Psychiatric Aides

Overview

Psychiatric Aides has a national median salary of $44,910 per year, with +1.9% projected job growth from 2025–2035. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical education needed to enter this occupation.

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.

Work Values

• Relationships
• Support
• Independence

Work Styles

Responsibilities

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
• Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
• Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events

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.
• Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
• Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

T-A-S-K

Technology, Abilities, Skills & Knowledge

Education

Education Levels of Current Workers

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical education needed to enter this occupation. The chart below shows the highest level of education held by people already working in this field, ages 25 and older. It includes workers who earned more education than the job requires and workers who entered the field under earlier requirements, so the largest bar is not the entry requirement. For example, if someone finished a bachelor's degree and then started working in this field, they are counted under “Bachelor's degree” here, but the job itself typically asks for a high school diploma or equivalent.

Certificates

Certifications applicable to Psychiatric Aides:

Video Resources