Geriatric aide vs direct care staffer

The differences between geriatric aides and direct care staffers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a direct care staffer has an average salary of $30,480, which is higher than the $29,936 average annual salary of a geriatric aide.

The top three skills for a geriatric aide include ADL, patient care and vital signs. The most important skills for a direct care staffer are mental health, developmental disabilities, and CPR.

Geriatric aide vs direct care staffer overview

	Geriatric Aide	Direct Care Staffer
Yearly salary	$29,936	$30,480
Hourly rate	$14.39	$14.65
Growth rate	36%	36%
Number of jobs	44,150	117,658
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	-	-

Geriatric aide vs direct care staffer salary

Geriatric aides and direct care staffers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Geriatric Aide	Direct Care Staffer
Average salary	$29,936	$30,480
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $39,000	Between $19,000 And $47,000
Highest paying City	-	Salem, OR
Highest paying state	-	Oregon
Best paying company	-	New York University
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between geriatric aide and direct care staffer education

There are a few differences between a geriatric aide and a direct care staffer in terms of educational background:

	Geriatric Aide	Direct Care Staffer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	-	-

Geriatric aide vs direct care staffer demographics

Here are the differences between geriatric aides' and direct care staffers' demographics:

	Geriatric Aide	Direct Care Staffer
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 8.8% Female, 91.3%	Male, 27.5% Female, 72.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 22.8% Asian, 13.6% White, 47.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 57.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between geriatric aide and direct care staffer duties and responsibilities

Geriatric aide example responsibilities.

Sit with residents and assist with food trays.
Provide companionship on a daily basis by lending an ear or a shoulder to lean on.
Conduct individual exercise instruction as prescribed by supervising therapist, significantly resulting in improving the overall well being of many patients.
Conduct qualifying assessments for prospective GED exam candidates.

Direct care staffer example responsibilities.

Provide and care for highly volatile patients, administering CPI when require.
Train and supervise individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities.
Assist consumers in development and maintenance of adaptive daily living skills.
Maintain client and community safety through appropriate application of CPI NVCI training.
Assist residence with disabilities, by bathing them, feeding and showing compassion.
Work with Kronos (timekeeping system) and making schedules for the DSP.

Geriatric aide vs direct care staffer skills

Common geriatric aide skills

ADL, 86%
Patient Care, 8%
Vital Signs, 4%
Body Mechanics, 1%
Individual Treatment Plan, 1%
Companionship, 0%

Common direct care staffer skills

Mental Health, 14%
Developmental Disabilities, 8%
CPR, 8%
Patients, 6%
Autism, 6%
Crisis Intervention, 5%