licensed practical nurse

direct support professional

speech language pathologist

driver

physical therapist

Wendell Foster

I loved this job dearly- but management ruined it for me. 

Let me just start off by saying that WF as a whole is a AMAZING company. The higher ups are so friendly and helpful. The mission as a whole is a beautiful concept that is very well carried out. It is the management inside the cottages that ruins it. My manager/supervisor in particular was very snobby, rude, condescending, and made me feel like I didn't know how to do my job that THEY trained me to do. 

I loved most of my coworkers, they made dealing with unsavory people a little bit better. 

The residents are WONDERFUL. They are just amazing people that I am so honored to have gotten the privilege to work with and take care of. I miss them daily. 

The hardest parts of the job were mostly the fact that the company was so understaffed only paying $11/hr at the time that we each had upwards of four residents each. I feel that I was unable to properly spend adequate time with each of my residents. By the time I got done with one thing, fifty other things needed to be done at the same time. It wouldn't have been as bad if there were a few more staff members to take the load off. 

Overall, the company itself gets a 10/10 for me. Amazing mission, amazing concept, amazing residents.

Management gets a solid 2/10 for not helping, acting entitled, making you feel inferior to them, and not providing constructive criticism or feedback. They instead opt for making you feel humiliated instead of helping to correct the issue at hand. 

I would definitely try here again if some changes were made. For now however, I wish the residents the best of luck, and I thank the company for giving me an opportunity. 

The only thing I loved about working for Wendell foster is the enrichment and love that I gained working with the residents there. I have a lot of passion for my job and what it entails. But Wendell foster is ruined by greed and poor management. People are fired for no reason without hesitation they do not have the decency to even do it in person. Staff face daily physical harm from residents who are combative. But they do nothing to help. Instead of getting the residents the help they need they fire the staff who are run down and physically and mentally exhausted. There are not enough staff to deal with the behavioral issues at hand especially on night shift. It also puts other residents at risk and under a constant state of stress and anxiety from being in their rooms constantly for their safety. They allow the residents who are causing harm and dismay to stay there because they bring in more money to the company never mind the danger to staff and other residents who cannot even set in the common areas and enjoy socializing and having interaction. They suffer  because they do not receive the care they deserve because behaviors from other residents take all staff to deal with. I say all staff because they determined four people were enough to deal with the behaviors and to have someone on the floor to monitor the safety of the other residents. Which is in fact not enough. 

The DON plays favorites and creates a divide between managers and supervisors against the nurses. If we can't find the managers or supervisors it's because they are made to  do the job of 3 people. The night supervisors are a joke. They aren't allowed to make decisions without asking, not qualified to supervise and are told to make us do tasks without help. They made the last supervisor quit. She was always here and always having to work the floor. Now we have an idiot that sont even know simple tasks. They leave when they want and never answer their phone. Human resources dont do anything and are very rude also. They know that the DON is the problem. This place will not be a good place to work until all management and HR changes starting with the DON. I've never worked under a more inappropriate DON that has a LPN make her decisions. 
DSP supervisors are also a joke and have more authority than the nurses and make nursing decisions without the education. The ones on night shift are lazy and a couple of them are sleeping with all the staff and are rude to staff. One has even been harassing to others and HR does nothing.  
This place fires people or runs them off if they dont like you. Never fires for poor performance as long as you fit the cliches. 
They are not person centered to residents.  What they show on social media is to make people think they are to get money.

Working at Wendell Foster has been an incredibly rewarding experience. The organization fosters a culture of compassion, support, and growth, making it stand out as an exceptional workplace.

1. Purpose-Driven Environment:
Wendell Foster’s mission to enhance the quality of life for individuals with disabilities is truly inspiring. Every day, I feel like the work I do has a positive impact, and it’s fulfilling to be part of an organization that cares deeply about the community it serves.

2. Supportive Management and Leadership:
The leadership team is approachable, transparent, and genuinely invested in the well-being and success of its employees. Managers encourage open communication and provide valuable feedback, which has been instrumental in my professional growth.

3. Career Development Opportunities:
Wendell Foster offers numerous opportunities for professional development. Through on-the-job training, mentorship, and access to workshops, I’ve been able to expand my skills and advance in my career. The organization is committed to helping its employees reac

I love working with the Folks that live at Wendell Foster Campus. I have worked as a direct support professional for the past nine years, and it has been a very rewarding job. We work on assisted daily living skills, you will help them with dinner, bathing, and with hygiene needs. With that being said, we do not do those things for our folks we complete programs that they have and help them become as independent as possible. Management is improving daily and they show each day that they care about their employees by giving them both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Management is working on taking care of negative matters that occur as quickly and efficiently as possible as they arise. The most enjoyable part of the job is getting to know the individuals that you are working with. I have loved finding out what motivates them, what they enjoy doing and helping them meet goals. Working as a DSP you work 12 hour shifts, I like working 12 hour shifts but some people may not.

A typical day at work was helping three or more residents to bed, making sure the rest of the residents was comfortable and all their personal needs were met. I also made sure that the cottage was cleaned and organized. I learned how to have how to be respectful and patient while having time management skills. If we ever had a problem with another shift or employee (they did not finish/do their tasks for the day) then we could always go to our manager, and he would try to get it fixed in a timely manner. For the most part everyone got along and make sure residents need was met. We all loved to make sure the residents was happy and content with whatever they was doing at the moment. At the end of the day, when you finished all of your work in a timely manor, made you always have the best feeling in the world, because you know you made a difference in someones' life.

Im not sure who has rigged this vote they keep talking about, but i worked here for years and never talked to a single person who would say its the best place they worked. Some of the residents will touch your heart in ways you never expected, they will be the reason you stay, others will be physically aggressive and when they are you are met with no support and only told what YOU did wrong. There is no support or respect for the DSP position and they run you ragged constantly piling more on your plate with no help in sight. Behavior is a joke who comes up with plans using fake science for residents they've never had real life experience with and talk down to you when you need help. They think they own your time and constantly demand you work extra up to 16 hour days. Constantly fire people for any reason they come up with that day they just repeatedly remind you it doesn't matter if you're there or not. 

A typical night shift consists of engaging in activities with individuals, preparing and dispensing snacks, assist them with bathing and personal hygiene, lay each of them down, while they are sleeping DSPs are required to clean and stock the cottage, make sure they stay dry and content in bed, get the ones that need to be up at the right times, and feed them breakfast. I have learned compassion and patients from the lovely individuals at Wendell Foster. They are such sweethearts. In the cottages, teamwork is a must to keep in the routine of things and is implemented by each co-worker. The hardest part of the job, though, is the fast pace and quick thinking. The newer you the more it is to get accustomed to it, BUT it is worth it. The most enjoyable part of the job, are the individuals. They brighten your day and put new perspectives to life.

Wendell Foster is such a special place to work.  I work in the physical therapy department and we have a tight knit group of professionals whom I like to also call friends.  The therapists all range in various levels of experience so there are plenty of people to bounce ideas around.  We work great as a team as well.  Not only do the physical therapists work well together but we are in the same building with speech therapists and occupational therapists which makes for a really cool holistic therapeutic environment. I also love the diversity of our caseload.  We have patients ranging in age from newborns to the elderly.  We have individuals with challenging and rare diagnosis and very common diagnosis.  I love this place.

o	Monitor daily activities
o	Set and Achieve goals
o	Medical terminology knowledge
o	Substantial documentation 

* I learned how to communicate with individuals in there own way. Empower the residence to do normal things on a daily bases. 

* I worked in the cottages where there are more than 3 DSP to help assist 10-12 residents that live there. 

* The hardest part about this gob was dealing with anger issues with some residents.

* The most enjoyable part about this job was being able to witness the residents doing something on there own that you have been working on with them with. 

* You also take the residence on outings so they can feel like everyone else and be part of the community.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Licensed practical nurse 11 salaries reported	$33.41 per hour
Direct support professional 1 salary reported	$16.00 per hour
Speech language pathologist 5 salaries reported	$74,000 per year
Driver 4 salaries reported	$15.00 per hour
Physical therapist 5 salaries reported	$82,500 per year

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