Direct care worker vs direct care staffer

The differences between direct care workers and direct care staffers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a direct care staffer has an average salary of $30,480, 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 staffer are mental health, developmental disabilities, and CPR.

Direct care worker vs direct care staffer overview

	Direct Care Worker	Direct Care Staffer
Yearly salary	$29,343	$30,480
Hourly rate	$14.11	$14.65
Growth rate	36%	36%
Number of jobs	140,788	117,658
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 32%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
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 staffer do?

A Direct Care Staffer specializes in providing personal care and supervision to the disabled or elderly. Among the responsibilities include administering medication, managing schedules, assisting in hygienic tasks, preparing meals, and doing light to moderate household chores. Furthermore, A Direct Care Staffer also helps in transportation and preparation of daily meals, running various errands, purchasing groceries and daily necessities, and as well as monitoring health conditions. It is also essential for a Daily Care Staffer to update supervisors and guardians regularly.

Direct care worker vs direct care staffer salary

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

	Direct Care Worker	Direct Care Staffer
Average salary	$29,343	$30,480
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $36,000	Between $19,000 And $47,000
Highest paying City	Portland, ME	Salem, OR
Highest paying state	Washington	Oregon
Best paying company	Arizona Training & Evaluation Center	New York University
Best paying industry	Professional	Manufacturing

Differences between direct care worker and direct care staffer education

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

	Direct Care Worker	Direct Care Staffer
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 32%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	-	-

Direct care worker vs direct care staffer demographics

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

	Direct Care Worker	Direct Care Staffer
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 23.4% Female, 76.6%	Male, 27.5% Female, 72.5%
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, 10.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 57.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between direct care worker and direct care staffer 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 staffer example responsibilities.

Provide and care for highly volatile patients, administering CPI when require.
Train and supervise individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities.
Assist consumers in development and maintenance of adaptive daily living skills.
Maintain client and community safety through appropriate application of CPI NVCI training.
Assist residence with disabilities, by bathing them, feeding and showing compassion.
Work with Kronos (timekeeping system) and making schedules for the DSP.

Direct care worker vs direct care staffer 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 staffer skills

Mental Health, 14%
Developmental Disabilities, 8%
CPR, 8%
Patients, 6%
Autism, 6%
Crisis Intervention, 5%

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

Updated January 8, 2025

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