Care taker vs direct care worker

The differences between care takers and direct care workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a direct care worker has an average salary of $29,343, which is higher than the $26,887 average annual salary of a care taker.

The top three skills for a care taker include meal prep, companionship and CPR. The most important skills for a direct care worker are direct care, patients, and CPR.

Care taker vs direct care worker overview

	Care Taker	Direct Care Worker
Yearly salary	$26,887	$29,343
Hourly rate	$12.93	$14.11
Growth rate	36%	36%
Number of jobs	102,295	140,788
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 37%	High School Diploma, 32%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	-	-

Care taker vs direct care worker salary

Care takers and direct care workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Care Taker	Direct Care Worker
Average salary	$26,887	$29,343
Salary range	Between $14,000 And $50,000	Between $23,000 And $36,000
Highest paying City	-	Portland, ME
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Arizona Training & Evaluation Center
Best paying industry	-	Professional

Differences between care taker and direct care worker education

There are a few differences between a care taker and a direct care worker in terms of educational background:

	Care Taker	Direct Care Worker
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 37%	High School Diploma, 32%
Most common major	Business	Psychology
Most common college	-	-

Care taker vs direct care worker demographics

Here are the differences between care takers' and direct care workers' demographics:

	Care Taker	Direct Care Worker
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 24.9% Female, 75.1%	Male, 23.4% Female, 76.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 10.7% White, 53.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%	Black or African American, 12.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.7% Asian, 7.6% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between care taker and direct care worker duties and responsibilities

Care taker example responsibilities.

Aid and facilitate higher functioning patients reach their fullest potential while managing behavioral episodes as needed.
Assist in doing a male catheter for resident who have a hard time going on his own.
Assist elderly or disable adults with daily living activities provide companionship and insure safely practices with severe caution.
Provide colostomy care and administer medication for pain management in accordance with current physician recommendations.

Direct care worker example responsibilities.

Provide caring companionship to elderly and developmentally disable patients with or without chronic health diagnosis.
Assist individuals with developmental/intellectual disabilities with ADL's.
Conduct socialization groups to aid individuals in development of ADL and socialization skills.
Prepare daily documents administer medications handle patients hygiene house cleaning and provide transportation to and from appointment
Provide caring and companionship to elderly and developmentally disable consumers and provide primary resident care and assistance with daily living activities.
Provide day to day services that include transport, nutrition, hygiene, housekeeping and activities to MRDD clients.

Care taker vs direct care worker skills

Common care taker skills

Meal Prep, 41%
Companionship, 14%
CPR, 5%
Child Care, 4%
Blood Pressure, 4%
RUN Errands, 3%

Common direct care worker skills

Direct Care, 22%
Patients, 11%
CPR, 7%
Developmental Disabilities, 4%
Crisis Intervention, 4%
Vital Signs, 4%