The purpose of this study was to explore whether the ISO reference terminology model for nursing diagnoses could be generalized to the MDS data set that, like nursing terminologies standardizes expressions of the concepts within and relevant to the domain of nursing practice. We first constructed paraphrased expressions of the rubrics from the data set. Next we dissected those expressions into the reference model domains of focus and judgment, recorded any qualifiers required for either domain, and semantic links required to represent associative relations. Our findings demonstrate that the ISO model for nursing diagnoses is generalizable to the MDS data set, however expansions to the model are required if the model is to be used to represent objects rather than terms.