Frontline Voices
The First 90 Days Decide Your DSP Workforce
Direct support professionals rarely leave over wages alone. They leave over the three weeks nobody planned for.
YEM · July 24, 2026Read
Insider 360° · Episode 23 · Frontline Voices
The DSP Shortage Nobody Solved
Tanya Reyes — Direct Support Professional & Trainer, Bridgewater Community Living
July 21, 2026 · 47 min
Executive Summary
Direct support professionals hold the community care system together and leave it at rates above 45% a year. Tanya Reyes breaks down where the losses actually happen, why wage increases alone stopped moving retention, and what a serious onboarding program looks like when it's designed by people who do the work.
Five Key Takeaways
- 01Most DSP turnover happens inside the first 90 days, before wage becomes the deciding factor.
- 02Shadowing without structure teaches new hires that nobody is accountable for their success.
- 03Scheduling predictability outperformed a $1.50/hour raise in her agency's retention data.
- 04Career ladders must be visible on day one, not mentioned at the annual review.
- 05DSPs should be in the room when technology is selected for their workflow.
YEM's Insider Take
We call it a workforce shortage because that framing lets systems off the hook. Nothing is short. People arrive and then we lose them. That's a retention failure and it's an operations problem with an operations solution.
The Guest's Biggest Insight
"Nobody quits the job. They quit the first three weeks of the job."
The Insider Question
Should direct support professionals have a formal, funded career ladder in every state?
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Social Clips
"Nobody quits the job"0:41
Why the raise didn't work1:04
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