainings from any computer that has internet access (should use DSL, Cable, or Broadband connections—Dial up internet will not work with the online training).
Employees will be compensated for 1 hour of work time for the completion of these annual refreshers regardless of the amount of time taken to complete the tests. Employees must notify their supervisor of the date and time that they completed their training during the applicable pay period so that their time can be processed for payroll.
To access the College of Direct Support Online Training system
- Log onto the College of Direct Support website at http://www.collegeofdirectsupport.com/tn/
- Login to the system using your user name/password:
- User name is the 1st letter of your first name, last name, last 4 digits of your social security number. Ex. jdoe1234
- The password is: hello
- Once you are logged into the system you will see a list of “lessons due”. Click view to see the lessons due. Complete all lessons due. Be sure to take the pre-test and post-test on any training that requires both.
- Once you have completed the tests, your information and score will be confirmed by the Agency Trainer and a copy of your test will be printed and forwarded to your personnel file.
If you have difficulty with the refresher courses, you are encouraged to contact your supervisor or the agency trainer for assistance with the tests or computer use.
