Personal care worker vs direct care provider

The differences between personal care workers and direct care providers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a personal care worker has an average salary of $29,490, which is higher than the $29,470 average annual salary of a direct care provider.

The top three skills for a personal care worker include patients, home health and good communication. The most important skills for a direct care provider are CPR, developmental disabilities, and mental health.

Personal care worker vs direct care provider overview

	Personal Care Worker	Direct Care Provider
Yearly salary	$29,490	$29,470
Hourly rate	$14.18	$14.17
Growth rate	36%	36%
Number of jobs	129,522	117,168
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	-	-

What does a personal care worker do?

A personal care worker is responsible for providing quality health care services for elders and disabled persons. Personal care workers are usually employed in a private household setting or a special healthcare institution, assisting patients with their daily activities, and monitoring their conditions. They update the patients' medical charts, administer medication from the physician's prescriptions, and manage their food intake. A personal care worker must be highly-organized, especially when attending to patients' needs, inquiries, and concerns.

What does a direct care provider do?

A Direct Care Worker specializes in providing care and assistance to patients, typically to the elderly. Their responsibilities include preparing and feeding meals, administering medication and other treatments, and monitoring their conditions, updating the physician or the patients' families regularly. They must also assist patients in various hygienic tasks such as bathing, dressing, brushing teeth, or going to the toilet. There are instances when Direct Care Workers must perform various household tasks such as laundry, washing the dishes, shopping for groceries, and running errands as needed.

Personal care worker vs direct care provider salary

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

	Personal Care Worker	Direct Care Provider
Average salary	$29,490	$29,470
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $38,000	Between $20,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	Lynn, MA	Olympia, WA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Alaska
Best paying company	Tyson Foods	Washington State University
Best paying industry	Professional	Health Care

Differences between personal care worker and direct care provider education

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

	Personal Care Worker	Direct Care Provider
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Most common major	Nursing	Psychology
Most common college	-	-

Personal care worker vs direct care provider demographics

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

	Personal Care Worker	Direct Care Provider
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 16.4% Female, 83.6%	Male, 23.6% Female, 76.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 10.2% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%	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	7%	7%

Differences between personal care worker and direct care provider duties and responsibilities

Personal care worker example responsibilities.

Manage provider network to include verifying claims and benefits for healthcare providers/members and insurance companies.
Assist in transfers using a gate belt or a hoyer lift.
Use a Hoyer lift to transport patient out of bed to their wheel chair
Perform light maintance which include switching window screens and storm windows, installing and removing air conditioning units.
Care for mentally and physically disable individuals, bathing, feeding, house cleaning duties, tolieting, medicines, CPR certify
Travele to different client homes to assist with ADL's i.e., laundry, bathing, grooming, cleaning, etc.

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.

Personal care worker vs direct care provider skills

Common personal care worker skills

Patients, 24%
Home Health, 20%
Good Communication, 13%
In-Home Care, 12%
Companionship, 5%
Patient Care, 2%

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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Personal Care Worker vs Direct Care Provider

Updated January 8, 2025

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