ACWs are responsible for informing the PHS office staff if they are available and requesting more work hours. HCSS clients will be matched with Attendants who will come to work on the days and at the times when the clients need help. It is important to keep the client's wait for a new ACW as short as possible. An ACW who wants to work must have a reliable message phone number and return calls promptly. 

If an ACW declines several assignments, the staff must offer the assignments to different ACWs in order to get help as quickly as possible for the clients who are waiting for new Attendants. 

ACWs can request a new client assignment by:

Telling the nurse

The nurse has a good idea of which clients in a certain area will need, or do need, a new ACW. There also may be clients in an ACW's area who need short-term help. The nurse will be looking for ACWs to fill in for sick days and vacations. Often these temporary assignments work out so well for the client and ACW, they turn in to long-term schedules. 

Contacting a "matcher"

The best way for an ACW to work with a matcher is to make an appointment, or to call and discuss availability and work preferences over the phone. The matchers then take the list of clients who need an ACW, identify the ACW whose availability is closest to what the client needs, and offer the assignment to that ACW first.

In order to get the clients the help they need as soon as possible, the matchers will choose the ACWs who have availability which matches what the clients need. The more availability an ACW can offer, in times, days, locations, and complexity of clients he or she is willing to take, the better chance there is for a match with a client who needs help. ACWs must be honest if they feel they may not be able to accept an assignment. 

Calling the Job Line

General information about open assignments is available on the ACW Job Line, at 243-8055. Assignments on the job line are sorted by area, and basic information is provided about the client's gender, cross streets, and days and times needed for service. Interested ACWs can connect directly from the Job Line to the phone line of a Matcher to request one of the assignments.