How to hire a direct care aide

How to hire a direct care aide, step by step

Here's a step-by-step direct care aide hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a direct care aide job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new direct care aide
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The direct care aide hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A direct care aide's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, direct care aides from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of direct care aides.

   Type of Direct Care Aide	Description	Hourly rate
   Direct Care Aide	Personal care aides help clients with self-care and everyday tasks. They also provide social supports and assistance that enable clients to participate in their communities.	$10-19
   Attending, Ambulatory Care	An attending, ambulatory care is responsible for providing patient care, supporting ongoing treatment of health issues, and managing recovery through coordinating with attending physicians or other medical professionals. They evaluate medical records, including history and consultation purposes, develop a necessary care plan, keep an accurate medical chart, and schedule laboratory tests and follow-up as needed... Show more	$9-20
   Direct Support Professional	Direct support professionals are responsible for taking care of patients with physical or mental limitations. They do a variety of tasks for their patients, such as doing household chores, running errands for them, cooking for them, feeding them, bathing and dressing them, and helping them with their medication, among others... Show more	$8-25

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Home Health
   • Foster Care
   • CPR
   • Patients
   • Meal Prep
   • Rehabilitation
   • Vital Signs
   • Developmental Disabilities
   • Autism
   • Medical Appointments
   • Direct Patient Care
   • Community Outings
   • Mental Illness
   • Quality Care

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Provide individuals appropriate assistance in completing ADL's, such as showering, toileting, transferring, dressing, and feeding.
   • Assist mentally disable adults with ADL's such as showering, grooming, oral care, eating, dressing and toileting.
   • Provide emotional and mental support to unstable patients and are experience in dealing with aggressive residents
   • Provide caring and companionship to elderly and developmentally disable consumers and provide primary resident care and assistance with daily living activities.
   • Advocate for disable children, help them thrive through completion of goals and one-on-one supervision SCIP, AMAP and CPR certify.
   • Dispense and administer medication to patients according to AMAP policies and procedures.

   More direct care aide duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your direct care aide job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A direct care aide can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, direct care aides' average salary in louisiana is 41% less than in vermont.
   • Seniority. Entry-level direct care aides 46% less than senior-level direct care aides.
   • Certifications. A direct care aide with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a direct care aide's salary.

   Average direct care aide salary

   $14.63hourly

   $30,429 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level direct care aide salary

   $22,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average direct care aide salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Massachusetts	$34,090	$16
   2	Connecticut	$32,783	$16
   3	Oregon	$31,386	$15
   4	Wisconsin	$31,062	$15
   5	Michigan	$29,402	$14
   6	New York	$29,218	$14
   7	Florida	$29,116	$14
   8	Pennsylvania	$27,891	$13
   9	Colorado	$26,221	$13
   10	Alabama	$25,965	$12
   11	Indiana	$25,536	$12
   12	Georgia	$23,335	$11
   13	Missouri	$22,941	$11

   Average direct care aide salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Univ Of Colorado-Colorado Spgs	$40,428	$19.44
   2	Community Service Programs Inc	$33,848	$16.27
   3	Hackensack Meridian Health	$32,962	$15.85	207
   4	Spectrum Health	$32,747	$15.74
   5	Jackson Physician Search	$32,304	$15.53	2
   6	Lifesteps	$32,299	$15.53	510
   7	Southern Illinois Healthcare	$32,288	$15.52	1
   8	National Lutheran Communities & Services	$32,170	$15.47
   9	Immanuel	$32,005	$15.39	3
   10	CVS Health	$31,993	$15.38	100
   11	UnitedHealth Group	$31,935	$15.35	725
   12	St. Luke's Health System	$31,924	$15.35	48
   13	Yale New Haven Health	$31,848	$15.31	38
   14	Huntsville Hospital	$31,124	$14.96	22
   15	Cayuga Medical Center	$30,925	$14.87	3
   16	The Evergreens	$30,839	$14.83	4
   17	Wellstar Health System	$30,627	$14.72	5
   18	W Holding Company	$30,424	$14.63
   19	Dungarvin	$30,288	$14.56	168
   20	Liberty HomeCare and Hospice	$30,234	$14.54	32

4. Writing a direct care aide job description

   A good direct care aide job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a direct care aide job description:

   Direct care aide job description example

   Job DescriptionSalary: $23/hour
   

   Learn more about ABA!

   
   

   Note: This position is located in Bellevue, WA - 10 miles from Seattle.

   
   

   Company Benefits: How we support you in life and career

   
   

   • Industry benchmarked, competitive pay
   • Medical, Dental, Vision insurance – Premera PPO or HSA
   • 401(K) with potential match
   • Paid Time Off (PTO) bank and Paid Holidays
   • Monthly Trainings and Annual CEU reimbursement
   • Expansive treatment spaces with state of the art motor/sensory room
   • Options for positions in variety of settings: clinic; in-home; schools; telehealth
   • Company sponsored, fun events for everyone!

   
   

   Multi-disciplinary Role: How you will contribute to patients Hope and Future

   Looking to gain valuable behavioral management experience before grad school? ICAN is the place! We cater to students in transition from undergrad to grad school. The International Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment is a multidisciplinary clinic in Bellevue, Washington. Only the Best - We are committed to the best hope and future for our children and families; our clinicians are the most important part of this commitment.

   
   

   This position works one-on-one with clients gaining valuable experience in the fields of psychology, social work, OT, PT, and speech. ICAN utilizes the evidence-based treatment modality of Applied Behavior Analytic services. A BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Analyst) will be partnered with you to provide regular supervision and guidance. There is no direct experience of working with children on the autism spectrum required. Better yet, you will receive paid training that provides you with your Certified Behavior Technician (CBT) license and Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) credential. This is an ideal job for people who enjoy work such as a paraeducator, childcare provider, teacher, home health aide, Certified Nursing Assistant, homecare provider, education assistant, nanny, camp counselor, tutor, or pediatric healthcare coordinator.
   

   This job requires that applicants be at least 18 years old with a high school diploma or equivalent. It is also a requirement to have a valid driver’s license and reliable transportation. This position may require some local travel to visit children in their homes or schools. Finally, it is required to be able to lift at least 50lbs and move quickly without support.

   
   

   
   

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right direct care aide for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with direct care aides they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit direct care aides who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your direct care aide job on Zippia to find and recruit direct care aide candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit direct care aides, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new direct care aide

   Once you've found the direct care aide candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new direct care aide. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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