Direct care workers give care and assistance to people that are physically disabled or old people. You will help the patient run errands when needed. Also, you will assist the elderly or physically challenged move around the house. Furthermore, you will ensure you cook for the patient and make sure they eat the special dietary considerations and take prescribed medications. You will meet with the family to discuss the needs and improvement of the patients while you serve as the companion for elders who live alone.
Direct care staffers must have great knowledge of proper first aid and emergency response procedures. They must be compassionate and have patience. Similarly, you need the ability to think quickly and act calmly in an emergency case. You need physical stamina to be able to run errands and help move patients around in the house. Another required skill is a strong listening ability. You will earn an average of $12.96 an hour or $26,954 yearly.
What is a Direct Care Staffer?
What Does a Direct Care Staffer Do
There are certain skills that many direct care staffers have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed detail oriented, integrity and interpersonal skills.
How To Become a Direct Care Staffer
If you're interested in becoming a direct care staffer, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 30.8% of direct care staffers have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 3.4% of direct care staffers have master's degrees. Even though some direct care staffers have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Direct Care Staffer Career Paths
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a direct care staffer can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as certified nursing assistant, progress to a title such as registered nurse and then eventually end up with the title nursing director.
Average Salary for a Direct Care Staffer
What Am I Worth?
Roles and Types of Direct Care Staffer
The role of a direct care staffer includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general direct care staffer responsibilities:
- Employee must possess the ability to comprehend
- Walking, bending, stooping, kneeling, squatting, reaching overhead
- Provide direction and assistance to consumers residing in rtf programs in areas of, but not limited to: nutrition, housekeeping, budgeting, hygiene, self care, home safety, transportation, social interaction, exercise, health management
There are several types of direct care staffer, including:
Direct Support Professional
Role:
- Average Salary: $32,077
- Degree: High School Diploma
Residential Counselor
Role:
Residential counselors are typically expected to have a degree in psychology, social work, or a related field. They keep an eye on the mental and emotional state of the people under their care and make sure everyone lives by the rules of the facility. They give a hand with transportation and come up with fun and engaging activities for the residents to do while spending quality time together.
As a residential counselor, your responsibilities do not revolve around generating profit, and this is reflected in the median annual salary of the position, which is $29,592. This is a bit less than half of what the average yearly living expenses amount to across the U.S. Caring for each other apparently is not the most lucrative business. It is, however, very rewarding on a personal level.
- Average Salary: $34,117
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree
Direct Care Worker
Role:
You tend to play a critical role in serving society. Hence, you will enjoy a respectable position in society. You will need to possess interpersonal skills which work well with different kinds of people. Being compassionate and having the physical stamina to help patients is also required. Another skill required is the ability to communicate clearly and effectively. Direct care worker exhibits the ability to think quickly and act calmly in an emergency. They earn an average of $24,090 yearly.
- Average Salary: $29,343
- Degree: High School Diploma
States With The Most Direct Care Staffer Jobs
Mouse over a state to see the number of active direct care staffer jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where direct care staffers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Number Of Direct Care Staffer Jobs By State
Top Skills For a Direct Care Staffer
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 14.0% of direct care staffers listed mental health on their resume, but soft skills such as detail oriented and integrity are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Direct Care Staffer Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Direct Care Staffer templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Direct Care Staffer resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Direct Care Staffer Demographics
Direct Care Staffer Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among direct care staffers, 72.5% of them are women, while 27.5% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among direct care staffers is White, which makes up 57.3% of all direct care staffers.
- The most common foreign language among direct care staffers is Spanish at 72.7%.
Online Courses For Direct Care Staffer That You May Like
1. Essentials of Palliative Care
This course starts you on your journey of integrating primary palliative care into your daily lives. You will learn what palliative care is, how to communicate with patients, show empathy, and practice difficult conversations. You will learn how to screen for distress and provide psychosocial support. You will learn about goals of care and advance care planning and how to improve your success with having these conversations with patients. Finally, you will explore important cultural...
See More on Coursera2. Health After Cancer: Cancer Survivorship for Primary Care
This course presents basic principles of cancer survivorship to primary-care physicians. Developed by a team of experts in caring for cancer survivors, and narrated by a primary-care physician, this course provides practical tips and tools that can be easily integrated into medical practice. You will learn about the complex physical and psychosocial needs and concerns of the growing number of cancer survivors, along with the key role that primary care physicians have in guiding these patients...
See More on Coursera3. Transitions in Care from Survivorship to Hospice
This course should be taken after the Symptom Management course and continues building your primary palliative care skills – communication, psychosocial support, goals of care, and symptom management. You will explore transitions in care such as survivorship and hospice. You will learn how to create a survivorship care plan and how to best support a patient. The course also covers spiritual care and will teach you how to screen for spiritual distress. Finally, you will learn the requirements...
See More on CourseraBest States For a Direct Care Staffer
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a direct care staffer. The best states for people in this position are Oregon, New York, Washington, and New Jersey. Direct care staffers make the most in Oregon with an average salary of $36,973. Whereas in New York and Washington, they would average $35,326 and $35,112, respectively. While direct care staffers would only make an average of $34,677 in New Jersey, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. New York
$35,326
Avg. Salary
2. Maine
$33,898
Avg. Salary
3. Oregon
$36,973
Avg. Salary
How Do Direct Care Staffer Rate Their Jobs?
Top Direct Care Staffer Employers
Most Common Employers For Direct Care Staffer
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tomorrow's Hope Foundation | $32,553 | $15.65 | 50 |
| 2 | The Mosaic Company | $31,387 | $15.09 | 55 |
| 3 | New Leaf Center | $30,565 | $14.69 | 123 |
| 4 | Pediatric Partners, now a member of the Sevita family | $30,381 | $14.61 | 48 |
| 5 | PHP Distribution | $30,216 | $14.53 | 120 |
| 6 | CHD | $29,938 | $14.39 | 97 |
| 7 | Parkwood International | $29,474 | $14.17 | 63 |
| 8 | United Cerebral Palsy of Georgia | $29,220 | $14.05 | 80 |
| 9 | Community Living Options Inc. | $28,823 | $13.86 | 50 |
| 10 | Damar Services | $28,611 | $13.76 | 207 |
Direct Care Staffer Videos
Becoming a Direct Care Staffer FAQs
How Long Does It Take To Become A Direct Care Staffer?
It takes 3 years of professional experience to become a direct care staffer. That is the time it takes to learn specific direct care staffer skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education.