How To Become A Residential Specialist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a residential specialist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

A residential specialist provides support services to families or individuals who need help with improving the physical, emotional, intellectual, and vocational aspects of their lives. That said, a residential specialist is an individual with great communication and social skills that enable them to determine an individual's needs and abilities accurately.

The specific duties of a residential specialist may include assisting residents with daily living activities, liaising between residents and service providers, documenting resident progress for reporting to appropriate agencies, and de-escalating dangerous situations using various therapeutic techniques. A residential specialist may also need to administer first aid or live-saving procedures during emergencies.

If you think that the job of a residential specialist is your calling, the best way to start your career is by getting a degree in psychology, criminal justice, social work, or other related fields. Gaining experience in the industry is also a big plus, as this job requires a high level of empathy, compassion, and social awareness.

ScoreResidential SpecialistUS Average

Salary

2.6

Avg. Salary $33,451

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.9

Growth rate 12%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.64%

Asian 6.38%

Black or African American 12.03%

Hispanic or Latino 16.46%

Unknown 4.69%

White 58.80%

Gender

female 70.26%

male 29.74%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

8.9

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.1

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a residential specialist

Explore residential specialist education requirements

Most common residential specialist degrees

Bachelor's

49.1 %

Associate

20.5 %

High School Diploma

14.4 %

Start to develop specific residential specialist skills

Skills	Percentages
Mental Health	9.67%
Crisis Intervention	7.24%
CPR	7.08%
Patients	5.86%
Social Work	5.01%

Complete relevant residential specialist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New residential specialists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a residential specialist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real residential specialist resumes.

Research residential specialist duties and responsibilities

Lead support groups with an emphasis on recovery and strength base techniques, DBT, CBT, self-care and coping skills.
Dispense medication, maintain all certification in CPR, first aid, and other educational and licensing requirements.
Promote continuity of care by accurately and completely communicating to other caregivers the status of patients for which care is provided.
Assist residents with their activities of daily living (ADL).

Prepare your residential specialist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your residential specialist resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a residential specialist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable residential specialist resume templates

Build a professional residential specialist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your residential specialist resume.

Apply for residential specialist jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a residential specialist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do residential specialists rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

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1 star

Residential specialist reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2019

Cons

I don't like people perishing, especially the teenagers.

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2019

Pros

Working as a Direct Care Professional, * I like most helping others with different disabilities. * I like most seeing each individual achieve their highest level of achievement. * I like most listing and learning different things from each individual. * I like most hearing the individuals say when they TRUST you, “ hey momma “ * I like most seeing each individual including staff happy; however, if not working together as a team in a positive way to improve the current situation to create a happier and healthier work environment.

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2019