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Become A Direct Support Worker

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Working As A Direct Support Worker

  • Assisting and Caring for Others
  • Documenting/Recording Information
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
  • Getting Information
  • Performing General Physical Activities

  • $25,000

    Average Salary

What Does A Direct Support Worker Do

Personal care aides help clients with self-care and everyday tasks. They also provide social supports and assistance that enable clients to participate in their communities.

Duties

Personal care aides typically do the following:

  • Care for and assist clients with cognitive impairments, such as Alzheimer’s or mental illness
  • Engage clients by talking to or playing games with them, or by taking them for walks
  • Help clients with hygiene-related tasks, such as bathing, brushing teeth, and going to the bathroom
  • Transfer clients to and from a bed or a wheelchair
  • Complete housekeeping tasks, such as changing bed linens, washing dishes, and cleaning living areas
  • Help prepare and plan meals
  • Assist with organizing a client’s schedule and schedule appointments
  • Arrange transportation to and from doctors’ offices or the store
  • Help clients pay bills or manage money
  • Shop for personal items and groceries
  • Assist clients in going to work and participating in their communities

Personal care aides—also called caregivers and personal attendants—help clients with self-care and daily activities. Personal care aides perform tasks that are similar to those of home health aides. However, personal care aides cannot provide any medical services, whereas home health aides may provide basic medical services.

Direct support professionals work with people who have developmental or intellectual disabilities. They may help create a behavior plan and teach self-care skills, such as doing laundry or cooking meals. They may also provide other personal assistance services.

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How To Become A Direct Support Worker

Most personal care aides are trained on the job. There are no formal education requirements for personal care aides, but most aides have a high school diploma.

Education

Although there are no formal education requirements for personal care aides, employers may prefer candidates with a high school diploma.

Training

Aides may be trained on the job by registered nurses, other personal care aides, or their direct employer. They are trained in specific tasks, such as how to work with a client who has a cognitive impairment and how to assist a client in preparing meals.

Most employers require aides to have training or certification in first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Important Qualities

Detail oriented. Personal care aides must follow specific rules and protocols to help take care of clients. They must pay close attention to a client’s medical condition, quickly noting any changes that may require assistance from medical personnel.

Integrity. Personal care aides should make clients feel comfortable when the aides tend to personal activities, such as helping a client bathe. In addition, personal care aides must be dependable and trustworthy so that clients and their families can rely on them.

Interpersonal skills. Sometimes clients are in extreme pain or distress, and aides must be sensitive to their emotions. Aides must be compassionate, and they must enjoy helping people.

Physical stamina. Personal care aides should be comfortable performing physical tasks. They often need to lift or turn clients who have a disability.

Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations

Personal care aides may be required to complete a formal training program depending on the state where they work, and state laws vary widely in terms of the requirements that must be met. Some states and organizations may conduct background checks on prospective aides. A competency evaluation also may be required to ensure that the aide can perform certain tasks.

There are no federal training requirements for personal care aides. For specific state requirements, contact the state’s health board.

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Average Length of Employment
Developmental Aide 4.5 years
Residential Program Worker 3.0 years
Personal Support Worker 2.6 years
Direct Service Professional 2.5 years
Direct Selling Counselor 2.4 years
Direct Care Counselor 2.4 years
Direct Care Aide 2.3 years
Direct Care Worker 2.3 years
Support Worker 2.3 years
Direct Care Provider 2.2 years
Learning Support Aide 2.2 years
Direct Support Specialist 2.1 years
Direct Care Staffer 2.1 years
Support Staff 2.1 years
Direct Care Professional 2.1 years
Direct Support Professional 2.1 years
Direct Support Associate 2.1 years
Direct Service Provider 2.0 years
Direct Support Staff 2.0 years
Direct Support Worker 2.0 years
Top Careers Before Direct Support Worker
Cashier 19.2%
Certified Nursing Assistant 11.1%
Sales Associate 7.9%
Customer Service Representative 7.2%
Home Health Aid 7.1%
Direct Support Professional 4.5%
Internship 4.0%
Office Assistant 3.9%
Housekeeper 3.7%
Administrative Assistant 3.4%
Assistant Manager 3.2%
Crew Member 3.1%
Server 3.0%
Manager 3.0%
Personal Care Assistant 2.7%
Medical Assistant 2.6%
Receptionist 2.6%
Volunteer 2.6%
Direct Care Worker 2.5%
Secretary 2.5%
Top Careers After Direct Support Worker
Certified Nursing Assistant 19.3%
Cashier 10.8%
Customer Service Representative 8.7%
Direct Support Professional 8.1%
Home Health Aid 6.5%
Sales Associate 4.7%
Medical Assistant 4.1%
Security Officer 3.7%
Case Manager 3.3%
Internship 3.3%
Administrative Assistant 3.1%
Substitute Teacher 3.1%
Direct Care Worker 3.0%
Security Guard 3.0%
Ship Worker 2.8%
Licensed Practical Nurse 2.8%
Server 2.6%
Receptionist 2.4%
Housekeeper 2.4%
Assistant Manager 2.4%

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Top Skills for A Direct Support Worker

  1. Personal Care
  2. Developmental Disabilities
  3. Meal Prep
You can check out examples of real life uses of top skills on resumes here:
  • Care for patients by changing bed linens, washing and ironing laundry, cleaning, or assisting with their personal care.
  • Guided groups and individual adult clients with developmental disabilities in reading comprehension, physical education, and independent living skills.
  • Help participants with goals-Assist with meal preparation-Exercise -Special Olympics sports
  • Assist developmentally challenged individual in his home teaching independent living skills.
  • Assist elderly or disabled adults with daily living activities at the person's home or in a daytime non-residential facility.

Direct Support Worker Demographics

Gender

Female

68.2%

Male

17.1%

Unknown

14.7%
Ethnicity

White

62.5%

Black or African American

16.9%

Hispanic or Latino

10.8%

Asian

6.1%

Unknown

3.8%
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Foreign Languages Spoken

Spanish

66.7%

French

22.2%

Carrier

11.1%

Direct Support Worker Education

Schools

Delgado Community College

9.1%

University of Phoenix

8.6%

University of Louisiana at Lafayette

8.1%

Grambling State University

7.7%

Remington College

7.7%

South Louisiana Community College

6.7%

Wichita State University

4.8%

Southeastern Louisiana University

4.3%

University of Kansas

4.3%

Nicholls State University

4.3%

Southern University and A & M College

4.3%

Unitech Training Academy - Lafayette

3.8%

Ozarks Technical Community College

3.8%

Blue Cliff College - Shreveport

3.8%

Trident Technical College

3.3%

Blue Cliff - Houma

3.3%

Pittsburg State University

3.3%

Missouri State University

2.9%

Washburn University of Topeka

2.9%

Northwestern State University of Louisiana

2.9%
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Majors

Nursing

16.4%

Psychology

12.5%

Medical Assisting Services

9.7%

Business

7.9%

Criminal Justice

7.5%

Social Work

6.2%

General Studies

5.8%

Nursing Assistants

4.8%

Health Care Administration

4.8%

Human Services

4.6%

Education

2.9%

Sociology

2.4%

Accounting

2.4%

Liberal Arts

2.2%

Biology

2.1%

Cosmetology

1.7%

Pharmacy

1.7%

Mental Health Counseling

1.5%

Communication

1.5%

Legal Support Services

1.4%
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Degrees

Other

35.4%

Bachelors

25.9%

Associate

15.1%

Masters

9.1%

Certificate

6.8%

Diploma

6.3%

License

1.1%

Doctorate

0.3%
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