Occupations/31-1133.00
Psychiatric Aides
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.
Usually a high school diploma, plus some experience or short training.
AI automation risk
22%
More resilient
Human characteristics
77%
Strong human-characteristic mix
Task orientation
54%
Mixed exposure
A day in this job
- Mostly human
Provide patients with cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities with routine physical, emotional, psychological, or rehabilitation care under the direction of nursing or medical staff.
- Mostly human
Listen and provide emotional support and encouragement to psychiatric patients.
- Mostly human
Restrain or aid patients as necessary to prevent injury.
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
- 01Listen and provide emotional support and encouragement to psychiatric patients.
- 02Provide patients with cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities with routine physical, emotional, psychological, or rehabilitation care under the direction of nursing or medical staff.
- 03Complete physical checks and monitor patients to detect unusual or harmful behavior and report observations to professional staff.
- 04Restrain or aid patients as necessary to prevent injury.
- 05Work as part of a team that may include psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses, or social workers.
- 06Record and maintain patient information, such as vital signs, eating habits, behavior, progress notes, treatments, or discharge plans.
Model drivers (O*NET 1–5)
- Repeating same tasks3.72
- Degree of automation1.89
- Time sitting3.05
- Originality (ability)2.75
- Conflict situations4.06
- Hands-on objects/tools2.75
- Outdoors / weather2.79
- Disease exposure4.17
- Decision freedom3.65
Top abilities
- Oral Expression4.00
- Problem Sensitivity3.88
- Oral Comprehension3.88
- Written Comprehension3.75
- Deductive Reasoning3.62
- Speech Clarity3.50
- Inductive Reasoning3.50
- Speech Recognition3.38
Essential skills
- Reading Comprehension3.12
- Active Listening3.75
- Writing3.12
- Speaking3.88
- Mathematics2.12
- Science1.75
- Critical Thinking3.38
- Active Learning3.25
- Learning Strategies2.88
- Monitoring3.75
CIP matches
Schools offering related programs
12 of 49 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 |