I have been working at ACR homes as a direct care professional for over 8 months now and absolutely love it. The care that ACR homes provides for their resident's is off the charts and it is so rewarding to be such a vital part of the resident's wellbeing. As a full time college student, ACR has always been very flexible and accommodating to my school schedule which has allowed me to balance work and school with ease. The experience I have gained at ACR is tremendous and has helped me grow in almost every aspect of my life. I hope to become a physician assistant in my future and this job has provided incredible healthcare and direct patient care experience; from medical documentation and administration to communication skills and empathy, my work at ACR has helped me grow as a person and a healthcare provider.
What I wish was different
There is currently low staffing which has added to the workload, however staffing has already improved so much just in the past few months!
Advice
If this is your first patient care job, there is a huge learning curve! I recommend making the most out of your training and shadow shifts, asking lots of questions, and stick with it! It took me about a month after training to get into the groove and feel confident in my skills, it just takes some time so don't give up or doubt yourself :)
1
person found this helpful
Direct Care Professional
November 2021 • Roseville, MN
What I liked
I have been working for ACR Homes for over a year now and I absolutely love it. In the future I am going to physician assistant (PA) school. Working for ACR has taught me valuable skills that I will need in my future education and career. I love working for ACR Homes for a couple of reasons. First, ACR Homes provides all of the necessary training that is needed to perform the job. The training was beneficial for myself because I learned skills that I will need in the future; including CPR and first-aid. Another reason that I love working for ACR Homes is because of the residents. I have built lasting relationships with my residents that I will cherish for a lifetime. I only have positive things to say about ACR and would highly recommend the job to anyone!
What I wish was different
When I first started, the hourly pay was pretty low compared to other healthcare jobs. But, ACR Homes has recently increased their wages!
Advice
Learn as much as you can during the training & shadow shifts and you will do great!
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Direct Care Professional
September 2021 • Shoreview, MN
What I liked
I’ve been working at ACR for 6 months and it has been absolutely amazing. I have had great experiences with residents and have learned so much about caretaking. ACR has a great work environment both supporting the residents and staff. I have gained so much knowledge and experience with medical equipment through my time at this job. Working as a direct care professional is perfect for people trying to get patient care hours. Overall I think ACR is inherently a rewarding job that provides much more than simply getting a paycheck.
What I wish was different
I wish there had been better starting pay. Some starting pay is 12 and hour which seems really low for what the job requires.
Advice
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Direct Care Professional
April - October 2021 • New Brighton, MN
What I liked
Caring for others, and learning about developmental disabilities and how they are just like everyone else. It was such a touching experience
What I wish was different
The house I worked at has been short-staffed so it was hard to say no to shifts when I was in school. Wish I could have stayed longer
Advice
Think to yourself before judging others, you don't know where they have been, what they have gone through, or who they are. Everyone is different and the individuals I took care of are the strongest and most kind individuals I know.
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Direct Care Professional
June 2021 • Woodbury, MN
What I liked
Very friendly environment and fun community of people to work with
What I wish was different
Not requiring you to become a Direct Care Professional in order to have an internship
Advice
Do not intern here unless you want to go into the medical field or want to experience Direct Care
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Direct Care Professional
May - August 2020 • Roseville, MN
What I liked
Great opportunities in the healthcare field and in clinical care. It really allowed for some good clinical experience that is attractive to grad programs. It was also an emotionally awarding position, it allows us to help those who are unable to help themselves.
What I wish was different
I wish the pay had been better. For the work that we did, and no set break/meal times, I felt like we could have been compensated better. They have since upped the wages I believe though, which will definitely make me reconsider going back to work for them.
Advice
Don't be afraid to ask questions or ask for help.
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Direct Care Professional
March 2020 • Roseville, MN
What I liked
I am getting both clinical experience as a Direct Care Professional and research experience with my internship, related to the individuals in the house I work at!
What I wish was different
I wish there was more structure for the research part of the internship.
Advice
Honestly, go into it with an open mind! The internships can be designed any way you want and you can choose what you would like to research.
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Direct care patients
May 2019 • Roseville, MN
What I liked
I love the amazing partnership between Mr. & Mrs. Nelson and their staffs that allows undergraduate students like myself to be able to experience hands on training and a wonderful working environment with members of our community that are in need of support. In addition, you as a worker will grow very close to the resident that whom you are working with. Some days they would make you happy, some will be calm, and some would be amazing. I would recommend this internship to other undergraduate who wants to go into the patient care industry.
What I wish was different
A couple of things that I wish could be different are the training. The overall training was great, one learns a lot from months of training. But I wish that it could be more directly based on the homes and residents where the intern will working at. Since the many months of training at ACR Homes gets the intern used to certain type of training and not the home itself. This is why I feel that other interns are leaving the jobs because currently there aren't enough training dedicated to the "work home" but more towards the general health care side.
Advice
One piece of advice that I want to share about this experience is that after you started the internship or the job. Make sure to get a steadily pace and schedule. I've seen other coworkers who couldn't create a steadily schedule and have to leave the job. But once you get the used of things and how everything runs, it would an amazing experience.
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Direct care professional
July 2019 • Woodbury, MN
What I liked
Working at ACR is a life changing experience. I honestly do not know how I will ever leave because the relationship I have built with my residents. You learn so much valuable information about healthcare, and learn many things about yourself along the way. I cannot recommend working here enough.
What I wish was different
The only downside to this job is the pay. However, I get incentive shifts at least 4 times a month, up to $30 an hour.
Advice
One piece of advice I have is that this is a HUGE learning curve, and it can be difficult to get through. Stick with it, do more shadow shifts, and be patient and this job will be incredibly rewarding!
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Direct care assistance
February 2017 • Roseville, MN
What I liked
Great team and community
What I wish was different
More flexible around the clock. Increase pay
Advice
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Direct Care Professional
October 2018 - September 2019 • Golden Valley, MN
What I liked
I loved having the chance to get to know the ladies at my group home and help them while developing lifelong friendships.
What I wish was different
Nothing!
Advice
Be patient and prepared to always learn and grow- this job keeps you on your toes!
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Direct care professional
May - August 2019 • Plymouth, MN
What I liked
Great experience this summer working with some awesome people. Made many memories.
What I wish was different
Advice
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Direct care
March 2018 • New Brighton, MN
What I liked
So many different opportunities
What I wish was different
Advice
Get involved in the different events for staff and residents
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Direct Care Professional
June 2017 • Arden Hills, MN
What I liked
Enjoy helping the residents, good coworkers, flexible hours
What I wish was different
Lower requirement for number of shifts needed
Advice
Takes about 6 months to get used to the job
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Direct Care Professional
May 2018 • Roseville, MN
What I liked
I liked that this job was very rewarding in the sense that each day after I would go home and feel accomplished because I was able to make a persons life better that day.
What I wish was different
I wish that the pay was better because you definitely do not get paid enough for the amount of work that you do at this job.
Advice
It seems like the workload and everything that the job entails would be overwhelming when in reality it is very doable and easy some days.
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Direct Care Professional
February 2018 • Roseville, MN
What I liked
I love being able to work with people who are unable to completely care for themselves. It is a rewarding experience.
What I wish was different
Advice
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Direct Care
May - August 2018 • Roseville, MN
What I liked
Working with the clients
What I wish was different
Hours
Advice
Know your limit
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Pre-Occupational Therapy Intern
May 2018 • Roseville, MN
What I liked
I enjoyed being able to conduct my own research project pertaining to the field of study that I intend on working in some day.
What I wish was different
I wish I had more time to focus on my particular research subject. Not a lot of one-on-one time was able to be had with my particular subject due to me having to provide direct care for more individuals simultaneously.
Advice
Do not give up on your project even though you may fail. Any research, even failed, is useful and should be documented.
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Direct Care
November 2015 - October 2018 • Roseville, MN
What I liked
I liked decent flexibility with hours and ability to work a lot of hours at once. I liked seeing the direct impact of my work, working with the same residents for a long time.
What I wish was different
I wish I had the opportunity to know my coworkers better. I wish there wasn't so much detail in documenting, it was overwhelming at first.
Advice
Working here is very rewarding, but you can't forget to take care of yourself too. The job can be emotionally draining at times.
