How long does it take to become a Direct Care Staffer?

It takes 3 years of professional experience to become a direct care staffer. That is the time it takes to learn specific direct care staffer skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education.

How To Become A Direct Care Staffer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a direct care staffer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Direct care workers give care and assistance to people that are physically disabled or old people. You will help the patient run errands when needed. Also, you will assist the elderly or physically challenged move around the house. Furthermore, you will ensure you cook for the patient and make sure they eat the special dietary considerations and take prescribed medications. You will meet with the family to discuss the needs and improvement of the patients while you serve as the companion for elders who live alone.

Direct care staffers must have great knowledge of proper first aid and emergency response procedures. They must be compassionate and have patience. Similarly, you need the ability to think quickly and act calmly in an emergency case. You need physical stamina to be able to run errands and help move patients around in the house. Another required skill is a strong listening ability. You will earn an average of $12.96 an hour or $26,954 yearly.

ScoreDirect Care StafferUS Average

Salary

2.4

Avg. Salary $30,480

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

8.0

Growth Rate 36%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.11%

Asian 8.19%

Black or African American 10.40%

Hispanic or Latino 18.67%

Unknown 4.29%

White 57.34%

Gender

female 72.52%

male 27.48%

Age - 50

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 - 50

Stress Level

8.0

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

7.7

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

9.6

Work Life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a direct care staffer

Explore direct care staffer education requirements

Most common direct care staffer degrees

Bachelor's

30.8 %

High School Diploma

29.3 %

Associate

18.9 %

Start to develop specific direct care staffer skills

Skills	Percentages
Mental Health	13.98%
Developmental Disabilities	8.02%
CPR	7.80%
Patients	5.85%
Autism	5.65%

Gain additional direct care staffer certifications

Direct care staffer certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific direct care staffer certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for direct care staffers include Medical G.A.S. Installer (Med) and First Aid, CPR and AED Instructor.

More About Certifications

Research direct care staffer duties and responsibilities

Provide and care for highly volatile patients, administering CPI when require.
Train and supervise individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities.
Assist consumers in development and maintenance of adaptive daily living skills.
Maintain client and community safety through appropriate application of CPI NVCI training.

Prepare your direct care staffer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your direct care staffer 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 direct care staffer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Direct Care Staffer Resume templates

Build a professional Direct Care Staffer 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 Direct Care Staffer resume.

Apply for direct care staffer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a direct care staffer 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 direct care staffers rate their job?

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Direct Care Staffer reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2020

Pros

Being able to help each client to become as independent as possible

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2019

Pros

Working to help speak and advocate for my patients .

Cons

There nothing about this job I dont like .

A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019

Cons

The scheduling can change at anytime. There are always shortage of workers to cover shifts especially overnight shifts. You can get stuck on a shift any given day. The people you work with has more issues than the people you are hired for to take care of. They can be lazy!!!