Psychiatric Technicians and Aides - What do Psychiatric Technicians and Aides do?

Work Environment

Psychiatric aides held about 54,100 jobs in 2020. The largest employers of psychiatric aides were as follows:

Psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals; state, local, and private - 47%
State government, excluding education and hospitals - 21%
Residential mental health and substance abuse facilities - 7%

Psychiatric technicians held about 91,600 jobs in 2020. The largest employers of psychiatric technicians were as follows:

Psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals; state, local, and private - 38%
General medical and surgical hospitals; private - 12%
Residential mental health and substance abuse facilities - 9%
Outpatient mental health and substance abuse centers - 6%
State government, excluding education and hospitals - 6%

Psychiatric technicians and aides may spend much of their shift on their feet. Some of the work that psychiatric aides do may be unpleasant. They may care for patients whose illnesses make them disoriented, uncooperative, or violent.

Injuries and Illnesses

Psychiatric technicians and aides have some of the highest rates of injuries and illnesses of all occupations. Their work requires many physically demanding tasks, such as lifting patients. They also work with patients who may be physically uncooperative, which can cause injuries.

Work Schedule

Psychiatric technicians and aides may work full-time or part-time. Because hospitals and residential facilities operate 24 hours a day, many psychiatric technicians and aides work nights, weekends, and holidays

Job Outlook

Overall employment of psychiatric technicians and aides is projected to grow 11 percent from 2020 to 2030, 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.

Employment

Cognitive mental disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, are more likely to occur among older persons. As the nation’s population ages and people live longer, demand for psychiatric technicians and aides is expected to increase because these workers will be needed to care for patients affected by such disorders.

Psychiatric technicians and aides also will be needed in correctional facilities, to care for the aging prisoner population and for those with mental health issues.

Earnings

The median annual wage for psychiatric aides was $30,260 in May 2021. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $23,120, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $48,140.

The median annual wage for psychiatric technicians was $36,570 in May 2021. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $26,980, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $56,380.

In May 2021, the median annual wages for psychiatric aides in the top industries in which they worked were as follows: