Direct Support Professional: What is the cost of hiring?

Why hire a Direct Support Professional?

An efficient Direct Support professional should be empathetic, caring and encouraging at the same time. Their caring yet prudent mindset help the disabled individuals integrate into the community.

• Establish a safe and secure environment for the disabled people to identify, nurture the needs of disabled clients and help them structure their life goals.
• Supervising and performing daily household duties for the disabled people including housekeeping, preparing daily meals, making treatment plan and maintaining health and hygiene
• Motivate, coach, train their disabled clients to participate in a range of activities which will enhance the life skills

Skills to look for in a great Direct Support Professional

A competent Direct Support Professional should have an empathetic mind, caring attitude, positive and encouraging approach towards their clients.

• High School Diploma or GED
• Over 2 years of experience in providing direct care to intellectually and physically disabled people
• First Aid and CPR certification are must haves
• Valid driver’s license with no criminal record
• Excellent interpersonal and organizational skills
• Compassionate, Caring and Supportive towards developing the life skills of the clients

Writing a Direct Support Professional job description

The job description of a Direct Support Professional should be backed by defined job duties, specific job roles with required skill set

Consider including keywords that job seekers are using to search for Direct Support Professional jobs, such as:

• Direct Support Professional
• Direct Support Professional (Entry Level)
• Direct Care Professional

Interviewing Direct Support Professional candidates

Hiring a capable Direct Support Professional required careful designing of interview questions to judge the candidate’s attitude towards the overall care of the disabled clients.

• Experience in caregiving
• Coaching or training methodologies applied for life skills enhancement the disabled people
• How have they managed daily schedule of the intellectually challenged people?

See our list of interview questions for more examples.