Best tips and strategies for finding and hiring PCAs

United Spinal’s Care Support Working Group members have compiled personal suggestions, experiences, and resources for finding, hiring, interviewing, and training Personal Care Attendants.
Biggest takeaway? Communication is key!
The Care Support Working Group’s goal is to improve the care support services for people with diverse disabilities across the country.
We meet monthly to identify policy and advocacy initiatives to help solve the national home care crisis.

Searching for a personal care attendant can be overwhelming, frustrating, and exhausting.

There is a laundry list of aspects to keep in mind when beginning your search for a PCA. The Care Support Working Group includes many wheelchair users dealing with problems of finding PCAs. By providing this resource, they want to take some of that stressful weight off your shoulders. It includes information and resources from finding and interviewing to managing and retaining PCAs.

Writing Ads and Job Descriptions for PCAs

Writing a clear job description and a help wanted ad are crucial first steps for finding PCAs to fit your specific needs. Keep in mind that you are taking on the role of becoming your own care manager, and you must be your own advocate. An organized job description not only defines your needs but also helps to determine how many hours of care you will need, how much flexibility is required, and how much to pay.

Many job description templates are available online, such as the templates on the Mighty Recruiter website. The United States Department of Labor also developed a toolkit that provides examples of job descriptions and advertisements that you can adapt to your specific needs, along with a list of what not to do.

“Take time to think through your needs holistically, writing out all of the areas where you may need support in a 24-hour cycle,” says Annie Tulkin in her New Mobility article, How to Secure Housing and Manage PCA Services at College. “You can use this information to support requests for funding a PCA and explaining their role.”

Where do I start? Tips for Finding PCAs

Rebecca MacTaggart and her son, Jackson, at Roll on Capitol Hill

United Spinal’s Government Relations Manager and Care Support Working Group member, Rebecca MacTaggart, has provided various options for finding PCAs. Unfortunately, no national database connects all the various sources to find PCAs, and it is not one-size-fits-all. So, you may need to get creative regarding your outreach efforts for your specific needs. She suggests the following are tools and places to get you started.

4 Places to Publish Your Ad

Put an ad in your local newspaper’s virtual and print editions.
Place your ad on sites like Career Link, the free version of Indeed, and Care.com.
Utilize your social media networks, including any local neighborhood groups you joined.
Post your ad as a video or reel on your social media platforms as they often get many more views than simply a post.

10 Community-Based Organizations that May Help

Ask the following groups in your area if they would mind posting your ad, and also if they can refer any likely candidates to you:

Local colleges and universities, especially student services or specific study areas such as psychology, special education, nursing, PT/OT
Neighborhood bulletin boards
Public libraries
Community centers
YMCA, JCC or local gym
Church, synagogue, mosque or temple bulletins and groups
Any clubs you may be part of, such as gardening, adaptive sports, or reading.
Organizations that offer therapy like OT, PT, Autism or intellectual disability services, and so on. People in those fields are sometimes looking for more hours
Volunteer organizations
Centers for Independent Living often provide lists of attendants who may be available.

5 Ways to Leverage Relationships

Friends and friends of friends for referrals
Family and their friends or other relatives
Hairdresser/nail tech, handyman, etc.
Current staff friends and acquaintances
Current or former teachers, behavior staff, aide

Strategies for Interviewing Potential PCAs

One of the most critical steps when it comes time to interview applicants is the initial screening process. Time is precious, and you do not want to waste that precious time on candidates who are not serious or capable of taking on the responsibilities of being your PCA. Here are two questions to consider:

How will applicants contact you?
How much information do you want to give over the phone or in an email?

Some good advice is to have the applicant do most of the talking on the initial phone call by telling you about themselves, why they are interested and believe they are a good fit for this job. You can dive deeper into the specific requirements if they are serious. Open-ended questions will provide more information to help you decide if you should invite them into your home or a public place for the next step of the interview process.

It is helpful to have applicants fill out an employment application, including references, before conducting an interview. The Paralyzed Veterans of America offer an excellent sample of an application in their toolkit titled Managing Personal Assistants: A Consumer Guide.

10 Important topics to cover during the interview include:

Background information
Education
Experience
Duties
Schedule
Attitudes
Salary
Benefits
Personal preferences
Travel

26 Examples of Sample Questions to Choose From

Care Support Working Group members Lisa Cooley, Melinda Simms, and Janet Thomas share these essential interview questions:

Why are you interested in this position?
Do you have a driver’s license, auto insurance, and reliable transportation?
Are you dependable? What days and times are you available?
Are you able to work overnight at least five days a week?
Do you have any non-caregiving work experience?
Why did you leave your last job, and do you have references?
Have you had any previous training? Where did you receive this training?
Do you hold any certifications (first aid, AED, CPR, LNA or higher)?
Are you familiar with HIPAA?
We will be working closely and alone. Is this comfortable for you?
How do you cope with stressors, and can you balance it on this job that requires all your mental and physical attention?
Does your physical or mental health prevent you from serving our activities of daily living (ADLs) and other needs that may arise?
Have you ever been in an emergency situation with a client? How did you react, or how would you react?
Do you have experience doing specific tasks related to disability (range of motion, assisting with transfers, etc.)?
How comfortable are you with doing a one-person transfer? Two-person transfer?
Have you been trained on how to use a lift such as a Hoyer?
Can you lift, push, and pull?
Why are skin inspection and pressure relief important?
Are you familiar with bowel care?
Give me an example of a difficult situation and how did you handle it?
How do you handle criticism or feedback?
Do you like animals and children?
Are you comfortable with driving me?
What makes you a good fit for this position?
From what we discussed about my needs, are you comfortable with what is required?
Do you have any questions or concerns?

5 additional hiring tips to keep in mind

Never hire someone you cannot fire.
Do not make the job sound easier than it actually is.
Never hire someone on the spot.
Call back all of the people you have interviewed out of common courtesy.
Trust your intuition, but do not forget the background check.

How to Properly Prepare and Train PCAs for Your Specific Needs

Annie Streit hanging out with her young friend Maverick

After completing your interviews and selecting, the next step is training, one of the most important parts of finding and managing your PCAs. Annie Streit, United Spinal’s Grassroots Advocacy Manager and C5 quadriplegic, shares, “Whenever I bring in a new caregiver, I have her come in and watch my routine with my experienced caregiver.”

Everyone’s learning process is different, and whether it is through oral direction or hands-on, it is extremely helpful to have any new PCAs watch your routine, perform the routine with the experienced PCA present, and repeat the process until they feel comfortable. Work directly with the PCAs to remind them of the steps and encourage them to ask questions. It also helps to have a sufficient supply of all medical and personal hygiene products. Have your home organized so you and the PCAs know where things are stored, develop an efficient routine, be flexible and realistic, and emphasize the importance of open communication. The better training provided from the start, the better your chance of setting up the PCA to be more effective at their job.

“It is important to express to the potential employees that you have the experience and patience to direct anybody on how to complete your personal care needs,” says Working Group member Michael Maruzzi. “That may give them some reassurance if they have doubts about what they might be able to do.”

12 Ideas on Managing and Retaining Staff

Remember that you are the employer, and the PCA is your employee. Having established guidelines and policies in writing can be extremely beneficial. Always keep in mind that this is a job first. When you work so closely with someone, it can be challenging to draw the line because friendships and closer relationships may form.

Develop a professional, pleasant relationship. Humor can help create a more relaxed work environment.
Be polite and show appreciation. Say “thank you” and “please.” Pay raises or small bonuses are always welcome.
When you ask your PCA to do a task a certain way, explain why. For example, you may need an object placed in a specific location so you can reach it when your PCA is away.
Do as much for yourself as you can. Your effort shows your PCA that you are partners in your care.
Be assertive without being rude. Although you are in charge of your personal care, treat your PCA like a person, not a servant.
Avoid significant changes in your routine that disrupt the work schedule or waste time.
Respect your PCA’s views, opinions, and personal life. Avoid discussing “hot topics” that may cause conflict, such as religion and politics.
Be honest about the hours worked and pay on time.
Do not ask for special favors or expect your PCA to work for free.
Avoid overworking your PCA. When possible, use more than one PCA. Find ways to give your PCA time off if you rely on one PCA.
Be flexible and understanding. Do not be too strict. Understand that mistakes happen. Also, remember that sometimes people cannot avoid being late or sick.
Remember — communication is key to a successful relationship.

United Spinal’s Care Support Working Group

Would you like to collaborate with advocates across the United States to identify policy and advocacy initiatives to improve care support services for people with diverse disabilities? Consider joining our United Spinal Association Care Support Working Group. The disability community and our caregivers need your help to solve this national crisis.

More Resources:

Get involved by joining our Grassroots Advocacy Network and take action on issues impacting our community. For more information on United Spinal Association’s extensive advocacy program to improve the quality of life of all wheelchair users, visit our advocacy page.

Annie Streit

Grassroots Advocacy Manager
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