Psychiatric Technicians
Psychiatric Technicians 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.
Table of Contents
Job description
Psychiatric Technicians 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.
- Take and record measures of patients’ physical condition, using devices such as thermometers or blood pressure gauges.
- Monitor patients’ physical and emotional well-being and report unusual behavior or physical ailments to medical staff.
- Provide nursing, psychiatric, or personal care to mentally ill, emotionally disturbed, or mentally retarded patients.
- Administer oral medications or hypodermic injections, following physician’s prescriptions and hospital procedures.
Salary
Psychiatric Technicians with little to no experience tend to make between $22800 and $26940 while the more experienced ones can earn over $43680 per year.
Top 5 paying states | Hourly | Annual |
---|---|---|
CA | $31 | $64,500 |
CT | $26 | $54,130 |
DC | $24 | $50,490 |
OR | $23 | $47,710 |
NJ | $22 | $45,870 |
One of the easiest ways to increase your salary as a Psychiatric Technician is to move to a higher paying state like CA. Right now, the highest paying states for Psychiatric Technicians are CA, CT, DC, OR and NJ.
However, a higher pay at CA doesn’t guarantee that you will make more because the living expenses at CA might be twice as high than where you are currently at now.
Three other factors that can increase your salary as a Psychiatric Technician is the degree you hold, the industry you work in, and lastly the company you work for.
Requirements
We asked other Psychiatric Technicians what degree they had when they got the job and most of them said they had a High School Diploma followed by a Master’s Degree.
Other than that, we also asked them what did they major in and here are the most popular majors that came up.
Psychiatric/Mental Health Services Technician |
Pros and Cons
Here are some of the pros and cons of being a Psychiatric Technician.
PROS |
---|
Suitable for people who likes to help and teach others |
Suitable for people who values relationships between co-workers and customers and wants to work in a friendly non-competitive environment |
This career is perfect for people who love to work indoors. |
It is not too difficult to get into this career. Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for this career. |
Normal working hours (40 hours per week) |
CONS |
---|
Not suitable for people who likes to work with designs |
One of the lowest paying jobs |
What is the job like
54% of Psychiatric Technicians said they were satisfied with their job and 77% said they feel like their job is making other people’s lives better.
Is this right for me
You can read more about these career personality types here.
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.
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Related career information
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