Unlocking Opportunities: Internships and Career Paths at ACR Homes

ACR Homes offers a variety of internships and career paths designed to provide individuals with valuable experience in direct care and related fields. These opportunities are particularly beneficial for students and those seeking to gain hands-on experience in healthcare, especially those interested in working with individuals with disabilities. ACR Homes provides exceptional patient care for people with physical and developmental disabilities in 40+ ACR Homes throughout the five-county Minneapolis-St. Paul suburban area. Our mission propels us to see and value each individual living in our homes where they receive service. Each home is decorated with each residents tastes, interests, and medical needs in mind.

Direct Care Professional: The Foundation for Growth

The Direct Care Professional (DCP) role serves as the foundation for many opportunities within ACR Homes, including internships. As a direct care staff at ACR Homes, you don't have to be a certified nursing assistant! Additionally, students in healthcare degree programs, or those pursuing medical school & PA school can use their job as a Direct Care Professional to gain the required patient contact hours for their future programs. Plus they can gain incredible unique and significant experience and transferable skills.

Requirements and Expectations:

Work Commitment: Consistency of care is essential for the physical and emotional well-being of the people we support. To that end, direct care professionals are required to work a minimum of 2 shifts per week and full-time requires a minimum of 38 hours/week.
Scheduling: Scheduling is done monthly. Most shifts are 6-8 hours in length. Once a schedule is arranged, employees are responsible for working their scheduled shifts or finding replacements.
Training: All new employees are required by state law to receive 30-60 hours of initial orientation training within 45 days of hire and before performing unsupervised work. This training includes courses in Vulnerable Adults/Children, OSHA, HIPAA, CPR, First Aid, Medication Administration, Behavior Management, Company Policy and Professionalism, specific information on the people we support, hands-on training in the group home where you are placed, and other training depending on the site you work at. Employees are given instructions on how and where they can obtain training and are responsible to see that it is completed within the required time (which will be explained during orientation.) There are also mandatory monthly staff meetings, which you are paid to attend.
Criminal Background Check: Upon hire, adult foster care licensing rules, as described in Minnesota Rules 9555.6125, require that employees undergo a criminal background check.
Tobacco Free: ACR is a tobacco free environment.
Hepatitis B: Some people living in our homes are Hepatitis B carriers. ACR strongly encourages all employees to have the Hepatitis B vaccine.

Compensation and Benefits:

You can find the part-time and full-time Direct Care Professional wage ranges HERE. Please note that we are not able to adjust pay based on experience--the only differences in pay are for homes with REDs.
Benefits: Full-time DCPs, Weekend DCPs, & LPNs are eligible for benefits such as health, vision, dental, life, & pet insurance, Nice Healthcare, long-term disability, supplemental life insurance, wage increases starting at 1 year of employment, paid time off, ESST, MN Paid Leave, & 401k. Additional compensation includes optional asleep shifts paid at $11.25/hr, wage increases starting at 1 year of employment, bonuses, tuition assistance, and advancement opportunities.
401(k): Both part-time and full-time employees are eligible! ACR is in"vested" in your retirement!

ACR Homes Internship Program: Enhancing Direct Care Experience

Internships pair hand-in-hand with direct care jobs and focus on improving the quality of life/ care for our residents. The ACR Homes Internship Program is designed to complement the Direct Care Professional role, allowing employees to deepen their understanding and skills in specific areas of interest. The internship program has a flexible independent learning style. With 4, 6, and 12-month tracks and no weekly hours requirement (beyond your Direct Care shift requirement) for the track you choose, interns can complete their projects at their own pace (unless in the Impact Year).

Eligibility and Requirements:

Not an employee yet? The first step to starting an internship with ACR is to apply at ACR and be hired!
Because the ACR Homes Internship Program pairs with the Direct Care Professional job, your pre-requisite for entry is to become a part-time employee at ACR Homes, and to finish your initial training.
As part of your ACR Homes Internship, you'll be required to write a paper and deliver a final presentation.
Upon completing all internship requirements and working a minimum of 500 hours of direct care, you'll be eligible for a letter of recommendation from our CEO that can be used for grad school applications!

Benefits of the Internship Program:

Paid Internship: Because of this model, you'll be paid during your internship!
Flexibility: The internship program is designed to be flexible and self-led, making it possible to be a Direct Care Professional, Intern, and Student all at the same time.
Resume Enhancement: Internships give your resume a boost. Another advantage of an internship at ACR is that it can help make your work experience here even more applicable for future career and educational goals.
Skill Development: Interns completing the program will walk away with a well written paper that can be used in a portfolio for future applications to educational programs or work.
Personalized Experience: Not only can they gain a key understanding of different disabilities in real-life settings, but through our unique offerings they can also customize their internship experiences to reflect their specific areas of interest.

Internship Examples:

“I was working with a resident who had a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and decided to do a research-based internship on MS.
“I learned to look beneath the surface on issues that are already being addressed to try to see if there is a better way for the problem to be overcome.
Pre-PA student Alex Pierce, winner of ACR’s 2016 Internship Impact Award, studied the relationship between increased fluid intake and gastrointestinal health.

The Impact Year Program

The Impact Year program is a unique opportunity for individuals, often pre-med or pre-PA students, to gain intensive experience in direct care while receiving mentorship and support for their professional goals.

Key Aspects of the Impact Year:

Cohort Experience: "The most exciting part of impact year was being able to always have a small cohort of individuals to go along this entire journey with. Whether it be having fellow pre-meds to talk about the medical school application with, or having other peers to share our experiences working at ACR, having this small group allowed us to build friendships while experiencing new opportunities. It is always nice to have people who can relate to your own journey, and that's one of the best parts of growing alongside each other!"
Mentorship and Guidance: "As an aspiring Physician Assistant, I wasn’t sure how to maximize the time I had during my gap year, but being on the Impact team this year allowed me to do just that! I had the opportunity to connect with PAs through shadowing and mentorship, had received so much help and advice with the PA application process, and was surrounded by others who were in a similar stage as me which made the whole process much less daunting! The supervisors do an amazing job at creating a fun and collaborative environment for everyone to succeed! The support you get from being on the Impact team is beyond compare and I’m so grateful to have been part of this team!"
Preparation for Healthcare Careers: "When I think of words to describe the year, easy does not come to mind. This year is challenging and it is not something to be taken lightly. It truly does require you to dive headfirst into an entire lifestyle change. You will be challenged, wonder why you signed up in the first place, and at times be excited for it to end. That being said, this program is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and will prepare you for the rigour of whatever health-care position you hope to hold in your future-and you will have the best people supporting you throughout your journey!"

Other Career Paths at ACR Homes

In addition to internships and the Impact Year, ACR Homes offers various other career paths, including:

Nursing Positions:

There are a few different ways to have a nursing career at ACR homes! There are Case Manager RN (Registered Nurse) positions, Shift RNs and LPNs (Licensed Practical Nurse)! Many of our case manager RNs started out doing direct care! Through all of these positions there are flexible hours and opportunity to help people!

Residential Roles:

There are different ways to become a RC (Residential Coordinator) and RS (Residential Supervisor)! If you're already an employee, you can call the main office at 651-415-9991 to schedule an interview. Easy as that!

Additional Opportunities and Benefits

ACR Homes provides several additional opportunities and benefits to its employees:

Employee Referral Bonus:

Our ongoing employee referral bonus is $500--a great incentive to tell your friends, family, and classmates about ACR! If you've been offered a job, you're eligible to start accruing employee referral bonuses.

Tuition Assistance:

We do! Students must enroll in tuition assistance before their semester begins. It's a great way to make more for working more!

Employee Transportation Program (ETP):

Having reliable employee transportation is a requirement of the Direct Care Professional position. But that’s not always easy if you’re a student, from out of state, or if you don’t want to worry about a car on top of school and work. Employees who are University of Minnesota (Twin Cities) or University of Wisconsin (River Falls) students can sign up for ACR’s Employee Transportation Program and pay a small hourly rate to access a car for getting to and from shifts at ACR Homes. This eliminates the need to pay for a parking spot, which can cost up to $180/month.
The ETP is offered for students near the University of Minnesota campus who need transportation. ACR owns a fleet of vehicles kept on campus in designated lots. Students who choose to enroll in the ETP in order to commute to their ACR Homes are able to drive themselves in the vehicles for work purposes. Those wanting to enroll can sign-up on their first day of initial training and use the car going foward.

On-Campus Recruiter:

Looking for some extra cash while in school? Love ACR and want to send more hard workers our way? Become an on-campus recruiter! Earn "points" to redeem for cash and prizes by doing speaking opportunities, hanging flyers--the amount of work you put in is up to you!

Solana Time Tracking Program:

You can ask your RS (Residential Supervisor) about picking up positions in your home and/or picking up more shifts in other houses! The Solana time tracking program allows employees to see Open Shifts at other homes they're eligible for. Both float types have higher rates of pay due to the flexibility and commuting needed.

Aurther's Senior Care:

Aurther's Senior Care has two homes that specialize and assist in residents with Alzheimer's and other types of dementia. Arthur's staff ARE ACR Homes staff. The training is similar to that of ACR employees working in our group homes, but does have some additional, specific requirements.

How to Get Started

Apply for a Direct Care Professional Position: This is the first step to accessing internship and other career opportunities at ACR Homes.
Placement & Onboarding Video Call: If you're not sure when you want to get started or if you have questions you want answered sooner, feel free to do your Placement & Onboarding Video Call first to chat about timing. If you're sure you want to start in an upcoming semester or a couple months from now, go ahead and wait to schedule the placement call until then.
Discuss Interests with Placement Coordinator: Discuss this interest with the Placement Coordinator during your placement call. We try hard to personalize placement depending on what it is you are looking for from your ACR Homes experience. Our placement coordinator will look at factors such as your personal preferences on experience, location, how your availability aligns with house needs, and any other factors discussed. It's hard to know on the first day what type of experience you're looking for, and if you find that that house isn't the right fit for you, it doesn't mean ACR isn't.
Training: You will have 45 days to complete your training. On your first day of training you'll get your house placement and that will give you the exact amount due to Rate Exception Differentials (REDs) at certain homes.
Customize Your Experience: Overall, an internship is an opportunity to maximize the direct care experience you'll be getting by pairing that experience with a research topic related to your field of study and/or an intervention of some sort.
Make Your Resume Stand Out: Pro Tip! If you go to the position descriptions and use key words from your position on your resume!

Read also: Unlock Your Potential

tags: #acr #homes #internships #requirements