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Direct care provider skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Megan Harvey Ph.D.,

Megan Harvey Ph.D.

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical direct care provider skills. We ranked the top skills for direct care providers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 24.3% of direct care provider resumes contained cpr as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a direct care provider needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 direct care provider skills for your resume and career

1. CPR

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR is a medical procedure that involves chest compression to help a patient breathe. This artificial ventilation helps in keeping the brain function in place and regulates blood throughout the body. CPR is a lifesaving procedure that is used in emergencies.

Here's how direct care providers use cpr:

Trained in CPR, First Aid and Vital signs, Distribution of Medication to clients, and CPI.
Assisted clients with daily living activities, CPR, CPI, and First Aid Certified

2. Developmental Disabilities

Here's how direct care providers use developmental disabilities:

Provided home and community based supports and services for individuals with developmental disabilities in a comprehensive group home setting.
Guided clients with intellectual or developmental disabilities in life-skill building activities, personal care, and community integration.

3. Mental Health

Mental health is the state of wellbeing in which an individual can cope with the regular stresses and tensions of life, and can work productively without having any emotional or psychological breakdown. Mental health is essential for a person of any age and helps them make the right decisions in their life.

Here's how direct care providers use mental health:

Provided mental health services, monitoring, and assessment to mental health clients living in multiple psychiatric residential home locations.
Provided direct care for adult individuals who suffer from mental retardation and /or mental health issues.

4. Direct Care

Direct care is the act of identifying people with special needs and offering the necessary care for them.

Here's how direct care providers use direct care:

Provided direct care and supervision with the implementation of treatment plans to consumers with developmental or other disabilities.
Direct Care ProviderProvided mentoring and direct care to special needs individuals including transportation and prescribed medicine administration.

5. Intellectual Disabilities

Here's how direct care providers use intellectual disabilities:

Supervised that individuals with intellectual disabilities get prompt services.
Provide support to individuals with Intellectual Disabilities.

6. Home Health

Here's how direct care providers use home health:

Provided home health care Responsible for cooking, cleaning,and running errands.
Provided home health care for mentally and physically challenged individuals.

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7. Medical Appointments

A medical appointment is a scheduled / specific day and time for a person to be examined or treated by a physician, nurse, or other licensed healthcare professional. The aim of the medical appointment is for the physician to be able to identify health problems or illnesses at an early stage.

Here's how direct care providers use medical appointments:

Transported clients to medical appointments, monitored administration of medications, and assisted with bathing when required.
Transported patient to medical appointments including medical facilities, doctor's visits, and rehabilitation services.

8. Mental Illness

Here's how direct care providers use mental illness:

Take care of the residents that have mental illness
Care for up to 36 transitional living residents with mental illness, with majority being schisophrenic.

9. Meal Preparation

Here's how direct care providers use meal preparation:

Assist, monitor, and teach with chores, grocery shopping, menu planning, meal preparation, and clean up.
Assist clients with activities of daily living, including light housekeeping, meal preparation, bathing, and dressing.

10. Vital Signs

Vital signs are a set of values indicating different body systems' performance. They are measurements of the body's most basic functions. The four major vital signs used in medicine to assess a patient are body temperature, pulse rate, respiration rate, and blood pressure.

Here's how direct care providers use vital signs:

Interfaced with patients before they saw their PCP; assessed vital signs and established primary reason for visit.
Provided basic medical care - monitored vital signs.

11. Independent Living

Here's how direct care providers use independent living:

Direct Service Provider Providing supervision and promoting independent living skills to patients with disabilities.
Achieved goals and client successfully transitioned to independent living with minimal assistance.

12. Administer Medications

Here's how direct care providers use administer medications:

Administer medications according to DMR regulations, and when appropriate supervise in medication administration.
Administer medications to clients, keep inventory of controlled medications.

13. Client Behavior

Here's how direct care providers use client behavior:

Communicate with Department of Social Services Personnel, concerning client behavior and other pertinent client activity.
Observed, tracked and reported client behaviors in an intensive psychiatric care facility.

14. Crisis Intervention

Here's how direct care providers use crisis intervention:

Administered Medication Provided supportive counseling and crisis intervention
Administered Medication, Provided behavioral and supportive counseling, Daily living skills training, and crisis intervention

15. Patient Care

Patient care entails the diagnosis, recovery, and control of sickness as well as the maintenance of physical and emotional well-being through the use of healthcare providers' services. Patient care is described as services provided to patients by health practitioners or non-professionals under guidance.

Here's how direct care providers use patient care:

Provide direct patient care to patients on the sub acute nursing unit as needed.
Observed & Charted daily activities & behavioral incidents in a patient care plan.

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What skills help Direct Care Providers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on direct care provider resumes?

Megan Harvey Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Health Science, Springfield College

Students who plan to go into the health care field need to have both determination and thick skin and the ability to be empathic and understand their patients. We've seen the way health care professionals are being treated change, even just in the past 5 years. It can be a hard balance to walk for health care professionals, to be both firm about evidence-based practice and empathetic and kind to their patients, but it's really the only way to achieve the best possible patient outcomes. I imagine that showing that you have worked in challenging health care situations is one way to show that you're developing this skill on your resume.

What soft skills should all direct care providers possess?

Megan Harvey Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Health Science, Springfield College

Problem-solving is such an important skill. We need health care providers who think for themselves and attempt to answer their own questions, AND - that know how to balance that with asking for help when they need it.

What direct care provider skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Penny Ridenour

Dean of School of Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University - Oklahoma City

To differentiate yourself from the other new professionals entering healthcare after graduation, pay attention to the soft skills employers are looking for. Listening, empathy, and communication skills polish professional persona. Also, developing skills in resiliency will equip new professionals for a growing career in healthcare.

Do you want to know more?

List of direct care provider skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a direct care provider resume and required skills for a direct care provider to have include:

CPR
Developmental Disabilities
Mental Health
Direct Care
Intellectual Disabilities
Home Health
Medical Appointments
Mental Illness
Meal Preparation
Vital Signs
Independent Living
Administer Medications
Client Behavior
Crisis Intervention
Patient Care
Group Homes

Motor Vehicle
Incident Reports
ADL
Community Resources
Home Management
Medication Reminders
Service Plan
Physical Disabilities
Emotional Support
Community Outings
Behavior Management
Physical Therapy
Community Integration
Household Chores
Blood Pressure
Medication Management

Nutritious Meals
Bed Linens
Hippa
ISP
Mental Disabilities
RAN
Doctor Appointments
First Aid Training
Social Interaction
Emergency Situations
Oral Medications
Mrdd
Groceries
Community Involvement
G-Tube

Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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