Direct care worker vs direct care provider

The differences between direct care workers and direct care providers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a direct care provider has an average salary of $29,470, 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 direct care provider are CPR, developmental disabilities, and mental health.

Direct care worker vs direct care provider overview

	Direct Care Worker	Direct Care Provider
Yearly salary	$29,343	$29,470
Hourly rate	$14.11	$14.17
Growth rate	36%	36%
Number of jobs	140,788	117,168
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 32%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
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 direct care provider do?

A Direct Care Worker specializes in providing care and assistance to patients, typically to the elderly. Their responsibilities include preparing and feeding meals, administering medication and other treatments, and monitoring their conditions, updating the physician or the patients' families regularly. They must also assist patients in various hygienic tasks such as bathing, dressing, brushing teeth, or going to the toilet. There are instances when Direct Care Workers must perform various household tasks such as laundry, washing the dishes, shopping for groceries, and running errands as needed.

Direct care worker vs direct care provider salary

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

	Direct Care Worker	Direct Care Provider
Average salary	$29,343	$29,470
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $36,000	Between $20,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	Portland, ME	Olympia, WA
Highest paying state	Washington	Alaska
Best paying company	Arizona Training & Evaluation Center	Washington State University
Best paying industry	Professional	Health Care

Differences between direct care worker and direct care provider education

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

	Direct Care Worker	Direct Care Provider
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 32%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	-	-

Direct care worker vs direct care provider demographics

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

	Direct Care Worker	Direct Care Provider
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 23.4% Female, 76.6%	Male, 23.6% Female, 76.4%
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, 9.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 7.8% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between direct care worker and direct 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.

Direct care provider example responsibilities.

Require certification in MANDT and CPR.
Coach and train clients to improve their daily living (ADL), social interaction and job skills.
Provide instruction and assist the consumers with active daily living (ADL) skills such as cooking, bathing, dressing.
Provide caring and companionship to elderly and developmentally disable consumers and provide primary resident care and assistance with daily living activities.
Facilitate exercise, vocational, arts-n-crafts, and daily living skills groups for consumers with DD.

Direct care worker vs direct 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 direct care provider skills

CPR, 24%
Developmental Disabilities, 23%
Mental Health, 5%
Direct Care, 4%
Intellectual Disabilities, 4%
Home Health, 4%

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

Updated January 8, 2025

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