Direct care worker vs personal care worker

The differences between direct care workers and personal care workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a personal care worker has an average salary of $29,490, 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 personal care worker are patients, home health, and good communication.

Direct care worker vs personal care worker overview

	Direct Care Worker	Personal Care Worker
Yearly salary	$29,343	$29,490
Hourly rate	$14.11	$14.18
Growth rate	36%	36%
Number of jobs	140,788	129,522
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 32%	High School Diploma, 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 personal care worker do?

A personal care worker is responsible for providing quality health care services for elders and disabled persons. Personal care workers are usually employed in a private household setting or a special healthcare institution, assisting patients with their daily activities, and monitoring their conditions. They update the patients' medical charts, administer medication from the physician's prescriptions, and manage their food intake. A personal care worker must be highly-organized, especially when attending to patients' needs, inquiries, and concerns.

Direct care worker vs personal care worker salary

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

	Direct Care Worker	Personal Care Worker
Average salary	$29,343	$29,490
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $36,000	Between $22,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Portland, ME	Lynn, MA
Highest paying state	Washington	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Arizona Training & Evaluation Center	Tyson Foods
Best paying industry	Professional	Professional

Differences between direct care worker and personal care worker education

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

	Direct Care Worker	Personal Care Worker
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 32%	High School Diploma, 36%
Most common major	Psychology	Nursing
Most common college	-	-

Direct care worker vs personal care worker demographics

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

	Direct Care Worker	Personal Care Worker
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 23.4% Female, 76.6%	Male, 16.4% Female, 83.6%
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, 8.4% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 10.2% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between direct care worker and personal care worker 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.

Personal care worker example responsibilities.

Manage provider network to include verifying claims and benefits for healthcare providers/members and insurance companies.
Assist in transfers using a gate belt or a hoyer lift.
Use a Hoyer lift to transport patient out of bed to their wheel chair
Perform light maintance which include switching window screens and storm windows, installing and removing air conditioning units.
Care for mentally and physically disable individuals, bathing, feeding, house cleaning duties, tolieting, medicines, CPR certify
Travele to different client homes to assist with ADL's i.e., laundry, bathing, grooming, cleaning, etc.

Direct care worker vs personal care worker skills

Common direct care worker skills

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

Common personal care worker skills

Patients, 24%
Home Health, 20%
Good Communication, 13%
In-Home Care, 12%
Companionship, 5%
Patient Care, 2%

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

Updated January 8, 2025

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