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The differences between direct support professionals and certified nursing assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a certified nursing assistant has an average salary of $32,597, which is higher than the $32,077 average annual salary of a direct support professional.
The top three skills for a direct support professional include direct support, developmental disabilities and autism. The most important skills for a certified nursing assistant are patients, vital signs, and home health.
| Direct Support Professional | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $32,077 | $32,597 |
| Hourly rate | $15.42 | $15.67 |
| Growth rate | 36% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 142,034 | 225,834 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | 3.12 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 30% | High School Diploma, 29% |
| Average age | 48 | 42 |
| Years of experience | - | 3 |
Direct support professionals are responsible for taking care of patients with physical or mental limitations. They do a variety of tasks for their patients, such as doing household chores, running errands for them, cooking for them, feeding them, bathing and dressing them, and helping them with their medication, among others. They also provide their patients with companionship, accompanying their patients to appointments, providing emotional support, and being with their patients for the most part of the day. They should be familiar with their patients' prescribed medicines, meal plans, therapy schedules, and other items related to the betterment of the patients' condition. Direct support professionals help the patients overcome their challenges and assist them in acclimating themselves with their current environment.
A certified nursing assistant generally assists patients in their healthcare needs and medical procedures. They support patients in their daily activities by monitoring patients' temperature and food intake, ensuring the cleanliness of the patient's room, and keeping documentation of patients' conditions for reference of nurses and doctors. A certified nursing assistant should also communicate with patients' families and provide updates as often as needed. It is also important that a nursing assistant is patient and compassionate enough to attend to direct patient needs, which could get demanding or challenging at times.
Direct support professionals and certified nursing assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Direct Support Professional | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Average salary | $32,077 | $32,597 |
| Salary range | Between $18,000 And $54,000 | Between $24,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Clara, CA | Portland, ME |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Meta | Valley Presbyterian Hospital |
| Best paying industry | Government | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a direct support professional and a certified nursing assistant in terms of educational background:
| Direct Support Professional | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 30% | High School Diploma, 29% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between direct support professionals' and certified nursing assistants' demographics:
| Direct Support Professional | Certified Nursing Assistant | |
| Average age | 48 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.4% Female, 75.6% | Male, 12.3% Female, 87.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 8.3% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 7.8% White, 62.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |