Psychiatric Technicians
O*NET files this work under Psychiatric Technicians: people who care for individuals with mental or emotional conditions or disabilities, following the instructions of physicians or other health practitioners. Interest ratings put Social on top at 6.9 out of 7 and Investigative second, so the code is SIC and the day leans toward helping, teaching or caring for people. The preparation level is medium preparation, typically one or two years of vocational training, an apprenticeship or an associate’s degree. O*NET’s skill data points to social perceptiveness, monitoring, and active listening as the ones to build. A regular part of the work is to provide nursing, psychiatric, or personal care to patients with cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities. People who want helping, teaching or caring for people usually fit better here than those who need leading, persuading and making business decisions.
What they do
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.
Main tasks
- Provide nursing, psychiatric, or personal care to patients with cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities.
- Encourage patients to develop work skills and to participate in social, recreational, or other therapeutic activities that enhance interpersonal skills or develop social relationships.
- Restrain violent, potentially violent, or suicidal patients by verbal or physical means as required.
- Lead prescribed individual or group therapy sessions as part of specific therapeutic procedures.
- Monitor patients' physical and emotional well-being and report unusual behavior or physical ailments to medical staff.
- Take and record measures of patients' physical condition, using devices such as thermometers or blood pressure gauges.
Skills
- Social Perceptiveness
- Monitoring
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Coordination
- Reading Comprehension
Who this career fits
May suit you if
- You get energy from helping other people move forward.
- You enjoy working out why something happens, not just what happened.
- You are willing to put in a year or two of focused training.
- You are comfortable relying on social perceptiveness and monitoring.
May not suit you if
- You find a full day of dealing with people draining.
- You want to lead people or run the business side. Enterprising rates 1.5 out of 7 here.
- You need to start within a few months, with no training period.
Interest profile
O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code SIC takes the three highest, and Social comes first here.
Preparation
Medium preparation. Expect vocational school, an apprenticeship, related experience or an associate’s degree, usually one or two years in total.
Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED). This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.
Also called
- BHT (Behavioral Health Technician)
- Health Care Technician (Health Care Tech)
- LPT (Licensed Psychiatric Technician)
- Mental Health Associate
- Mental Health Specialist
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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.