Occupations/29-2053.00
Psychiatric Technicians
Care for individuals with mental or emotional conditions or disabilities, following the instructions of physicians or other health practitioners. Monitor patients' physical and emotional well-being and report to medical staff. May participate in rehabilitation and treatment programs, help with personal hygiene, and administer oral or injectable medications.
Usually a certificate, vocational program, or associate degree — not a bachelor’s.
AI automation risk
22%
More resilient
Human characteristics
72%
Strong human-characteristic mix
Task orientation
33%
More resilient
A day in this job
- Mostly human
Provide nursing, psychiatric, or personal care to patients with cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities.
- Mostly human
Encourage patients to develop work skills and to participate in social, recreational, or other therapeutic activities that enhance interpersonal skills or develop social relationships.
- Mostly human
Restrain violent, potentially violent, or suicidal patients by verbal or physical means as required.
The tasks we can read here lean on people, judgment, or hands-on work. The AI risk number is still this job’s rank against other occupations.
Core tasks
- 01Provide nursing, psychiatric, or personal care to patients with cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities.
- 02Encourage patients to develop work skills and to participate in social, recreational, or other therapeutic activities that enhance interpersonal skills or develop social relationships.
- 03Restrain violent, potentially violent, or suicidal patients by verbal or physical means as required.
- 04Lead prescribed individual or group therapy sessions as part of specific therapeutic procedures.
- 05Monitor patients' physical and emotional well-being and report unusual behavior or physical ailments to medical staff.
- 06Take and record measures of patients' physical condition, using devices such as thermometers or blood pressure gauges.
Model drivers (O*NET 1–5)
- Repeating same tasks2.95
- Degree of automation2.16
- Time sitting2.98
- Originality (ability)2.62
- Conflict situations4.17
- Hands-on objects/tools2.56
- Outdoors / weather2.52
- Disease exposure3.50
- Decision freedom3.76
Top abilities
- Problem Sensitivity4.00
- Oral Expression4.00
- Oral Comprehension4.00
- Deductive Reasoning3.75
- Written Comprehension3.62
- Inductive Reasoning3.62
- Written Expression3.50
- Speech Recognition3.50
Essential skills
- Reading Comprehension3.75
- Active Listening4.00
- Writing3.25
- Speaking3.88
- Mathematics2.00
- Science2.00
- Critical Thinking3.62
- Active Learning3.12
- Learning Strategies3.00
- Monitoring4.00
CIP matches
Schools offering related programs
12 of 48 shown
Earnings are College Scorecard medians for that program, 1 and 2 years after completion. A dash means the Department suppressed the cell or the campus is not in the field file.
| Institution | Program | Tuition | Admit | Grad 6-yr | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Boston University Boston, MA · Private nonprofit | Psychiatric/Mental Health Services Technician 51.1502 | $65,200 | 14% | 89% | 1 yr $77,401 2 yr — Master's · CIP 51.15 |
Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH · Public | Psychiatric/Mental Health Services Technician 51.1502 | $12,800 | 53% | 83% | 1 yr $69,338 2 yr — Master's · CIP 51.15 |
Howard University Washington, DC · Private nonprofit | Psychiatric/Mental Health Services Technician 51.1502 | $33,200 | 53% | 65% | 1 yr $52,941 2 yr $52,107 Master's · CIP 51.15 |
University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA · Private nonprofit | Psychiatric/Mental Health Services Technician 51.1502 | $68,200 | 12% | 92% | 1 yr $50,161 2 yr $50,022 Master's · CIP 51.15 |
Metropolitan State University St. Paul, MN · Public | Psychiatric/Mental Health Services Technician 51.1502 | $9,600 | 82% | 48% | 1 yr $49,019 2 yr $48,097 Bachelor's · CIP 51.15 |
Northeastern University Boston, MA · Private nonprofit | Psychiatric/Mental Health Services Technician 51.1502 | $63,200 | 7% | 91% | 1 yr $46,165 2 yr $45,618 Master's · CIP 51.15 |
Winona State University Winona, MN · Public | Psychiatric/Mental Health Services Technician 51.1502 | $10,500 | 77% | 67% | 1 yr $45,696 2 yr — Graduate certificate · CIP 51.15 |
City Colleges of Chicago-Wilbur Wright College Chicago, IL · Public | Psychiatric/Mental Health Services Technician 51.1502 | $4,600 | 100% | 27% | 1 yr $45,277 2 yr $45,383 Master's · CIP 51.15 |
Michigan State University East Lansing, MI · Public | Psychiatric/Mental Health Services Technician 51.1502 | $16,100 | 88% | 82% | 1 yr $45,030 2 yr $43,502 Master's · CIP 51.15 |
CUNY Hunter College New York, NY · Public | Psychiatric/Mental Health Services Technician 51.1502 | $7,400 | 48% | 60% | 1 yr $44,923 2 yr $46,087 Master's · CIP 51.15 |
Wake Technical Community College Raleigh, NC · Public | Psychiatric/Mental Health Services Technician 51.1502 | $2,900 | 100% | 31% | 1 yr $43,798 2 yr $44,542 Master's · CIP 51.15 |
St Cloud State University St. Cloud, MN · Public | Psychiatric/Mental Health Services Technician 51.1502 | $9,600 | 95% | 56% | 1 yr $43,426 2 yr $46,087 Bachelor's · CIP 51.15 |