Direct care professional vs direct care worker

The differences between direct care professionals and direct care workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a direct care professional has an average salary of $30,233, which is higher than the $29,343 average annual salary of a direct care worker.

The top three skills for a direct care professional include ADL, developmental disabilities and mental health. The most important skills for a direct care worker are direct care, patients, and CPR.

Direct care professional vs direct care worker overview

	Direct Care Professional	Direct Care Worker
Yearly salary	$30,233	$29,343
Hourly rate	$14.54	$14.11
Growth rate	36%	36%
Number of jobs	122,720	140,788
Job satisfaction	3	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	High School Diploma, 32%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	-	-

Direct care professional vs direct care worker salary

Direct care professionals and direct care workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Direct Care Professional	Direct Care Worker
Average salary	$30,233	$29,343
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $41,000	Between $23,000 And $36,000
Highest paying City	Vacaville, CA	Portland, ME
Highest paying state	Washington	Washington
Best paying company	Halliburton	Arizona Training & Evaluation Center
Best paying industry	Government	Professional

Differences between direct care professional and direct care worker education

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

	Direct Care Professional	Direct Care Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	High School Diploma, 32%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	-	-

Direct care professional vs direct care worker demographics

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

	Direct Care Professional	Direct Care Worker
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 26.0% Female, 74.0%	Male, 23.4% Female, 76.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 7.9% White, 59.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	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 direct care professional and direct care worker duties and responsibilities

Direct care professional example 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.
Provide caring and companionship to elderly and developmentally disable consumers and provide primary resident care and assistance with daily living activities.
Preform necessary SCIP safety moves to prevent consumers from hurting themselves or others.

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.

Direct care professional vs direct care worker skills

Common direct care professional skills

ADL, 15%
Developmental Disabilities, 13%
Mental Health, 7%
Autism, 7%
Direct Support, 6%
Social Work, 5%

Common direct care worker skills

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

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Personal Care and Attendants Industry
Direct Care Professional
Direct Care Professional vs Direct Care Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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