Learning support aide vs direct care worker

The differences between learning support aides and direct care workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a direct care worker has an average salary of $29,343, which is higher than the $29,021 average annual salary of a learning support aide.

The top three skills for a learning support aide include patients, cleanliness and vital signs. The most important skills for a direct care worker are direct care, patients, and CPR.

Learning support aide vs direct care worker overview

	Learning Support Aide	Direct Care Worker
Yearly salary	$29,021	$29,343
Hourly rate	$13.95	$14.11
Growth rate	36%	36%
Number of jobs	123,962	140,788
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	High School Diploma, 32%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	-	-

Learning support aide vs direct care worker salary

Learning support aides and direct care workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Learning Support Aide	Direct Care Worker
Average salary	$29,021	$29,343
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $38,000	Between $23,000 And $36,000
Highest paying City	Paramus, NJ	Portland, ME
Highest paying state	Maine	Washington
Best paying company	Casa Central	Arizona Training & Evaluation Center
Best paying industry	Health Care	Professional

Differences between learning support aide and direct care worker education

There are a few differences between a learning support aide and a direct care worker in terms of educational background:

	Learning Support Aide	Direct Care Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	High School Diploma, 32%
Most common major	Business	Psychology
Most common college	-	-

Learning support aide vs direct care worker demographics

Here are the differences between learning support aides' and direct care workers' demographics:

	Learning Support Aide	Direct Care Worker
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 22.0% Female, 78.0%	Male, 23.4% Female, 76.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 7.8% White, 57.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 12.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.7% Asian, 7.6% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between learning support aide and direct care worker duties and responsibilities

Learning support aide example responsibilities.

Provide and document first aid, CPR, blood pressure checks.
Attend all trainings and CPR classes.
Assist with activities of daily living (ADL).
Care for clients from their residential homes, assist with this ADL activities.
Continue to aide in the regular classroom with accommodations and adapting the curriculum as indicated in the child's IEP
Communicate with supervising instructional staff and professional support personnel for the purpose of assisting in implementing IEP objectives.

Direct care worker example responsibilities.

Provide caring companionship to elderly and developmentally disable patients with or without chronic health diagnosis.
Assist individuals with developmental/intellectual disabilities with ADL's.
Conduct socialization groups to aid individuals in development of ADL and socialization skills.
Prepare daily documents administer medications handle patients hygiene house cleaning and provide transportation to and from appointment
Provide caring and companionship to elderly and developmentally disable consumers and provide primary resident care and assistance with daily living activities.
Provide day to day services that include transport, nutrition, hygiene, housekeeping and activities to MRDD clients.

Learning support aide vs direct care worker skills

Common learning support aide skills

Patients, 25%
Cleanliness, 16%
Vital Signs, 16%
Crisis Intervention, 13%
Patient Care, 7%
CPR, 4%

Common direct care worker skills

Direct Care, 22%
Patients, 11%
CPR, 7%
Developmental Disabilities, 4%
Crisis Intervention, 4%
Vital Signs, 4%

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Learning Support Aide
Learning Support Aide vs Direct Care Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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