Direct service provider vs personal care assistant

The differences between direct service providers and personal care assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a direct service provider has an average salary of $28,496, which is higher than the $26,643 average annual salary of a personal care assistant.

The top three skills for a direct service provider include direct care, mental illness and intellectual disabilities. The most important skills for a personal care assistant are patients, CPR, and home health.

Direct service provider vs personal care assistant overview

	Direct Service Provider	Personal Care Assistant
Yearly salary	$28,496	$26,643
Hourly rate	$13.70	$12.81
Growth rate	36%	36%
Number of jobs	49,939	256,869
Job satisfaction	-	4.67
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	High School Diploma, 31%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	-	-

Direct service provider vs personal care assistant salary

Direct service providers and personal care assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Direct Service Provider	Personal Care Assistant
Average salary	$28,496	$26,643
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $37,000	Between $18,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	Juneau, AK	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Massachusetts
Best paying company	North Carolina A&T State University	Massachusetts General Hospital
Best paying industry	Professional	Professional

Differences between direct service provider and personal care assistant education

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

	Direct Service Provider	Personal Care Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	High School Diploma, 31%
Most common major	Psychology	Nursing
Most common college	-	-

Direct service provider vs personal care assistant demographics

Here are the differences between direct service providers' and personal care assistants' demographics:

	Direct Service Provider	Personal Care Assistant
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 28.6% Female, 71.4%	Male, 15.0% Female, 85.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 7.8% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 8.7% White, 59.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between direct service provider and personal care assistant duties and responsibilities

Direct service provider example responsibilities.

Train and experience in adult and child first aid and CPR.
Certify medicine administer, CPR and first aid certify, CPI certify.
Assist residents in activities of daily living (ADL's) on a daily basis.
Prepare documents on the computer for annual ISP meetings with clients and their team members.
Pass medications, attend ISP meetings, help with personal hygiene, work on state goals.
Job duties include job coaching, skill training, ADL management, and implementing behavior management plans.

Personal care assistant example responsibilities.

Conduct and facilitate PCA lead group activities as scheduled
Act the utmost compassion and professionalism in providing every client with the highest quality care.
Review patients' dietary restrictions, food allergies, and preferences to ensure patient receives appropriate diet.
Provide nourishment and medication to pet resort guests and hospitalize patients alike.
Assist consumers with outside activates that are planned by PCW
Used love and compassion & structure to show young individuals their self worth.

Direct service provider vs personal care assistant skills

Common direct service provider skills

Direct Care, 29%
Mental Illness, 20%
Intellectual Disabilities, 18%
Developmental Disabilities, 6%
Direct Services, 4%
CPR, 4%

Common personal care assistant skills

Patients, 17%
CPR, 12%
Home Health, 12%
RUN Errands, 7%
Companionship, 6%
Patient Care, 6%

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Personal Care and Attendants Industry
Direct Service Provider
Direct Service Provider vs Personal Care Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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