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The differences between behavior technicians and mental health nurses can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a mental health nurse has an average salary of $106,812, which is higher than the $38,026 average annual salary of a behavior technician.
The top three skills for a behavior technician include autism, applied behavior analysis and behavior analysis. The most important skills for a mental health nurse are patients, psychiatric mental, and PMHNP.
| Behavior Technician | Mental Health Nurse | |
| Yearly salary | $38,026 | $106,812 |
| Hourly rate | $18.28 | $51.35 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 47,541 | 86,884 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| Average age | 34 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | 2 |
The job of a behavioral technician is to offer mental health services to patients who struggle with behavior-related problems. Behavior technicians uphold the highest standard of quality of care. They are the ones who enforce learning programs like self-help, communication, and play skills. It is their duty to incorporate medical care training for parents, so caregivers or family members can support and teach skills during family activities. One must be good in written and verbal communication, can work with team members, and develop good interpersonal relationship skills to be a good technician.
A mental health nurse is responsible for assisting with the diagnosis and treatment plans of patients with mental health complications. Mental health nurses handle high-quality nursing care under mental health professionals' supervision within a hospital or mental health institution. They support in performing therapeutic activities, administering medical examinations, and counseling patients to know more about their conditions. A mental health nurse also does administrative tasks as needed, such as organizing and updating patients' information on the database, processing treatment payments, and responding to the family's inquiries and concerns.
Behavior technicians and mental health nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Behavior Technician | Mental Health Nurse | |
| Average salary | $38,026 | $106,812 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $49,000 | Between $62,000 And $182,000 |
| Highest paying City | Urban Honolulu, HI | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | California |
| Best paying company | Ernst & Young | Community Health Systems |
| Best paying industry | Education | Government |
There are a few differences between a behavior technician and a mental health nurse in terms of educational background:
| Behavior Technician | Mental Health Nurse | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Nursing |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between behavior technicians' and mental health nurses' demographics:
| Behavior Technician | Mental Health Nurse | |
| Average age | 34 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 26.5% Female, 73.5% | Male, 16.9% Female, 83.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 14.3% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 6.4% White, 51.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 9.1% White, 65.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 15% | 9% |