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The differences between direct support specialists and specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a specialist has an average salary of $58,013, which is higher than the $37,771 average annual salary of a direct support specialist.
The top three skills for a direct support specialist include direct support, mental health and CPR. The most important skills for a specialist are patients, customer service, and work ethic.
| Direct Support Specialist | Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $37,771 | $58,013 |
| Hourly rate | $18.16 | $27.89 |
| Growth rate | 36% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 95,560 | 358,433 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 48 | 42 |
| Years of experience | - | 2 |
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.
Specialists are employees who are responsible for specific tasks or activities in the department they are assigned to. The actions or tasks they work on are related to their educational background or work experiences. They are usually highly skilled in specializations related to the work they are assigned to. Specialists are also highly trained on the competencies that are required of their specialty. As such, they are focused on the skills and competencies that are needed to enhance their experience in their specific field further.
Direct support specialists and specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Direct Support Specialist | Specialist | |
| Average salary | $37,771 | $58,013 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $54,000 | Between $32,000 And $104,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | BP America Inc | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Real Estate | - |
There are a few differences between a direct support specialist and a specialist in terms of educational background:
| Direct Support Specialist | Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Business |
| Most common college | - | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between direct support specialists' and specialists' demographics:
| Direct Support Specialist | Specialist | |
| Average age | 48 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 27.7% Female, 72.3% | Male, 47.5% Female, 52.5% |
| 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, 11.4% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 10.5% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 11% |