Primary care provider vs direct care provider

The differences between primary care providers and direct care providers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a primary care provider has an average salary of $35,422, which is higher than the $29,470 average annual salary of a direct care provider.

The top three skills for a primary care provider include patients, internal medicine and family practice. The most important skills for a direct care provider are CPR, developmental disabilities, and mental health.

Primary care provider vs direct care provider overview

	Primary Care Provider	Direct Care Provider
Yearly salary	$35,422	$29,470
Hourly rate	$17.03	$14.17
Growth rate	36%	36%
Number of jobs	103,863	117,168
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	-	-

What does a primary care provider do?

Primary Care Providers, also known as general practitioners instead of specialists, are doctors trained to be the first point of contact for a patient entering the health care system. They diagnose, treat, and prevent a broad range of injuries and illnesses from allergies and colds to longer-term conditions such as Diabetes Mellitus. Their duties include performing lab tests to identify a condition, prescribing medications, checking for drug interactions, provide wound care, executing spirometry tests and electrocardiograms, and coordinating specialist care for your condition. A Primary Care Provider will also help create self-care plans prescribing a certain diet and recommending exercise routines.

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.

Primary care provider vs direct care provider salary

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

	Primary Care Provider	Direct Care Provider
Average salary	$35,422	$29,470
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $58,000	Between $20,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	Santa Rosa, CA	Olympia, WA
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Alaska
Best paying company	AstraZeneca	Washington State University
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between primary care provider and direct care provider education

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

	Primary Care Provider	Direct Care Provider
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Most common major	Nursing	Psychology
Most common college	-	-

Primary care provider vs direct care provider demographics

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

	Primary Care Provider	Direct Care Provider
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 26.8% Female, 73.2%	Male, 23.6% Female, 76.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 19.9% Asian, 9.7% White, 53.8% 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 primary care provider and direct care provider duties and responsibilities

Primary care provider example responsibilities.

Manage provider network to include verifying claims and benefits for healthcare providers/members and insurance companies.
Work alongside ABA therapists to continue to apply appropriate behavioral techniques.
Examine patients and carefully analyze test results and information gather during examinations to properly diagnose illnesses and diseases.
Used strong oral and written communications skills to develop and maintain effective relationships with patients, co-workers and international medical professionals.
Provide caring companionship to developmentally disabled/elderly residents.
Assist with toileting, including bedpans, urinals and commode chairs.

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.

Primary care provider vs direct care provider skills

Common primary care provider skills

Patients, 31%
Internal Medicine, 13%
Family Practice, 12%
Patient Care, 11%
Urgent Care, 10%
NP, 4%

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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Primary Care Provider vs Direct Care Provider

Updated January 8, 2025

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