What Do Psychiatric Aides Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)

Job Description

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. They also record and maintain patient information, such as vital signs, eating habits, behavior, progress notes, treatments, or discharge plans.

Other tasks include:

• Listen and provide emotional support and encouragement to psychiatric patients.
• 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.
• Serve meals or feed patients needing assistance or persuasion.
• Work as part of a team that may include psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses, or social workers.
• Clean and disinfect rooms and furnishings to maintain a safe and orderly environment.

We asked Psychiatric Aides how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.

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72% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 78% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.

Typical Day At Work

On a daily basis, Psychiatric Aides complete administrative tasks, such as entering orders into computer, answering telephone calls, or maintaining medical or facility information. They participate in recreational activities with patients, including card games, sports, or television viewing.

A typical day for a Psychiatric Aide will also include:

• Clean and disinfect rooms and furnishings to maintain a safe and orderly environment.
• Organize, supervise, or encourage patient participation in social, educational, or recreational activities.
• Record and maintain patient information, such as vital signs, eating habits, behavior, progress notes, treatments, or discharge plans.
• Work as part of a team that may include psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses, or social workers.
• Listen and provide emotional support and encouragement to psychiatric patients.

We asked some Psychiatric Aides a few questions to find out what else does their work day look like. Here is what we found.

	Do you have telephone conversations everyday in this job?	46% said yes
	How important is it to work in a team in this job?	67% said very important
	Do you have group discussions everyday in this job?	86% said yes
	Do you talk or work with customers everyday in this job?	21% said yes
	Do you have to deal with angry customers everyday in this job?	49% said yes
	Do you have to make decisions everyday in this job?	63% said yes

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Psychiatric Aides also perform nursing duties, such as administering medications, measuring vital signs, collecting specimens, or drawing blood samples. They may also accompany patients to and from wards for medical or dental treatments, shopping trips, or religious or recreational events.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Psychiatric Aides Restrain or aid patients as necessary to prevent injury. They might also Interview patients upon admission and record information.

In addition, they Aid patients in becoming accustomed to hospital routine.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them Provide patients with assistance in bathing, dressing, or grooming, demonstrating these skills as necessary.

To some Psychiatric Aides, it is also their responsibility to Clean and disinfect rooms and furnishings to maintain a safe and orderly environment.

Working life

Standard 40 hour work week

Regular schedule like a 9 to 5

In a typical work week as a Psychiatric Aide, you can expect to work 40 hour work week.

Is this right for me

People who are suitable for this job tends to like working with, communicating with, and teaching people. They like helping or providing service to others..

They also like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

You can read more about these career personality types here.

Explore other careers

http://www.bls.gov/OOH/healthcare/psychiatric-technicians-and-aides.htm

http://www.psychtechs.org/