Direct support specialist vs direct care provider

The differences between direct support specialists and direct care providers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a direct support specialist has an average salary of $37,771, which is higher than the $29,470 average annual salary of a direct care provider.

The top three skills for a direct support specialist include direct support, mental health and CPR. The most important skills for a direct care provider are CPR, developmental disabilities, and mental health.

Direct support specialist vs direct care provider overview

	Direct Support Specialist	Direct Care Provider
Yearly salary	$37,771	$29,470
Hourly rate	$18.16	$14.17
Growth rate	36%	36%
Number of jobs	95,560	117,168
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	-	-

What does a direct support specialist do?

A direct support specialist provides care and assistance to individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities. They may work at nursing facilities, government institutions, or at the patients' homes. Their responsibilities usually revolve around helping patients with daily tasks such as bathing, dressing, going to the toilet, and attending appointments. They may also assist patients in taking medications, handle the laundry and dishes, cook and prepare meals according to nutrition plans, and run errands as necessary. Moreover, they are also responsible for coordinating with physicians, maintaining daily records, and processing documents.

What does a direct care provider do?

A Direct Care Worker specializes in providing care and assistance to patients, typically to the elderly. Their responsibilities include preparing and feeding meals, administering medication and other treatments, and monitoring their conditions, updating the physician or the patients' families regularly. They must also assist patients in various hygienic tasks such as bathing, dressing, brushing teeth, or going to the toilet. There are instances when Direct Care Workers must perform various household tasks such as laundry, washing the dishes, shopping for groceries, and running errands as needed.

Direct support specialist vs direct care provider salary

Direct support specialists and direct care providers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Direct Support Specialist	Direct Care Provider
Average salary	$37,771	$29,470
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $54,000	Between $20,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Olympia, WA
Highest paying state	California	Alaska
Best paying company	BP America Inc	Washington State University
Best paying industry	Real Estate	Health Care

Differences between direct support specialist and direct care provider education

There are a few differences between a direct support specialist and a direct care provider in terms of educational background:

	Direct Support Specialist	Direct Care Provider
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	-	-

Direct support specialist vs direct care provider demographics

Here are the differences between direct support specialists' and direct care providers' demographics:

	Direct Support Specialist	Direct Care Provider
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 27.7% Female, 72.3%	Male, 23.6% Female, 76.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 7.7% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 7.8% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between direct support specialist and direct care provider duties and responsibilities

Direct support specialist example responsibilities.

Oversee and assist group home residents with ADL skills and day-to-day group activities.
Provide assistance with (ADL) activities of daily living management and supervision.
Assist each person (s) with daily ISP program plans; enhancing cognitive skills and developing positive behavior.
Document daily individuals support logs, ISP checklist, safety supports, and any other specialize documentation prior to leaving the shifts
Promote continuity of care by accurately and completely communicating to other caregivers the status of patients for which care is provided.
Document progress and communicate to MHMR case manager.

Direct care provider example responsibilities.

Require certification in MANDT and CPR.
Coach and train clients to improve their daily living (ADL), social interaction and job skills.
Provide instruction and assist the consumers with active daily living (ADL) skills such as cooking, bathing, dressing.
Provide caring and companionship to elderly and developmentally disable consumers and provide primary resident care and assistance with daily living activities.
Facilitate exercise, vocational, arts-n-crafts, and daily living skills groups for consumers with DD.

Direct support specialist vs direct care provider skills

Common direct support specialist skills

Direct Support, 15%
Mental Health, 9%
CPR, 7%
Mental Illness, 7%
Developmental Disabilities, 6%
Direct Care, 5%

Common direct care provider skills

CPR, 24%
Developmental Disabilities, 23%
Mental Health, 5%
Direct Care, 4%
Intellectual Disabilities, 4%
Home Health, 4%

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Direct Support Specialist vs Direct Care Provider

Updated January 8, 2025

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