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What is a direct care professional and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
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There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a direct care professional. For example, did you know that they make an average of $14.54 an hour? That's $30,233 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 36% and produce 1,185,800 job opportunities across the U.S.
ScoreDirect Care ProfessionalUS Average
Salary
2.4

Avg. Salary $30,233

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
8.0

Growth rate 36%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
6.0
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.05%

Asian 7.89%

Black or African American 10.86%

Hispanic or Latino 16.08%

Unknown 4.22%

White 59.90%

Gender

female 73.99%

male 26.01%

Age - 50
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 50
Stress level
8.0

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
7.8

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
9.6

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Direct care professional career paths

Key steps to become a direct care professional

  1. Explore direct care professional education requirements

    Most common direct care professional degrees

    Bachelor's

    35.1 %

    High School Diploma

    26.0 %

    Associate

    19.7 %
  2. Start to develop specific direct care professional skills

    SkillsPercentages
    ADL15.39%
    Developmental Disabilities12.74%
    Mental Health7.33%
    Autism6.86%
    Direct Support5.68%
  3. Gain additional direct care professional certifications

    Direct care professional certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific direct care professional certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

    The most common certifications for direct care professionals include Medical Assistant and Medical G.A.S. Installer (Med).

    More About Certifications
  4. Research direct care professional duties and responsibilities

    • Help each individual patient accomplish their specific ISP goals on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.
    • Provide round the clock care alone with daily help of ADL's, transport consumers to and from appointments.
    • Provide ongoing consultation and support to parents of students with autism and facilitate ongoing collaboration with parents and staff members.
    • Provide services and supports to individuals with mental retardation and relate disabilities, head or spinal cord injuries, or autism.
  5. Prepare your direct care professional resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your direct care professional resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a direct care professional resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable direct care professional resume templates

    Build a professional direct care professional resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your direct care professional resume.
    Direct Care Professional Resume
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    Direct Care Professional Resume
  6. Apply for direct care professional jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a direct care professional job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first direct care professional job

Zippi

Are you a direct care professional?

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Average direct care professional salary

The average direct care professional salary in the United States is $30,233 per year or $15 per hour. Direct care professional salaries range between $21,000 and $41,000 per year.

Average direct care professional salary
$30,233 Yearly
$14.54 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do direct care professionals rate their job?

3/5

Based on 2 ratings

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Direct care professional reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2020
Pros

Observing clients master new skills and interacting with client on daily.Providing new challenges and goals specific to client abilities.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2020
Pros

Learning how they’ve experience life good and bad but they always remained happy. How you can do anything in life if you believe then you can achieve it.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2020
Pros

Working with the patient's and enjoying helping out what they need done..

Cons

Dogs in homes


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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