Direct care worker vs care provider

The differences between direct care workers and care providers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a care provider has an average salary of $29,652, which is higher than the $29,343 average annual salary of a direct care worker.

The top three skills for a direct care worker include direct care, patients and CPR. The most important skills for a care provider are senior care, patients, and administer medications.

Direct care worker vs care provider overview

	Direct Care Worker	Care Provider
Yearly salary	$29,343	$29,652
Hourly rate	$14.11	$14.26
Growth rate	36%	36%
Number of jobs	140,788	169,562
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 32%	High School Diploma, 30%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	-	-

What does a direct care worker do?

A Direct Care Worker's responsibility revolves around overseeing clients' welfare and health care from different ages and conditions. Most of the duties will involve assistance in basic hygienic tasks such as bathing or going to the toilet, performing light chores such as preparing healthy meals and cleaning a bedroom, and ensuring the patient's medication intake aligns with the schedule. Furthermore, it is also the duty of a Direct Care Worker to empathize and build rapport with clients to make them feel more at ease.

What does a care provider do?

A care provider is responsible for assisting patients with their healthcare needs at the highest quality service. Care providers work in various medical organizations or are privately employed by a household. They perform medical procedures such as taking the patient's temperature and vital signs, monitoring their food intake, administering medications, collecting specimens for laboratory tests, and reporting the patient's condition to the attending physician or other health care professionals. A care provider must have excellent communication and organization skills, especially when consulting with patients for their needs and developing healthcare plans.

Direct care worker vs care provider salary

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

	Direct Care Worker	Care Provider
Average salary	$29,343	$29,652
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $36,000	Between $17,000 And $51,000
Highest paying City	Portland, ME	Attleboro, MA
Highest paying state	Washington	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Arizona Training & Evaluation Center	Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Best paying industry	Professional	Government

Differences between direct care worker and care provider education

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

	Direct Care Worker	Care Provider
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 32%	High School Diploma, 30%
Most common major	Psychology	Business
Most common college	-	-

Direct care worker vs care provider demographics

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

	Direct Care Worker	Care Provider
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 23.4% Female, 76.6%	Male, 22.1% Female, 77.9%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 22.3% Asian, 8.3% White, 54.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between direct care worker and care provider duties and responsibilities

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.

Show more

Care provider example responsibilities.

Manage provider network to include verifying claims and benefits for healthcare providers/members and insurance companies.
Aid and facilitate higher functioning patients reach their fullest potential while managing behavioral episodes as needed.
Accompany to medical appointments, administer medications, assist with ADL's, community integration, personal care, and therapeutic activities
Review appeals for Medicare non-participating providers following CMS specific guidelines for these providers.
Provide direct patient care to critical and non-critical emergency department patients as an experience EMT-Paramedic.
Change tracheal tube and catheter.

Show more

Direct care worker vs care provider skills

Common direct care worker skills

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

Common care provider skills

Senior Care, 23%
Patients, 13%
Administer Medications, 6%
Direct Care, 6%
Meal Prep, 6%
Patient Care, 6%

Direct Care Worker vs. similar jobs

Direct Care Worker related careers

Direct Care Worker related jobs

Direct Care Worker jobs by location

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse personal care and attendants jobs

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z