Direct care professional vs direct service provider

The differences between direct care professionals and direct service providers 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 $28,496 average annual salary of a direct service provider.

The top three skills for a direct care professional include ADL, developmental disabilities and mental health. The most important skills for a direct service provider are direct care, mental illness, and intellectual disabilities.

Direct care professional vs direct service provider overview

	Direct Care Professional	Direct Service Provider
Yearly salary	$30,233	$28,496
Hourly rate	$14.54	$13.70
Growth rate	36%	36%
Number of jobs	122,720	49,939
Job satisfaction	3	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	-	-

Direct care professional vs direct service provider salary

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

	Direct Care Professional	Direct Service Provider
Average salary	$30,233	$28,496
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $41,000	Between $21,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	Vacaville, CA	Juneau, AK
Highest paying state	Washington	Alaska
Best paying company	Halliburton	North Carolina A&T State University
Best paying industry	Government	Professional

Differences between direct care professional and direct service provider education

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

	Direct Care Professional	Direct Service Provider
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	-	-

Direct care professional vs direct service provider demographics

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

	Direct Care Professional	Direct Service Provider
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 26.0% Female, 74.0%	Male, 28.6% Female, 71.4%
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, 8.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 7.8% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between direct care professional and direct service provider 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 service provider example responsibilities.

Train and experience in adult and child first aid and CPR.
Certify medicine administer, CPR and first aid certify, CPI certify.
Assist residents in activities of daily living (ADL's) on a daily basis.
Prepare documents on the computer for annual ISP meetings with clients and their team members.
Pass medications, attend ISP meetings, help with personal hygiene, work on state goals.
Job duties include job coaching, skill training, ADL management, and implementing behavior management plans.

Direct care professional vs direct service provider skills

Common direct care professional skills

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

Common direct service provider skills

Direct Care, 29%
Mental Illness, 20%
Intellectual Disabilities, 18%
Developmental Disabilities, 6%
Direct Services, 4%
CPR, 4%

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Personal Care and Attendants Industry
Direct Care Professional
Direct Care Professional vs Direct Service Provider

Updated January 8, 2025

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