direct support professional

licensed practical nurse

shift manager

direct support caregiver

charge nurse

Open Arms Care

The only reason I stayed on with them for 11 years was the loyalty I felt to the clients, who I loved like family. The company itself was not at all employee friendly; it was well known that you were expendable, it ran like a high school and the only opportunity for advancement was to be in with the "popular clique". Raises were frozen multiple years in a row, after 11 years I only ever made $13 an hour and that came through the day after putting in my two week notice. I went through 18 managers at the particular house I worked at in my years there. Program specialists made squat while being expected to clean up bodily functions (be puked and pooped on, bled on, bit, hit or covered in gastric juices if someone's jpeg came out for example) and be in charge of the wellbeing of 8 individuals while working whatever hours and shifts management told you to work in order to compensate for the ridiculous amount of turnover; and mostly from people being fired. Senior staff got no perks. Being a loyal employee was never rewarded. You still worked holidays and 12 hour shifts on the weekends or 3rd shift even if you had been there for 20 years. If inclimate weather occured and you were stuck there for days, you would only be paid 16 hours a day and required to stay while not being paid for the other 8 hours. I could go on and on and on and on. I would not recommend anyone to seek employment at this company nor would I ever recommend it as a facility to put a loved one in. Ever. If you are one step from being homeless, go get a job at McDonald's instead.

If you want a job where you’re disrespected and worked to the bone with minimal pay, you’ve found the right place. The clients are the only reason why I come to work each day. The pay is minimal. You’re expected to work as long as they (management) needs and wherever management needs. There are clients and staff positive with co-vid, and they expect you to come to work with the same pay while you’re risking you and your family’s health to work in such an environment. The only notification given about positive clients and patients haven’t been from management and Headquarters, but through the grapevine by employees. There is no hazard pay when working with positive clients, so don’t ask, you’ll literally be laughed at.  Their co-vid protocol is lacking and needs readjusted if they expect to keep employees currently. Expect $1000 bonus if you live and work with positive clients for weeks if they even choose you, but if you aren’t willing to live with them, you’re expected to do all the work while risking your health for your same lousy pay. The only incentives “offered” are if you work more than 40 hours a week, otherwise there are no incentives for just being a hard-working, dedicated employee. You have to work your life away in order to be recognized and appreciated. If you don’t have the heart to do the nitty-gritty for the clients in sometimes risky environments and worked to the bone for little pay, I would look elsewhere. 

It can be a very good place to work however they need structure. This place turnover rate is ridiculous high and the management team fail to see where the real problem exists. You cannot run a company playing favoritism and not seeing yourself.  Don't get me wrong they will help you to get any training that you need to be the best in your job position, but they can bring you down with all the foolishness that goes on.  Working there I learned many things and it's definitely a place for growth.  Management is not fair and they have pickers and choosers.  This is not good. You cannot hang out with people and place them in positions when you know that they are full of mess. Everybody is not management material; I don't care what kind of degree you have.  A degree don't make you suitable for a job when you know how to treat others. I think that your personal life and professional life should be separate.  The hardest part of the job is dealing with people that say one thing and do another; not realizing that people talk and it get's back to you, especially when it's coming through management. They are not fair when it comes to salary increase.  It depends on who you are not what you do per say. I actually enjoyed the job, working with the clients and learning about individuals with mental disabilities.
Overall the company can be a "great place to work"!  It definitely need some changes throughout the company.

1. A Typical Day at Work:
Each day can vary but, a typical day involves assisting residents with their daily living activities such as bathing, dressing, and meal preparation. Time is also spent engaging clients in recreational and social activities, attending appointments, and ensuring they are in a safe and supportive environment.

2. What You Believe You Learned:
Working here has taught me the value of empathy, patience, and effective communication. I learned how to adapt quickly to different situations, work as part of a team, and how to handle situations and ensure the operations are up to state codes.

3. Management:
Management is generally supportive and focused on the well-being of both staff and clients.

4. Workplace Culture:
The workplace culture emphasized teamwork, respect, and compassion. Staff members often built strong bonds with the clients and with each other, creating a sense of community.

5. The Hardest Part of the Job:
The challenging part is when staff doesn't do what is needed, and this could make the clients go without or cause a delay in their care.

6. The Most Enjoyable Part of the Job:
The most rewarding part was building relationships with the clients and seeing the positive impact of your care in their daily lives. Celebrating milestones, helping clients achieve a personal goal, or simply seeing them smile make all the hard work worthwhile.

The clients are the best part of this job..  It used to be a fun and amazing place to work but the moral is at a all time low within the last 5 years. MManagement is lazy, inconsiderate and inconsistent. Houses are down so many staff but only a select few will assist with coverage. They treat staff any kind of way and the moment you cant help they write you off. They make open promises to staff just to get you to work shifts and never follow through with what you were offered. The staff that actually do care they seem to get rid of them. OAC cares only about money and to ensure that all beds are filled without fully evaluating clients. The level 6 clients that do live there staff cant handle and no one seems to care but constantly placing staff under investigation and still not equipping staff with the proper training. OAC will set you up for failure and still put blame on you.. and the Executive Director is afraid of the behavioral clients so he rarely works with them. 

Working at Open Arms Care presents a challenging dichotomy. The direct experience with the clients is genuinely rewarding—their resilience, growth, and the personal connections forged are the highlights of the job. Providing support and seeing their daily smiles is what truly anchors one’s passion for this field.
However, the organizational reality creates significant strain. The staff is consistently overworked due to insufficient staffing levels, leading to burnout and a struggle to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Furthermore, the feeling of being undervalued is pervasive, largely stemming from unfair compensation that does not match the heavy emotional and physical labor required.
The combination of low pay and high demand makes interacting with a stressed, and at times, resentful team difficult, detracting from the mission. While the clients deserve every effort, the internal culture and operational pressures need urgent attention from management to ensure staff can deliver sustainable, quality care.

This company is so poorly managed,  I'm surprised they haven't gone under yet!  Although I worked with some very nice and helpful individuals,  it doesn't make up for the horrible managers and administrators who control the company.   As direct support staff, you're expected to do as your told and never question anything management does or asks you to do.  You're also expected to work every weekend!  Employees are expendable and the well-being of the clients is less important than saving a buck here and there.  Turn over rates are phenomenally high while the starting salary gets lower and lower though the years.

The more uneducated you are, the more they like you in this company.  Promotions are based on popularity, not knowledge,  loyalty,  or skill.  I'd also like to note that a man who has been with the company for years, has been repeatedly inappropriate with female staff members.  Funny,  all of us who've reported the behavior have been let go, but he still retains his position with the company.

This company assists mentally challenged and disabled people with life skills in order to help live as much of a "normal" life as possible. I learned how to communicate/connect with mentally challenged people, how to properly care for them and how to keep them and myself protected should an unsafe situation arise. Management was not as hands-on as they were constantly in class learning new and effective ways to care for the clients as well as keeping up with state laws. Most of the co-workers were team players and understand the common goal to ensure the clients were well taken care of. The hardest part of the job was making sure each client received as much attention as needed and making sure there were no "favorites" involved. The most enjoyable part of the job was the smiles on clients' faces when they accomplished something they had not been able to do in the past.

OAC could be a great place to live and/or work. But, the drama and hateful attitudes ruin that chance. I never called in sick during my 10 months of employment with OAC. However, I voluntarily quit when a young, male coworker caused a hostile work environment and came at me in a threatening manner. Management does nothing to stop the drama or hostile conditions. It broke my heart to see clients talked to in a hateful, cruel mannor. However, if it's reported, management labels you as a trouble maker. I worked OT on my days off because OAC had such a huge shortage of employees. You are not appreciated even if you give 110%. I don't regret working for OAC because I truly loved helping the clients. However, the State needs to step in because they are fed horrible, cold food at their Day Program and staff is more concerned about gossip and not the client's well being.

I started with OAC on an agency contract in 2017. I loved it so I came on as a full time nurse in 2019. I have worked all shifts here. I am now a Primary Site Nurse (charge nurse) and I have been in this role for 5 years. Nursing management is far surpasses any other place I have ever worked for. Our HSD and RN Supervisors are very knowledgeable and accommodating to any and all needs we have with our personal life. They encourage us to use our PTO and rarely deny any PTO request. If you are looking to further your education, they work very hard to accommodate any scheduling needs. They nursing management knows the job and are willing to jump in and be hands on any time help is needed. Low nurse to client ratio. Good benefits. Best part of the job is the clients we serve! 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Direct support professional 114 salaries reported	$16.64 per hour
Licensed practical nurse 166 salaries reported	$28.70 per hour
Shift manager 81 salaries reported	$19.22 per hour
Direct support caregiver 27 salaries reported	$17.25 per hour
Charge nurse 16 salaries reported	$30.50 per hour

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