Life skills trainer vs direct care worker

The differences between life skills trainers and direct care workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a life skills trainer has an average salary of $30,822, which is higher than the $29,343 average annual salary of a direct care worker.

The top three skills for a life skills trainer include medication administration, therapeutic recreation and medical appointments. The most important skills for a direct care worker are direct care, patients, and CPR.

Life skills trainer vs direct care worker overview

	Life Skills Trainer	Direct Care Worker
Yearly salary	$30,822	$29,343
Hourly rate	$14.82	$14.11
Growth rate	19%	36%
Number of jobs	39,666	140,788
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	High School Diploma, 32%
Average age	37	48
Years of experience	12	-

What does a life skills trainer do?

Life skills trainers are personal health professionals who provide training assistance and supervision to patients, such as personal care, financial management, and social integration. These trainers are required to assist their clients with disabilities with daily living activities while documenting their behaviors and personal hygiene. They can organize therapeutic activities for individuals or groups to maximize their quality of life. Life skills trainers must also assist in meal preparation as well as perform tasks that include glucose monitoring, insulin therapy, and diabetes management.

What does a direct care worker do?

A Direct Care Worker's responsibility revolves around overseeing clients' welfare and health care from different ages and conditions. Most of the duties will involve assistance in basic hygienic tasks such as bathing or going to the toilet, performing light chores such as preparing healthy meals and cleaning a bedroom, and ensuring the patient's medication intake aligns with the schedule. Furthermore, it is also the duty of a Direct Care Worker to empathize and build rapport with clients to make them feel more at ease.

Life skills trainer vs direct care worker salary

Life skills trainers and direct care workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Life Skills Trainer	Direct Care Worker
Average salary	$30,822	$29,343
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $41,000	Between $23,000 And $36,000
Highest paying City	-	Portland, ME
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Arizona Training & Evaluation Center
Best paying industry	-	Professional

Differences between life skills trainer and direct care worker education

There are a few differences between a life skills trainer and a direct care worker in terms of educational background:

	Life Skills Trainer	Direct Care Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	High School Diploma, 32%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	-

Life skills trainer vs direct care worker demographics

Here are the differences between life skills trainers' and direct care workers' demographics:

	Life Skills Trainer	Direct Care Worker
Average age	37	48
Gender ratio	Male, 33.9% Female, 66.1%	Male, 23.4% Female, 76.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.1% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 5.1% White, 71.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	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	13%	7%

Differences between life skills trainer and direct care worker duties and responsibilities

Life skills trainer example responsibilities.

Train and experience at managing challenging classroom situations using CPI methods and positive behavior reinforcement practices.
Deliver individual counseling and perform crisis intervention duties including reporting suicidal patients.
Cultivate a culture of community by providing community integration at a residential rehabilitation facility for persons with severe brain injuries.
Acquire CPR and life skills certifications.
Perform when and if need for first aid and or CPR.
Assist clients with proper ADL needs, such as showering, providing meals, and cleaning rooms.

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.

Life skills trainer vs direct care worker skills

Common life skills trainer skills

Medication Administration, 17%
Therapeutic Recreation, 16%
Medical Appointments, 9%
Direct Support, 8%
Rehabilitation, 6%
CPR, 6%

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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Life Skills Trainer
Life Skills Trainer vs Direct Care Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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