Direct care worker vs residential instructor

The differences between direct care workers and residential instructors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a residential instructor has an average salary of $29,695, 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 residential instructor are direct care, autism, and data collection.

Direct care worker vs residential instructor overview

	Direct Care Worker	Residential Instructor
Yearly salary	$29,343	$29,695
Hourly rate	$14.11	$14.28
Growth rate	36%	12%
Number of jobs	140,788	60,002
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 32%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	48	26
Years of experience	-	-

Direct care worker vs residential instructor salary

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

	Direct Care Worker	Residential Instructor
Average salary	$29,343	$29,695
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $36,000	Between $22,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	Portland, ME	Bell, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	North Dakota
Best paying company	Arizona Training & Evaluation Center	Boston Higashi School
Best paying industry	Professional	Education

Differences between direct care worker and residential instructor education

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

	Direct Care Worker	Residential Instructor
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 32%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	-	University of Pennsylvania

Direct care worker vs residential instructor demographics

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

	Direct Care Worker	Residential Instructor
Average age	48	26
Gender ratio	Male, 23.4% Female, 76.6%	Male, 29.8% Female, 70.2%
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, 12.8% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 13.0% Asian, 7.3% White, 60.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	7%	13%

Differences between direct care worker and residential instructor 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.

Residential instructor example responsibilities.

Engage, educate and empower participants to access community base resources in order to achieve greater self-determination, rehabilitation and recovery.
Participate in monthly ISP meetings regarding status and progress of each individual consumer.
Complete daily ADL s with clients per POC provide by behaviorists, therapists, etc.
Assist clients with all ADL's (activities of daily living), as needed while promoting independence.
Maintain documentation for administrating medication, daily logs, ISP information and other require data.
Engage, educate and empower participants to access community base resources in order to achieve greater self-determination, rehabilitation and recovery.

Direct care worker vs residential instructor skills

Common direct care worker skills

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

Common residential instructor skills

Direct Care, 10%
Autism, 7%
Data Collection, 7%
Developmental Disabilities, 6%
Direct Supervision, 6%
Community Integration, 5%

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

Updated January 8, 2025

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