Care provider vs personal care worker

The differences between care providers and personal care workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a care provider has an average salary of $29,652, which is higher than the $29,490 average annual salary of a personal care worker.

The top three skills for a care provider include senior care, patients and administer medications. The most important skills for a personal care worker are patients, home health, and good communication.

Care provider vs personal care worker overview

	Care Provider	Personal Care Worker
Yearly salary	$29,652	$29,490
Hourly rate	$14.26	$14.18
Growth rate	36%	36%
Number of jobs	169,562	129,522
Job satisfaction	5	5
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 30%	High School Diploma, 36%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	-	-

What does a care provider do?

A care provider is responsible for assisting patients with their healthcare needs at the highest quality service. Care providers work in various medical organizations or are privately employed by a household. They perform medical procedures such as taking the patient's temperature and vital signs, monitoring their food intake, administering medications, collecting specimens for laboratory tests, and reporting the patient's condition to the attending physician or other health care professionals. A care provider must have excellent communication and organization skills, especially when consulting with patients for their needs and developing healthcare plans.

What does a personal care worker do?

A personal care worker is responsible for providing quality health care services for elders and disabled persons. Personal care workers are usually employed in a private household setting or a special healthcare institution, assisting patients with their daily activities, and monitoring their conditions. They update the patients' medical charts, administer medication from the physician's prescriptions, and manage their food intake. A personal care worker must be highly-organized, especially when attending to patients' needs, inquiries, and concerns.

Care provider vs personal care worker salary

Care providers and personal care workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Care Provider	Personal Care Worker
Average salary	$29,652	$29,490
Salary range	Between $17,000 And $51,000	Between $22,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Attleboro, MA	Lynn, MA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center	Tyson Foods
Best paying industry	Government	Professional

Differences between care provider and personal care worker education

There are a few differences between a care provider and a personal care worker in terms of educational background:

	Care Provider	Personal Care Worker
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 30%	High School Diploma, 36%
Most common major	Business	Nursing
Most common college	-	-

Care provider vs personal care worker demographics

Here are the differences between care providers' and personal care workers' demographics:

	Care Provider	Personal Care Worker
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 22.1% Female, 77.9%	Male, 16.4% Female, 83.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 22.3% Asian, 8.3% White, 54.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 10.2% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between care provider and personal care worker duties and responsibilities

Care provider example responsibilities.

Manage provider network to include verifying claims and benefits for healthcare providers/members and insurance companies.
Aid and facilitate higher functioning patients reach their fullest potential while managing behavioral episodes as needed.
Accompany to medical appointments, administer medications, assist with ADL's, community integration, personal care, and therapeutic activities
Review appeals for Medicare non-participating providers following CMS specific guidelines for these providers.
Provide direct patient care to critical and non-critical emergency department patients as an experience EMT-Paramedic.
Change tracheal tube and catheter.

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Personal care worker example responsibilities.

Manage provider network to include verifying claims and benefits for healthcare providers/members and insurance companies.
Assist in transfers using a gate belt or a hoyer lift.
Use a Hoyer lift to transport patient out of bed to their wheel chair
Perform light maintance which include switching window screens and storm windows, installing and removing air conditioning units.
Care for mentally and physically disable individuals, bathing, feeding, house cleaning duties, tolieting, medicines, CPR certify
Travele to different client homes to assist with ADL's i.e., laundry, bathing, grooming, cleaning, etc.

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Care provider vs personal care worker skills

Common care provider skills

Senior Care, 23%
Patients, 13%
Administer Medications, 6%
Direct Care, 6%
Meal Prep, 6%
Patient Care, 6%

Common personal care worker skills

Patients, 24%
Home Health, 20%
Good Communication, 13%
In-Home Care, 12%
Companionship, 5%
Patient Care, 2%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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