Provider vs direct care provider

The differences between providers and direct care providers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a provider has an average salary of $61,912, which is higher than the $29,470 average annual salary of a direct care provider.

The top three skills for a provider include patients, healthcare and patient care. The most important skills for a direct care provider are CPR, developmental disabilities, and mental health.

Provider vs direct care provider overview

	Provider	Direct Care Provider
Yearly salary	$61,912	$29,470
Hourly rate	$29.77	$14.17
Growth rate	36%	36%
Number of jobs	112,186	117,168
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 30%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	-	-

What does a provider do?

Health care providers are health professionals and health organizations offering health care treatment and diagnosis services. These professionals play significant roles with patients through consultation, treatment, and advice. The health care they provide is of different variations. They even perform other procedures depending on the needs of the patients. Their responsibilities include comprehensive care and specialist work. Also, they help in duties, medication, and housekeeping. They transport clients to and from errands, activities, and appointments.

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.

Provider vs direct care provider salary

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

	Provider	Direct Care Provider
Average salary	$61,912	$29,470
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $104,000	Between $20,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	Las Vegas, NV	Olympia, WA
Highest paying state	Nevada	Alaska
Best paying company	UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital	Washington State University
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between provider and direct care provider education

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

	Provider	Direct Care Provider
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 30%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Most common major	Business	Psychology
Most common college	-	-

Provider vs direct care provider demographics

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

	Provider	Direct Care Provider
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 21.9% Female, 78.1%	Male, 23.6% Female, 76.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 26.9% Asian, 7.9% White, 50.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	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 provider and direct care provider duties and responsibilities

Provider example responsibilities.

Work on achieving goals with child base on yearly ISP reports.
Manage provider network to include verifying claims and benefits for healthcare providers/members and insurance companies.
Monitor vital signs and medication of patients under the direction of register nurses and physiotherapists.
Treat each resident with tender care and compassion.
Suction tracheotomy, change out tracheotomy, and provide tracheotomy CPR as needed.
Maintain appropriate certifications and licenses such as CPR, first aid, and food handlers permit.

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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.

Provider vs direct care provider skills

Common provider skills

Patients, 27%
Healthcare, 18%
Patient Care, 14%
Mental Health, 5%
Customer Service, 5%
CPR, 5%

Common direct care provider skills

CPR, 24%
Developmental Disabilities, 23%
Mental Health, 5%
Direct Care, 4%
Intellectual Disabilities, 4%
Home Health, 4%

Provider vs. similar jobs

Provider related careers

Provider related jobs

What similar roles do

Updated January 8, 2025

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