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The differences between life skills trainers 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 $30,822 average annual salary of a life skills trainer.
The top three skills for a life skills trainer include medication administration, therapeutic recreation and medical appointments. The most important skills for a direct support professional are direct support, developmental disabilities, and autism.
| Life Skills Trainer | Direct Support Professional | |
| Yearly salary | $30,822 | $32,077 |
| Hourly rate | $14.82 | $15.42 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 36% |
| Number of jobs | 39,666 | 142,034 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | High School Diploma, 30% |
| Average age | 37 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 12 | - |
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.
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.
Life skills trainers and direct support professionals have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Life Skills Trainer | Direct Support Professional | |
| Average salary | $30,822 | $32,077 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $41,000 | Between $18,000 And $54,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Santa Clara, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Meta |
| Best paying industry | - | Government |
There are a few differences between a life skills trainer and a direct support professional in terms of educational background:
| Life Skills Trainer | Direct Support Professional | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | High School Diploma, 30% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | - |
Here are the differences between life skills trainers' and direct support professionals' demographics:
| Life Skills Trainer | Direct Support Professional | |
| Average age | 37 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 33.9% Female, 66.1% | Male, 24.4% Female, 75.6% |
| 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, 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 | 13% | 7% |