direct support professional

support specialist

registered nurse

intervention specialist

peer mentor

The Arc Lexington

The hardest part about letting go of this job was letting go of the guys I cared for and the family dynamic that is set. By no means did I leave for any reasons revolving them. They gave me an opportunity I will forever be grateful for by helping me grow individually and professionally. I started working there, caring for 5 individuals. I left there with 5 new friends. 

The easiest part(s) about letting go of this job was the constant disrespect, the social norms set by selfish staff members, and the lack of diffusion between responsibilities. After a while, working here felt like middle school drama. A house staffed with fewer than 8 people, and still so cliquy. Staff members here put their personal lives before their business probably 80% of the time at work. A lot of staff there were there for the wrong reasons; an easy paycheck. And with that being said, it definitely draws in a specific group of people. Ones that really do not care. The word teamwork was praised, but never valued by any real action. The schedule was always an issue, and usually left up to staff to take care of when people would call out. The pay was absolutely ridiculous and not worth the work load at all. All in all, I find it weird how most of the people in this field are people that should not be in it at all. It should be remembered that the people cared for are humans, too and this is more than just a job and paycheck every 2 weeks. I made no money there, but I walked away feeling satisfied every day because I know I tried my hardest for them. Unfortunately, not everyone’s like that. 

Lexington isn’t what the flyers state it to be. You’re over worked, treated badly , walked all over, abused by individuals and staff, underpaid and so much more. Favoritism is high at Lexington and just keeps getting worse. You have staff that show up late, don’t show up for shifts, don’t follow rules, endanger individual CONSTANTLY and still get promoted, rewarded with gift cards and not written up. While the staff that actively do their job well and support the individuals will get treated badly constantly and written up for something stupid like not mopping. The individuals at the job are amazing and it’s definitely rewarding to see them improve as you work with them but the staffing is a deal breaker. I wouldn’t recommend anyone working at Lexington. There are other ARC’s around that pay more, have better benefits and better staff.  If you do end up working at Lexington just be part time or per Diem. It’s so much easier, you don’t have to deal with the drama. Lexington is a company that has marketed off of people with intellectual disabilities and nothing more.

Daily duties included assisting multiple individuals with bathing getting dressed and serving breakfast. Administering medications, cleaning and community involvement programs. I learned a lot from this company, becoming CPR and first aide certified, learning proper ways to deal with a behavioral individual and connecting with many of them personally. Management was dis organized and always changing hands. A manager for a specific house could be there one day and gone the next. Co workers were passive and would push off the harder tasks to the newest employee. The hardest part of the job was getting attached to the individuals you assisted on a daily basis. The job requires movement through many houses and you may only be with certain individuals for a month and then never see them again. The most enjoyable part of this job was being able to better the lives of disabled individuals, making them smile and laugh, providing them with opportunities they may not have outside of this company.

Absolutely the worst job I've ever had. 

Staff are usually a hit or miss when it comes to being friendly, open, responsible, and understanding. A lot of people here have some sort of superiority complex where they think they're better than everyone else because they can wipe someone better. 

The residents are lovely, and even when they can be a bit difficult that's why we (staff) are here - to help. Some people come in for their shifts and sit on their phones the entire time - some ignore the residents, lounge around, etc. 

I work night shifts currently, still not entirely comfortable with certain houses (especially the larger houses because it can get overwhelming) and sometimes the staff don't understand that. The relief staff office sure doesn't. 

The whole organization is unorganized, there is terrible communication, training is 17 days but yet it's still not enough, and people never get back to you on anything. 

There are few good managers I have met. 
There are few good staff. 

If you want a job where you can feel like you are in limbo every shift, this is the job for you. 

The clients are amazing. I do not regret working with them for a moment. Staff are a different matter - there are not many that are trustworthy - which isn't the company, it's just that it is so easy to be employed here and they need help. Helping people is an honorable job, but there are many here who will never go further in life or climb the ladder in this company and make something of themselves; and they know that. So many come to work miserable - hoping for something more in their life but they lack the motivation/education/or finances to achieve it. Management is touch and go. I started at one house, and my manager is one that I can no longer work for, but I just interviewed for another house and that manager is amazing. So, I guess it is like any place. The pay is terrible, we are worth so much more. But overall, I think almost everyone should experience this kind of work to get some perspective in life. We make more of an impact than we realize and our words and actions are priceless.

Typical days vary depending on the location and position of your job that day. Each daily assignment differs from the next, making it difficult to pinpoint a "typical" work day.
I definitely learned to see through the eyes of an individual with a disability,  weather it be physical,  mental,  or both.  
For a few short months,  I was in a management position for the agency.  Unfortunately,  it wasn't what I thought it would be like, and I demoted myself.  I would prefer not to go into detail so as not to say anything derogatory. 
The hardest part of the job is most definitely the physical interventions. 
The most enjoyable part of the job is when you get to see the joy that an individual gets when he, or she, accomplishes a task they have been working on,  and knowing you helped them to achieve that goal. 

The problem with Lexington is they know we want a pay raise and instead they offer any other thing to try and compensate for it. Last year we got a pay raise of 2.5% it was supposed to be closer to 5% but instead they gave some of it to management. Now management is almost nonexistent, you have some amazing managers who will bend over backwards and do anything for you and others that will literally tell you to suck it up when they haven’t found coverage for a shift. Then you have assistant directors who yet again are either amazing or absolute trash. When they are getting paid 50-60k a year and the average worker for Lexington barely brings in over 25k a year with OT. Lexington itself is a giant click, if your not part of it you won’t succeed or move up in the company, a bad manager can keep you down and they care more about someone working a lot of OT then a competent worker. Someone could get caught sleeping 30 times in a year and they’ll be like but they work 60-70 hours a week for us so it’s fine.

Caring for people is not an easy task especially with limited abilities, but if you can find a niche in doing so it becomes much more than a job these people find their way into your life. You want to do better for them and find yourself looking for ways to improve their daily lives. Like most jobs there are certain pitfalls you would like to avoid. There are chances to move up but if someone else has that same ambition to do so they can and often will throw certain people under the bus to make themselves look better. Management can really have your back or become a hassling force against you depending on your work ethic and people skills. Overall it's a fantastic job/ career opportunity if you make it so, just look out for staffing issues and things of that nature and you could have a great time.

If you happen to get a great team, it's a decent job. But this is rare and the higher the position- the less they care about the good, long tern, overworked staff and people they support. It's all about money to the executives and how much they can be seen (mostly using Flame and Transitions). They cry poverty to employees but charge an insane amount of money per person supported on top of the grants they get by the state. Most of it seems to end up in the pockets of people who only see the staff and supported people for photo opportunities. The pay is definitely not fair for the amount of work and the few new staff they do hire (and end up at times make more than established staff) are lazy and staff who have been loyal to the company pick up the slack, experiencing resentment and burnout for the lack of real support and fair wages.

But a good staff and grateful people we help daily can brighten your day.

With any workplace there are people you won't agree with, but unfortunately it seems like they run the place. Not enough staff follow the protocols and do things their own ways with no repercussions. There are a couple of good managers and staff sprinkled among the worst. Bad behavior is rewarded most of the time in both staff and clients. It seems like they have too much to handle efficiently in all areas and can't keep staff so you have the workload of five people at once. Higher ups don't listen and want a very particular way of doing things, even to an unreasonable level. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Direct support professional 18 salaries reported	$19.92 per hour
Support specialist 11 salaries reported	$20.95 per hour
Registered nurse 17 salaries reported	$38.03 per hour
Intervention specialist 12 salaries reported	$25.56 per hour
Peer mentor 12 salaries reported	$20.72 per hour

Working at The Arc Lexington: Company Overview and Reviews

The Arc Lexington

The Arc Lexington Ratings

Popular jobs at The Arc Lexington

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected