clinician

case planner

youth counselor

licensed practical nurse

supervisor

mercyFirst

I worked for MercyFirst for two years from 2018-2020. I absolutely loved my time at this organization. I was lucky enough to work in a department that was willing to take a newly graduated social worker under their wing and teach them all about foster care in NYC. I was able to work in various aspects of foster care such as housing, education, employment, and so much more. The knowledge and work experience that I was able to gain from my time at MercyFirst is not something that is taken lightly. My coworkers and supervisors were always willing to provide support and guidance when needed. During my time at MercyFirst I truly felt like I was part of the bigger culture of the MercyFirst family. I was allowed the opportunity through meetings and trainings throughout the city to feel like I had a part and a voice in the foster care system. The absolute best part of working at MercyFirst is the work that you get to do with the foster youth and their families. I was able to build relationships with my kids and watch them grow and mature right before my eyes and nothing is better than that!

I would probably never return to MercyFirst for employment, but I'm thankful for where it got me. VERY high stress, constant change, lack of support from upper management, often high caseloads with very complex cases. I was not fully equipped or trained for what I got myself into as a caseworker here. You have to be ready to expect the unexpected everyday including cursing teens, angry family members, fights, court, home visits ect. There can really be an unrealistic work load and expectations here with a significant lack of support. I will say that I made life long friends in my colleagues that provided more support than I ever could have imagined. I also learned a lot in my time there in regards to time management, flexibility, team work, patience and crisis management. The kids that I worked with still remain in my heart and is the main reason to work here. The pay and benefits in my opinion are average for a non-profit. A great place to start a career but difficult to advance. You will also likely burn out quick as many days you will work well past 5:00!

Mercyfirst is a very supportive environment who values their employees and gives recognition for the hard work and dedication staff puts into their work. As in any residential facility, this is a fast paced environment with high demands and is to be expected which does take a certain kind of worker and may not be for everyone. As a front line worker sometimes in this field it can be challenging to separate yourself from the day to day work the job entails however, I have found the agency pushes for a strong work life balance. I have been in a wide variety of positions within the agency always experiencing extremely supportive supervisors, the agency seeks to enhance your education and training,  is open to working with you on your personal goals within your field, and there is a lot of room for growth which I appreciate in an agency. 

I was very excited when I first started working here and while it is different every single day the morale has just gone down over the last 2-3 years. 

Working at the group home within MercyFirst that I was a part of was an overall great experience.  There was a very family oriented feeling with all of my coworkers.  We all knew we supported each other no matter how stressful the situations we were in with the residents of the group home.  Working with the age range at the group home, eight-fourteen years old, requires someone who is very active, involved with the boys, and dedicated to helping them with the good and bad times throughout each shift.  My time at MercyFirst would have been better if all the youth support counselors felt the same way and got more involved with the boys and did not trigger the boys as much while on their shift.  All in all I would work for the organization again if I could afford to live off the pay of a youth support counselor on Long Island.

MercyFirst: Each day I provide a health, safe and secure environment for residents and their children within care of the grouphome. I tend to their menu, prepare meals, provide transportation, medication, supervision, moral and emotional support. Management works hard to support staff. What Ive learned working at MercyFirst is a grander understanding of the need to care for our youth in a controlled and safe environment or they will never be able to thrive. My co-workers are very supportive and we communicate on the daily bases about the residents and current activities. The hardest part of the job is seeing children come and go. The most enjoyable part of the job is seeing children come and go with a bright future ahead.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Benefits and flexibility  all holidays off

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Leadership makes decisions based on emotions and friendship  not business

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Very diverse and inclusive  but favoritism is obvious  you have to be liked by leadership whether you can do the job or not

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Putting out fires and constantly doing damage control so your work plans take second place

What is the best part of working at the company?
A great place to learn about the court system and how lawyers and judges really work. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
You use your own car for everything and the pay is before market value especially if you come on through salary. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The work environment was always great. Everyone was like a family except for the managers. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Go to the office, make calls, make schedules, follow through on them and document.

Poor supervisor/ management - was not allowed to have sick time nor vacations ( without being called about work or receiving pushback for even considering taking days off) and supervisor never provided any support and consistently ignored my request for help/ guidance. 
Lack of benefits- I was told that they have great benefits but was not given to me and when requested for such benefits never received a response back from HR. 
Overall- you get hired with such promising benefits and etc, however, the job would leave you exhausted, burnt out, not able to be flexible with work/ personal life, and stuck in a toxic workplace environment. 

Unless you are an extreme multitasker this job is not for you. You may do the child to benefit the family but the job is more about maintaining the numbers so that the agency remains open. Some of the management staff lack professionalism and utilize their position to antagonize the workers.  The work staff spend most of the time back stabbing each other for a job that lacks advancement.  If your looking to move up in the company or to advance your education in any way this is not the place for you. The turn over rate is extremely high and the workers are stressed out as well as under paid.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Clinician 3 salaries reported	$78,667 per year
Case planner 3 salaries reported	$42,500 per year
Youth counselor 1 salary reported	$19.00 per hour
Licensed practical nurse 1 salary reported	$33.50 per hour
Supervisor 1 salary reported	$72,500 per year

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