How to hire a unit assistant

How to hire a unit assistant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step unit assistant hiring guide:

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

What does a unit assistant do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your unit assistant job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a unit assistant for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A unit assistant's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, unit assistants 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 presents unit assistant salaries for various positions.

   Type of Unit Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Unit Assistant	Medical assistants complete administrative and clinical tasks in the offices of physicians, hospitals, and other healthcare facilities. Their duties vary with the location, specialty, and size of the practice.	$12-21

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Customer Service
   • HIPAA
   • Vital Signs
   • Medical Terminology
   • ADL
   • Direct Patient Care
   • Compassion
   • CPR
   • Surgery
   • Physician Orders
   • Data Entry
   • Rehabilitation
   • Patient Safety

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement.
   • Carry out necessary duties for post surgery patients which result in quicker test results and recovery time for patients.
   • Follow HIPAA laws and assist patients.
   • Qualify in 12 lead EKG's, and applying 6 lead telemetry monitors.
   • Report any personal or medical complaints and concerns of the patients to the supervising nursing and rehabilitation staff members.
   • Assist patients in activities of daily living, assist in rehabilitation of patients, doctors & nurses in ER department.

   More unit assistant duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your unit assistant job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A unit assistant salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, unit assistants' average salary in alabama is 51% less than in massachusetts.
   • Seniority. Entry-level unit assistants earn 43% less than senior-level unit assistants.
   • Certifications. A unit assistant with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a unit assistant's salary.

   Average unit assistant salary

   $16.25hourly

   $33,802 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level unit assistant salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 19, 2026

   Average unit assistant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Massachusetts	$47,424	$23
   2	California	$43,682	$21
   3	Washington	$41,227	$20
   4	Iowa	$38,370	$18
   5	Connecticut	$38,045	$18
   6	New York	$37,590	$18
   7	Ohio	$36,137	$17
   8	New Hampshire	$35,364	$17
   9	Illinois	$33,144	$16
   10	New Mexico	$32,774	$16
   11	Michigan	$32,720	$16
   12	Arizona	$31,822	$15
   13	Kansas	$31,673	$15
   14	Colorado	$30,898	$15
   15	Wisconsin	$30,384	$15
   16	Missouri	$29,673	$14
   17	Texas	$28,391	$14
   18	Indiana	$27,118	$13
   19	Kentucky	$27,041	$13
   20	Alabama	$23,233	$11

   Average unit assistant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	UC Santa Barbara	$46,817	$22.51
   2	Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center	$41,251	$19.83
   3	Montgomery County Public Schools	$41,010	$19.72
   4	Heritage Operations Group	$38,775	$18.64	28
   5	Sutter Health	$37,010	$17.79	151
   6	Washington State University	$36,620	$17.61	1
   7	Redstone Highlands	$36,142	$17.38	16
   8	HUB International	$36,122	$17.37
   9	CuyunaMedicalCenter	$35,878	$17.25	2
   10	Fred Hutch	$35,740	$17.18	9
   11	Catholic Health East	$35,714	$17.17	9
   12	Berkshire	$35,570	$17.10	10
   13	Beacon Health Options	$35,150	$16.90	56
   14	University of Rochester	$35,082	$16.87	27
   15	Cape Cod Healthcare	$34,823	$16.74	32
   16	CoxHealth	$34,727	$16.70	2
   17	City of Philadelphia	$34,668	$16.67
   18	American Red Cross	$34,631	$16.65
   19	Maine Health/maine Mental Health Partners	$34,295	$16.49	175
   20	Episcopal SeniorLife Communities	$34,266	$16.47

4. Writing a unit assistant job description

   A unit assistant job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a unit assistant job description:

   Unit assistant job description example

   THIS IS FOR A PAID CNA CLASS
   
   Genesis HealthCare is a leading provider of healthcare services from short-term to long-term care and a wide variety of living options and professional clinical services. We are changing how care is delivered by bringing together people like you -- passionate, highly skilled and motivated to make a difference.
   
   Change a life, including your own, by joining the Genesis nursing center team as a Nursing - Unit Assistant. You will work under the direction of a licensed nurse to provide non direct patient care to achieve positive patient outcomes and patient/family satisfaction. Through your job duties, you will develop relationships with your patients and their families built on trust and care. The satisfaction from helping patients feel comfortable and loved makes for rewarding work. Position Highlights *Report changes in patients' condition, patient/family concerns or complaints to charge nurse and/or supervisor. *Fill water pitchers to promote patient hydration. *Make unoccupied patient beds. *Assist with the dining program. *Ensure patients are ready for scheduled rehabilitation therapy and transports them to the gym. *Obtain clean linens and supplies from supply areas. Why Genesis? *We improve the lives we touch through the delivery of high-quality healthcare and everyday compassion! *We Care Deeply about YOU! Guided by our Core Values, Code of Conduct and Ethics program, we foster a culture of care and compassion. We focus on improving the quality of care through creativity and innovation, honesty and integrity in all we do. *We Develop YOU! We provide career ladders, education and training opportunities so you can build a long and successful career with Genesis. *We Appreciate YOU! We value your contributions to the Genesis mission and vision and instill an environment of teamwork and enjoyment in working together. We recognize and celebrate our shared successes. *We are Committed to YOU! We know you are the vital link between Genesis, our patients and residents! We inspire you to be your best self. *We Protect YOU! We take great pride in meeting or exceeding CDC and CMS standards.
   
   AU01
   
   Qualifications: High school education or high school equivalency diploma is preferred At least 16 years of age Must be able to read, write and understand the English language. To protect the health and safety of our patients, residents, employees, family members, and the communities we serve, Genesis has implemented a universal COVID-19 vaccination requirement for employees, care partners and onsite vendors.
   
   Position Type: Full Time
   
   
   Pay Target:

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right unit assistant for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your unit assistant job on Zippia to find and recruit unit assistant candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with unit assistant candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 unit assistant

   Once you have selected a candidate for the unit assistant position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new unit assistant. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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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How much does it cost to hire a unit assistant?