Psychiatric Aides

Overall employment of psychiatric technicians and aides is projected to grow 9 percent from 2022 to 2032, much faster than the average for all occupations.

About 15,200 openings for psychiatric technicians and aides are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.

Education: High school diploma or equivalent Details

Education Details

46%

Some College Courses

24%

High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)

16%

Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)

10%

Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)

Bachelor's Degree

Salary

High: $52,050.00

Average: $38,620.00

Hourly

Average: $18.57

Summary of What they do:

Assist mentally impaired or emotionally disturbed patients, working under direction of nursing and medical staff. May assist with daily living activities, lead patients in educational and recreational activities, or accompany patients to and from examinations and treatments. May restrain violent patients. Includes psychiatric orderlies.

Responsibilities

Monitor patients to detect health problems.

Assess physical conditions of patients to aid in diagnosis or treatment.

Record vital statistics or other health information.

Maintain medical records.

Perform clerical work in medical settings.

Care for patients with mental illnesses.

Confer with other professionals to plan patient care.

Encourage patients during therapeutic activities.

Assess physical conditions of patients to aid in diagnosis or treatment.

Collect biological specimens from patients.

Give medications or immunizations.

Feed patients.

Hold patients to ensure proper positioning or safety.

Interview patients to gather medical information.

Record vital statistics or other health information.

Assist patients with daily activities.

Engage patients in exercises or activities.

Accompany patients or clients on outings to provide assistance.

Clean patient rooms or patient treatment rooms.

Encourage patients during therapeutic activities.

What Psychiatric Technicians and Aides Do

Psychiatric technicians and aides care for people who have mental or emotional conditions or developmental disabilities. Technicians typically monitor patients’ conditions and provide therapeutic care, such as overseeing their medications. Aides help patients in their daily activities and ensure a safe and clean environment.

Duties

Psychiatric technicians may monitor patients' vital signs, such as taking their blood pressure.

Psychiatric technicians, sometimes called mental health technicians, typically do the following:

Listen to patients' concerns, observe their behavior, and record their condition
Report changes in patient health or behavior to medical staff
Lead patients in therapeutic and recreational activities
Provide medications and other treatments to patients, following instructions from doctors and other medical professionals
Help with patient intake and discharge
Monitor patients’ vital signs, such as their blood pressure and body temperature
Help patients with daily living activities, including eating and bathing
Restrain patients who are or may become physically violent

Psychiatric aides typically do the following:

Monitor patients’ behavior and location in a mental healthcare facility
Escort patients within a facility
Help patients with daily living activities, such as bathing and dressing
Serve meals and help patients eat
Keep facilities clean by doing tasks such as changing bed linens
Participate in or accompany patients to group activities, such as recreational sports or field trips
Restrain patients who are or may become physically violent

Some psychiatric technicians and aides provide care to patients who have severe developmental disabilities or mental health issues. Others work with patients undergoing rehabilitation for drug and alcohol addiction. Their work varies based on the types of patients they work with.

Psychiatric technicians and aides work as part of a medical team under the direction of physicians or registered nurses. Other team members may include psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, counselors, and therapists. For more information about the counselors and therapists they may work with, see the profiles on substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors, rehabilitation counselors, and marriage and family therapists.

Important Qualities

Compassion. Psychiatric technicians and aides spend much of their time interacting with patients who have mental, emotional, or developmental conditions. They must be caring and understanding of their patients.

Interpersonal skills. Psychiatric technicians and aides may want to develop a rapport with patients in order to properly care for them. They also must be able to work well as part of a medical team.

Observational skills. Psychiatric technicians and aides must watch patients closely and be sensitive to changes in behavior. For their safety and that of their patients, they must recognize signs of discomfort or trouble among patients.

Patience. Working with people who have mental, emotional, or developmental conditions may be challenging. Psychiatric technicians and aides must be able to stay calm in stressful situations.

Physical stamina. Psychiatric technicians and aides must lift, move, and sometimes restrain patients. They also spend much of their time standing.

Tasks On The Job

Accompany patients to and from wards for medical or dental treatments, shopping trips, or religious or recreational events.
Aid patients in becoming accustomed to hospital routines.
Clean and disinfect rooms and furnishings to maintain a safe and orderly environment.
Complete administrative tasks, such as entering orders into computer, answering telephone calls, or maintaining medical or facility information.
Complete physical checks and monitor patients to detect unusual or harmful behavior and report observations to professional staff.
Interview patients upon admission and record information.
Listen and provide emotional support and encouragement to psychiatric patients.
Maintain patients' restrictions to assigned areas.
Organize, supervise, or encourage patient participation in social, educational, or recreational activities.
Participate in recreational activities with patients, including card games, sports, or television viewing.
Perform nursing duties, such as administering medications, measuring vital signs, collecting specimens, or drawing blood samples.
Provide mentally impaired or emotionally disturbed patients with routine physical, emotional, psychological, or rehabilitation care under the direction of nursing or medical staff.
Provide patients with assistance in bathing, dressing, or grooming, demonstrating these skills as necessary.
Record and maintain patient information, such as vital signs, eating habits, behavior, progress notes, treatments, or discharge plans.
Restrain or aid patients as necessary to prevent injury.
Serve meals or feed patients needing assistance or persuasion.
Work as part of a team that may include psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses, or social workers.

PERSONALITY

KEY:

Strength

Caution

Warning

Your Assessment Results		CAREER CHARACTERISTICS Importance


? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	82%	Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	80%	Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	79%	Self-Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	75%	Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	75%	Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	74%	Social Orientation - Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	73%	Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	73%	Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	71%	Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	71%	Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	68%	Leadership - Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	67%	Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	62%	Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	61%	Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	56%	Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.

Your Assessment Results		IMPORTANT STRENGTHS Importance


? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	100%	Social - Work involves helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others. Social occupations are often associated with social, health care, personal service, teaching/education, or religious activities.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	61%	Realistic - Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	61%	Conventional - Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.

Your Assessment Results		WORK VALUES Importance


? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	83%	Relationships - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	72%	Support - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	67%	Independence - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.

APTITUDES

KEY:

Strength

Caution

Warning

Your Assessment Results		ABILITIES \| SKILLS Importance


? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	75%	Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	72%	Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	72%	Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	69%	Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	66%	Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	63%	Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	63%	Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	60%	Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	59%	Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	56%	Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	54%	Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	53%	Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	53%	Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	53%	Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	53%	Far Vision - The ability to see details at a distance.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	52%	Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

Your Assessment Results		TASKS \| ACTIVITIES Importance


? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	96%	Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	91%	Assisting and Caring for Others - Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	87%	Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates - Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	85%	Documenting/Recording Information - Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	84%	Training and Teaching Others - Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	79%	Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings - Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	78%	Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge - Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	77%	Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others - Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	77%	Making Decisions and Solving Problems - Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	76%	Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events - Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	72%	Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work - Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	70%	Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards - Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	69%	Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships - Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	68%	Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others - Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	67%	Thinking Creatively - Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	65%	Developing and Building Teams - Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	60%	Coaching and Developing Others - Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	58%	Performing General Physical Activities - Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	55%	Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials - Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	54%	Performing Administrative Activities - Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	53%	Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others - Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.

Your Assessment Results		CONTEXT \| ATTRIBUTES Importance


? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	95%	Contact With Others - How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	89%	Physical Proximity - To what extent does this job require the worker to perform job tasks in close physical proximity to other people?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	88%	Work With Work Group or Team - How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	88%	Face-to-Face Discussions - How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	79%	Exposed to Disease or Infections - How often does this job require exposure to disease/infections?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	77%	Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People - How frequently does the worker have to deal with unpleasant, angry, or discourteous individuals as part of the job requirements?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	77%	Frequency of Conflict Situations - How often are there conflict situations the employee has to face in this job?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	76%	Coordinate or Lead Others - How important is it to coordinate or lead others in accomplishing work activities in this job?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	72%	Electronic Mail - How often do you use electronic mail in this job?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	71%	Responsible for Others' Health and Safety - How much responsibility is there for the health and safety of others in this job?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	70%	Consequence of Error - How serious would the result usually be if the worker made a mistake that was not readily correctable?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	69%	Indoors, Environmentally Controlled - How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	69%	Structured versus Unstructured Work - To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	69%	Telephone - How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	68%	Importance of Repeating Same Tasks - How important is repeating the same physical activities (e.g., key entry) or mental activities (e.g., checking entries in a ledger) over and over, without stopping, to performing this job?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	68%	Importance of Being Exact or Accurate - How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	68%	Time Pressure - How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	67%	Deal With Physically Aggressive People - How frequently does this job require the worker to deal with physical aggression of violent individuals?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	67%	Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets - How much does this job require wearing common protective or safety equipment such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hard hats or life jackets?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	66%	Freedom to Make Decisions - How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	66%	Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results - What results do your decisions usually have on other people or the image or reputation or financial resources of your employer?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	62%	Frequency of Decision Making - How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	60%	Sounds, Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable - How often does this job require working exposed to sounds and noise levels that are distracting or uncomfortable?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	59%	Responsibility for Outcomes and Results - How responsible is the worker for work outcomes and results of other workers?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	56%	Spend Time Standing - How much does this job require standing?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	55%	Deal With External Customers - How important is it to work with external customers or the public in this job?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	53%	Spend Time Walking and Running - How much does this job require walking and running?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	53%	Spend Time Bending or Twisting the Body - How much does this job require bending or twisting your body?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	52%	Letters and Memos - How often does the job require written letters and memos?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	51%	Spend Time Sitting - How much does this job require sitting?

Work Environment

Psychiatric technicians and aides work primarily in healthcare settings, such as hospitals.

Psychiatric aides held about 32,400 jobs in 2022. The largest employers of psychiatric aides were as follows:

Psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals; state, local, and private	45%
State government, excluding education and hospitals	21
General medical and surgical hospitals; state, local, and private	11
Residential mental health and substance abuse facilities	5
Outpatient mental health and substance abuse centers	2

Psychiatric technicians held about 107,100 jobs in 2022. The largest employers of psychiatric technicians were as follows:

Psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals; state, local, and private	31%
General medical and surgical hospitals; state, local, and private	14
Offices of mental health practitioners (except physicians)	10
Residential mental health and substance abuse facilities	9
Outpatient mental health and substance abuse centers	8

Psychiatric technicians and aides may need to stand for long periods, and the work can be physically demanding. Some of their tasks are unpleasant, and it can be challenging to care for patients who are disoriented, uncooperative, or violent.

Despite their work’s challenges, however, psychiatric technicians and aides may find it rewarding. For example, their close contact with patients allows technicians and aides to have a positive influence on patients’ outlook and treatment.

Injuries and Illnesses

Psychiatric technicians and aides have some of the highest rates of injuries and illnesses of all occupations. Common injuries may include sprains and strains, such as from lifting and turning patients. Injuries also may result from working with patients who are physically uncooperative.

Psychiatric technicians and aides learn proper lifting techniques to minimize their risk of injury. In addition, these workers receive safety training to help with handling patients who may be a danger to themselves or others.

Work Schedule

Most psychiatric technicians and aides work full time, but part-time work is common. Because hospitals and residential facilities operate 24 hours a day, psychiatric technicians and aides may work nights, weekends, and holidays.

Getting Started

How to Become a Psychiatric Technician or Aide

Psychiatric technicians observe patients’ behavior and listen to their concerns.

To enter the occupation, psychiatric technicians typically need a postsecondary certificate, and aides need at least a high school diploma or equivalent. Some states require technicians to be licensed. Both technicians and aides get on-the-job training.

Education

Psychiatric technicians typically need a postsecondary certificate for psychiatric technicians, behavioral health technicians, or similar titles. Programs for these certificates or associate’s degrees, available at community colleges and technical schools, train students in basic nursing skills. They include courses in psychology, anatomy, and pharmacology and also may include supervised clinical work experience. Some employers prefer to hire candidates who have a bachelor’s degree.

Psychiatric aides typically need a high school diploma or equivalent.

Training

Psychiatric technicians and aides may have a short period of on-the-job training. This training may include working with patients while under the supervision of an experienced technician or aide.

Other Experience

Employers may prefer that psychiatric technicians and aides have experience in a related occupation, such as having worked with people who have developmental disabilities or mental health conditions. Technician experience also may include a clinical component, which they can gain in occupations such as nursing assistant or licensed practical or licensed vocational nurse.

Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations

Some states require psychiatric technicians to have a license. Requirements may include completing an accredited education program and passing an exam. Contact your state licensing board for additional information.

Psychiatric technicians may choose to earn optional certification. For example, the American Association of Psychiatric Technicians offers four levels of certification for psychiatric technicians. Requirements vary based on education and work experience.

Employers may require candidates to have certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or basic life support (BLS).

Contacts for More Information

For more information about psychiatric technicians and aides, visit

American Association of Psychiatric Technicians

Similar Occupations

This table shows a list of occupations with job duties that are similar to those of psychiatric technicians and aides.

Occupation	Job Duties	Entry-Level Education	Median Annual Pay, May 2022
Childcare Workers	Childcare workers attend to children's needs while helping to foster early development.	High school diploma or equivalent	$28,520
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	Home health and personal care aides monitor the condition of people with disabilities or chronic illnesses and help them with daily living activities.	High school diploma or equivalent	$30,180
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses	Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and licensed vocational nurses (LVNs) provide basic medical care.	Postsecondary nondegree award	$54,620
Medical Assistants	Medical assistants complete administrative and clinical tasks, such as scheduling appointments and taking patients’ vital signs.	Postsecondary nondegree award	$38,270
Nursing Assistants and Orderlies	Nursing assistants provide basic care and help patients with activities of daily living. Orderlies transport patients and clean treatment areas.	See How to Become One	$35,740
Occupational Therapy Assistants and Aides	Occupational therapy assistants and aides help patients develop, recover, improve, as well as maintain the skills needed for daily living and working.	See How to Become One	$63,450
Registered Nurses	Registered nurses (RNs) provide and coordinate patient care and educate patients and the public about various health conditions.	Bachelor's degree	$81,220
Social and Human Service Assistants	Social and human service assistants provide client services in a variety of fields, such as psychology, rehabilitation, and social work.	High school diploma or equivalent	$38,520