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The differences between direct support specialists and residential specialists 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 $33,451 average annual salary of a residential specialist.
The top three skills for a direct support specialist include direct support, mental health and CPR. The most important skills for a residential specialist are mental health, crisis intervention, and CPR.
| Direct Support Specialist | Residential Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $37,771 | $33,451 |
| Hourly rate | $18.16 | $16.08 |
| Growth rate | 36% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 95,560 | 49,467 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 48 | 43 |
| Years of experience | - | 12 |
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.
The residential specialist job is to provide quality support services to consumers that enhance physical, emotional, intellectual, vocational, communication, and social skills according to the individual's needs, abilities, and choices. Their duties and responsibilities include following the guidelines given by their agencies and assisting clients as needed according to their daily plan and schedule.
Direct support specialists and residential specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Direct Support Specialist | Residential Specialist | |
| Average salary | $37,771 | $33,451 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $54,000 | Between $25,000 And $44,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | BP America Inc | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | Real Estate | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between a direct support specialist and a residential specialist in terms of educational background:
| Direct Support Specialist | Residential Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | - | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between direct support specialists' and residential specialists' demographics:
| Direct Support Specialist | Residential Specialist | |
| Average age | 48 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 27.7% Female, 72.3% | Male, 29.7% Female, 70.3% |
| 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, 12.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 58.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 11% |