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The differences between health support specialists and direct support professionals can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a direct support professional has an average salary of $32,077, which is higher than the $31,552 average annual salary of a health support specialist.
The top three skills for a health support specialist include patients, social work and CPR. The most important skills for a direct support professional are direct support, developmental disabilities, and autism.
| Health Support Specialist | Direct Support Professional | |
| Yearly salary | $31,552 | $32,077 |
| Hourly rate | $15.17 | $15.42 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 36% |
| Number of jobs | 152,897 | 142,034 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | High School Diploma, 30% |
| Average age | 42 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 2 | - |
Health Support Specialists are professionals who assist medical professionals in providing health care to improve or restore the mental or physical well-being of their patients. These specialists must create health plans for families while accompanying children with their appointments to receive the necessary health care that is mandated by the federal government. They are required to provide mental health support services by conducting community outreach programs with local vendors and organizations. Health Support Specialists must also conduct counseling sessions for adolescents about substance abuse.
Direct support professionals are responsible for taking care of patients with physical or mental limitations. They do a variety of tasks for their patients, such as doing household chores, running errands for them, cooking for them, feeding them, bathing and dressing them, and helping them with their medication, among others. They also provide their patients with companionship, accompanying their patients to appointments, providing emotional support, and being with their patients for the most part of the day. They should be familiar with their patients' prescribed medicines, meal plans, therapy schedules, and other items related to the betterment of the patients' condition. Direct support professionals help the patients overcome their challenges and assist them in acclimating themselves with their current environment.
Health support specialists and direct support professionals have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Health Support Specialist | Direct Support Professional | |
| Average salary | $31,552 | $32,077 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $42,000 | Between $18,000 And $54,000 |
| Highest paying City | Oakland, CA | Santa Clara, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Medtronic | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Utilities | Government |
There are a few differences between a health support specialist and a direct support professional in terms of educational background:
| Health Support Specialist | Direct Support Professional | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | High School Diploma, 30% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | - |
Here are the differences between health support specialists' and direct support professionals' demographics:
| Health Support Specialist | Direct Support Professional | |
| Average age | 42 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 26.8% Female, 73.2% | Male, 24.4% Female, 75.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 9.4% White, 58.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 8.3% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 7% |