Description
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.
Interests
- Social
- Investigative
- Conventional
Work Values
- Relationships
- Support
- Independence
Work Styles
- Concern for Others
- Stress Tolerance
- Self-Control
- Cooperation
- Dependability
Tasks
- Listen and provide emotional support and encouragement to psychiatric patients.
- Provide patients with cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities with routine physical, emotional, psychological, or rehabilitation care under the direction of nursing or medical staff.
- Complete physical checks and monitor patients to detect unusual or harmful behavior and report observations to professional staff.
- Restrain or aid patients as necessary to prevent injury.
- Work as part of a team that may include psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses, or social workers.
Work Activities
- Getting Information
- Assisting and Caring for Others
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
- Documenting/Recording Information
- Training and Teaching Others
Detailed Work Activities
- Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
- Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
- Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
- Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
- Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
- Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
- Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
- Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
- Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
- Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
Technology Skills
- Electronic mail software
- Presentation software
- Spreadsheet software
- Medical software
- Office suite software
Abilities
- Oral Expression
- Oral Comprehension
- Problem Sensitivity
- Written Comprehension
- Deductive Reasoning
Skills
- Service Orientation
- Social Perceptiveness
- Speaking
- Active Listening
- Monitoring
Knowledge
- Psychology
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Therapy and Counseling
- Administrative
Most Common Education Level
The “Most Common Education Level” refers to the level of education held by the majority of workers in a given occupation. For example, if the highest percentage of workers in a role have an Associate’s Degree, that suggests this is the typical educational requirement. Knowing this helps you plan how many years of education you may need to pursue that career.
Certificates
Certificate name
Nationally Certified Psychiatric Technician 3Certifying Organization
American Association of Psychiatric Technicians, Inc.
Type
Advanced
Certificate name
Certified Specialist in Positive Behavior SupportCertifying Organization
National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals
Type
Core
Certificate name
Certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation PractitionerCertifying Organization
Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association
Type
Specialty
Certificate name
Nationally Certified Patient Care TechnicianCertifying Organization
National Center for Competency Testing
Type
Core
Certificate name
Nationally Certified Psychiatric Technician 4Certifying Organization
American Association of Psychiatric Technicians, Inc.
Type
Advanced
Income Percentile
The income percentiles show how earnings are distributed within a profession. The 10th percentile means that 10% of workers earned less than that amount. The median (50th percentile) indicates that half of workers earned more, and half earned less. The 90th percentile reflects what the top 10% of earners in the field make.
| Income Percentile | Annual Income |
|---|---|
| Low (10%) | $31,467 |
| Median (50%) | $38,804 |
| High (90%) | $62,736 |
Income by Experience
This table shows how income typically grows with experience—from entry level (0–2 years), to mid-level (3–5 years), to senior level (6–8 years), to expert level (8+ years).
| Experience | Income |
|---|---|
Entry Level  | $42,250 |
| Mid Level | $59,844 |
| Senior Level | $93,422 |
| Expert Level | $62,538 |
Employability
There are currently 36,000 jobs in this career path. Over the next 10 years, that number is expected to increase to 36,300 positions, reflecting a projected growth of 1%.
The Projected Job Growth figure refers to the expected increase or decrease in employment within a specific career field over a certain period of time.
Projected Job Growth of 1%
Related Careers
The career information and data on this site incorporates information from O*NET Web Services, Lightcast, CareerOneStop, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). For more details regarding the data sources and the specific information sourced, click here.
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