Health care social worker vs direct care provider

The differences between health care social workers and direct care providers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a health care social worker has an average salary of $42,237, which is higher than the $29,470 average annual salary of a direct care provider.

The top three skills for a health care social worker include social work, patients and meal preparation. The most important skills for a direct care provider are CPR, developmental disabilities, and mental health.

Health care social worker vs direct care provider overview

	Health Care Social Worker	Direct Care Provider
Yearly salary	$42,237	$29,470
Hourly rate	$20.31	$14.17
Growth rate	9%	36%
Number of jobs	210,979	117,168
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Average age	45	48
Years of experience	2	-

Health care social worker vs direct care provider salary

Health care social workers and direct care providers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Health Care Social Worker	Direct Care Provider
Average salary	$42,237	$29,470
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $56,000	Between $20,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	-	Olympia, WA
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Washington State University
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between health care social worker and direct care provider education

There are a few differences between a health care social worker and a direct care provider in terms of educational background:

	Health Care Social Worker	Direct Care Provider
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Most common major	Social Work	Psychology
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	-

Health care social worker vs direct care provider demographics

Here are the differences between health care social workers' and direct care providers' demographics:

	Health Care Social Worker	Direct Care Provider
Average age	45	48
Gender ratio	Male, 21.2% Female, 78.8%	Male, 23.6% Female, 76.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 19.9% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 3.3% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 7.8% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	13%	7%

Differences between health care social worker and direct care provider duties and responsibilities

Health care social worker example responsibilities.

Respond to and assist in behavioral codes working as a team member to successfully manage patient using methods obtain in CPI training
Assist in coordinating health care benefits with Medicare, Medicaid and private insurers.
Work with clients for fill basic home cleaning, cooking, and healthcare needs.
Aid in completion of any forms such as Medicaid, food stamps, etc.
Comply with HIPAA regulations regarding patient privacy and confidentiality.
Discharge planning for those resident under going short-term physical rehabilitation.

Direct care provider example responsibilities.

Require certification in MANDT and CPR.
Coach and train clients to improve their daily living (ADL), social interaction and job skills.
Provide instruction and assist the consumers with active daily living (ADL) skills such as cooking, bathing, dressing.
Provide caring and companionship to elderly and developmentally disable consumers and provide primary resident care and assistance with daily living activities.
Facilitate exercise, vocational, arts-n-crafts, and daily living skills groups for consumers with DD.

Health care social worker vs direct care provider skills

Common health care social worker skills

Social Work, 26%
Patients, 24%
Meal Preparation, 5%
Community Resources, 4%
Patient Care, 4%
Home Health, 4%

Common direct care provider skills

CPR, 24%
Developmental Disabilities, 23%
Mental Health, 5%
Direct Care, 4%
Intellectual Disabilities, 4%
Home Health, 4%

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Community and Social Services Industry
Health Care Social Worker
Health Care Social Worker vs Direct Care Provider

Updated January 8, 2025

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