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The differences between direct support specialists and direct care workers 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 $29,343 average annual salary of a direct care worker.
The top three skills for a direct support specialist include direct support, mental health and CPR. The most important skills for a direct care worker are direct care, patients, and CPR.
| Direct Support Specialist | Direct Care Worker | |
| Yearly salary | $37,771 | $29,343 |
| Hourly rate | $18.16 | $14.11 |
| Growth rate | 36% | 36% |
| Number of jobs | 95,560 | 140,788 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | High School Diploma, 32% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
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.
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.
Direct support specialists and direct care workers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Direct Support Specialist | Direct Care Worker | |
| Average salary | $37,771 | $29,343 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $54,000 | Between $23,000 And $36,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Portland, ME |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | BP America Inc | Arizona Training & Evaluation Center |
| Best paying industry | Real Estate | Professional |
There are a few differences between a direct support specialist and a direct care worker in terms of educational background:
| Direct Support Specialist | Direct Care Worker | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | High School Diploma, 32% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between direct support specialists' and direct care workers' demographics:
| Direct Support Specialist | Direct Care Worker | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 27.7% Female, 72.3% | Male, 23.4% Female, 76.6% |
| 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, 12.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.7% Asian, 7.6% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |