direct support professional

therapeutic staff support

program specialist

program coordinator

site supervisor

Passavant Memorial Homes

Working as a direct support personnel is not just a job for me.it’s a passion and a calling. Spending over 40 hours a week with my consumers means that I form deep, meaningful connections with them. I take immense pride in ensuring that they are not just cared for, but truly thriving in every aspect of their lives. Each day, I dedicate myself to ensuring that my consumers are not only fed, bathed, and medicated, but also emotionally supported and intellectually stimulated. I cherish the opportunity to contribute to their happiness, mental stability, and overall well-being. Witnessing their growth and seeing them learn and thrive brings me immense joy and fulfillment.
!!! However, it’s disheartening to see the limitations imposed by the company’s inadequate staffing levels. My consumers deserve the freedom to enjoy outings and activities outside of their homes, whenever they would like at whatever time they would like (following all protocol and procedures of course) as it is their LEGAL RIGHT!!!!. It’s deeply unfair that they have to endure shifts being posted for someone (possibly a complete stranger or someone they may have only worked with an handful of times)  and uncertainty just to participate in these life experiences and extracurricular activities.
The fact that the company often fails to prioritize outings and doesn’t even bother to respond promptly or effectively when requested is absolutely unacceptable. My consumers deserve better, ALL these consumers deserve better!!! they deserve to live their lives to the fullest extent possible, and it’s my duty to advocate for their rights and well-being all while management  tries to hush every situation away and sweep any kind of mention of wrong doing under the rug while blaming the people who are in charge of them (the higher ups) being the reason the company is so terribly displaced with everything. Even the supervisors/management know what kind of company this is, they will flat out tell you they their selves can’t comprehend why they are the way they are and do the things they do….

Despite these challenges, my commitment to my consumers remains unwavering. I will continue to fight for their​ rights and advocate FOR THEM. If you work for this company and you are more for your supervisors/management then your consumer you are taking care of then shame on YOU!!! The company may sign your paycheck, but you are here for your CONSUMER !!!! Stop acting like what you are doing is making a difference and a change in your consumers everyday life/community life/social life ..and your sitting on your phone while your consumer is in front of a TV all day….. the moral fabric of humanity is in a state of deteriorating turning into decay 

This is a unionized company for the Direct Care staff.  This seems to be an asset to ensure some level of fairness and standards that could otherwise be lacking.  The opinions here could be related to where you work within the company.  For instance, if you work at a group home that does not have a strong, fair, competent leader you may not have a good experience.  If you work under people who choose to be unprofessional or do not set a good standard or follow through with tasks or discipline, your opinion could be quite low.  

My opinion is based on experiencing this industry for many years, in many different aspects.  I think the company is relatively satisfactory based on the ability of staff to bid out of positions that do not appeal to them.  If you can find a house that lines up with what you want and need then this could be your forever job.  

The amount of freedom of direct supervision appeals to me very much and is one of the reasons I like my position.  This works well with people who are familiar with the work and who have a sense of accountability and appreciation of the fact that we have a major impact on the people whom we help support in their day-to-day lives.  Unfortunately, I, too, have witnessed the jaded staff or the staff who never did care about the function and importance of their job that sits and watches their phones and/or the TV - with no regard of what the individuals who live in the house would like to watch or do.  This type of neglect is difficult to report, making things frustrating at times.  Besides, it's too pervasive.  They would have to discipline a huge number of staff.  (So, yes, there needs to be some attention to this glaring lack of standard in this area.)

It doesn't help that the house coordinators are underpaid for the amount of responsibility they take on.  They seem to be on-call all of the time and they have to take the call-offs and find coverage for any openings in the schedule.  If they don't find coverage then they must come in and fill the shift(s).  Most shifts are block shifts with some afternoon, overnight, and daylight positions.

The pay is a little higher than some other organizations in the area.  Of course one organization gives totally free health insurance.  Passavant does not.  The amount of vacation/pto that staff receives is an asset.  (Most companies in the area are generous with pto.)

One other asset of this company for me is the fact that they are not calling staff in for in-person trainings every month, or so.  Most of their training is done within the worksite.

PMH is a good place to work if you are looking to help individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and who can exhibit behavioral problems, but you are underpaid, not appreciated and often taken advantage of from management and your coworkers.  You are part of a union, but since Covid, they have not really been on the side of the employee.  The pay is mediocre, they used to be one of the highest paid companies in the area related to this field, but since Covid, many companies have given their employee significant raises, PMH has not, and are now one of the lowest paying, for those of us who have stuck it out during covid, that is very unfair.  They offer huge sign on bonuses, but can’t offer a decent raise to their faithful employees.  They have a few times given us bonuses and for a limited time have given us extra money per hour, I will give them that, but they should have kept it a permanent raise.   I don’t mean to sound ungrateful but we deserve more than what we are getting, the individuals in our homes are great, but can have behaviors and it can get stressful, but that is in no way the individual’s fault.   If you want to make a difference in the individual’s life, this is a great field for you.  You also can get a lot of overtime, which is wonderful, but you can burn yourself out real quick.

Complete disregard, disrespect, and disdain for their employees. Attempted to take away 60 hours of PTO from all employees with longer service. Contract was voted down, and new contract did take away the majority of the PTO  that newer employees (2 years or less) already had. Voted through unfortunately.  As a new higher you are already screwed. Welcome to Passavant. Sadly things like this is the norm, and they seem to be very okay with it.

As a result, moral is dismal, turnover is rampant both at grassroots level and middle management, lack of support for homes is commonplace; and the company appears to be hanging on by a thread. The worse it gets the more upper management doubles down, is harsh towards employees - and loses them, even and often the best.

With all this said, there are many fantastic people caring for consumers and it is a joy to be in this line of work. Many close relationships made with other staff and consumers. Very rewarding despite poor upper management.

Companies like Passavant are sorely needed, Passavant is still effective, and my hope that this honest review which so many have; would in some way spark a total shift in how Passavant runs things from the top. For they are broken and in need of total repair in their employee relations. Without it, the consumers also are negatively effected in a great way. And that can't be 



Working in a field centered around caring for IDD individuals should come with compassion, professionalism, and support for both staff and clients. Unfortunately, the culture created by upper management reflects the opposite. Employees and lower management are subjected to constant criticism, endless disciplinary write-ups, and unrealistic expectations that make it difficult to feel respected or valued in the workplace. To put it simply, upper management is draconian.

Rather than supporting staff through an already demanding field, upper management frequently belittles employees and lower management, creating a hostile and fear-driven environment. Communication is often unprofessional, and employees are made to feel disposable rather than appreciated for the work they do. Morale is extremely low because staff spend more time worrying about being targeted, blamed, or disciplined than feeling empowered to provide quality care.

The individuals being cared for deserve stable, supported staff, but leadership practices contribute heavily to burnout, stress, and turnover. There are dedicated employees throughout the company trying their best despite the environment, but the lack of respect and unrealistic expectations from upper management make long-term success difficult.

This company has significantly decreased all around for any staff lower then the “Thornhill Elite”. There is honestly a lot of nepotism occurring and very under qualified people who do not support you. They may have the “degree” to back the title but they certainly do not have the actual experience. Especially, when it comes to being a Leader instead of just a manager. They do not work well with all ranges of staff to make a cohesive environment and they certainly do not put the best interests of the people being served first. What company do you know of that has to place “ the individuals we are privileged to serve” and “Our Valued Employees”  If those statements are actually true? I have yet to work for one where the place this statements when the fact is true! This is also evident in staff they have hired over the last few years, and when the concern about this quality of staff is brought forth nothing is done. Some who have been fired recently for good reason miraculously have their jobs back as they have lost that many GREAT employees!! Find another company if you’re truly pationate! They are out there and some pay much more and allow you to feel appreciated and valued!

This company treats the employees like garbage. They are constantly changing the policies to the what they want whenever they want. The management is very disrespectful to the direct support professionals. Management threatens the direct support staff and tries to intimidate staff about getting fired. Management also wants direct support professionals to do their work for them. Calling and demanding staff type up paperwork that the management doesn't want to do. When the staff need help management totally ignores request for assistance, leaving the staff to figure out how to deal with situations that need handled by management. When staff tries to handle management situations then the staff is reprimanded even after asking repeatedly for help. 
The individuals they are supposed to be protecting are treated just as bad as the employees. The company takes their money and has them living in houses that are falling apart and the people they have to do repairs can't change a light bulb. It's a shame that this company gets away with the stuff it does to the employees and the individuals that live in their homes. The employees and the individuals are degraded on a daily basis. 


Due to the culture at this job I am seeking other employment.  There are too many staff who have bullying behavior with other staff and the people we are supporting.  

Nepotism and favoritism are the other prevailing issues with this company.  It is not what you know, but who you know.  This leads to a lot of unqualified and inappropriate choices in who Passavant decides to advance or keep in their current positions.  

There are often challenging behaviors to manage that would be easier managed with the proper support of other staff and leaders.  If there is not enough guidance the behaviors are not managed due to staff mismanagement, neglect, and allowing to bully the people we support in the group homes and at the day program. 

It is hit and miss as far as reporting incidents of abuse.  Some people are suspended immediately; some are not suspended or investigated at all - for similar or worse accusations of abuse or neglect.  Unfortunately there is not consistency in this area.  Staff get the impression that it doesn't matter if you report, or not.

I worked a block shift, which has its pros and cons when you have a family - 3 days on, 4 days off. I had to be there for 56 hours total for those 3 days on, but only get paid for 40. They don’t pay you for sleeping overnight on block shifts, they only pay a pathetic 40-cent “shift differential”. 

The job itself varies from house to house. You can work at a house with individuals who take care of themselves for the most part OR you can work at a house where you’re lifting, dealing with feeding tubes, violent behaviors in which you can’t defend yourself for fear of suspension without pay, and even individuals who don’t sleep at night and keep you awake with their loud and destructive behaviors. 

Management is a total joke and treat you like they can replace you with anyone off the street, even though they’re expendable as well. The turnover rate among RPDs and DSPs is crazy. There’s no consistency in who to call when you need something because people are always quitting/getting fired. 

The best part of the job, however, is getting to know and taking care of individuals who truly need help in their everyday lives. 

Work-life balance
Work-life balance at Passavant Memorial Homes is impossible! site supervisors are expected to be available 24/7 and direct care workers are bothered nonstop to work and work some more and then even more!

Overall
My experience working at Passavant Memorial Homes is simply exhaustion! The upper management sits around patting themselves on their backs on what a great job they are doing while firing hard working people for things like not following the 9 page protocols to go through a drive through with consumers. the protocols are ridiculous and make ZERO sense!!!!! They lie to everyone! watch your back in this company. The pay is very attractive but in the end it’s not at all worth it. They basically babysit their staff and they don’t trust direct care workers to do their jobs. They are sneaky and undeserving of the great staff they do have and show no appreciation towards them. upper management has used covid rewards to reward themselves thousands of dollars and gave workers 150.00! it’s not a good place to work if you want a job that you feel rewarded and appreciated. I would suggest RUN from this company!!!!

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Direct support professional 65 salaries reported	$19.47 per hour
Therapeutic staff support 50 salaries reported	$22.62 per hour
Program specialist 38 salaries reported	$74,342 per year
Program coordinator 7 salaries reported	$70,000 per year
Site supervisor 26 salaries reported	$60,000 per year

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