Human service technician vs psychiatric technician

The differences between human service technicians and psychiatric technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a psychiatric technician has an average salary of $39,662, which is higher than the $32,621 average annual salary of a human service technician.

The top three skills for a human service technician include data entry, community resources and social services. The most important skills for a psychiatric technician are patients, mental health, and social work.

Human service technician vs psychiatric technician overview

	Human Service Technician	Psychiatric Technician
Yearly salary	$32,621	$39,662
Hourly rate	$15.68	$19.07
Growth rate	8%	9%
Number of jobs	140,916	64,888
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	44	34
Years of experience	12	-

Human service technician vs psychiatric technician salary

Human service technicians and psychiatric technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Human Service Technician	Psychiatric Technician
Average salary	$32,621	$39,662
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $40,000	Between $25,000 And $61,000
Highest paying City	Rochester, MN	Santa Barbara, CA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	California
Best paying company	City of Richmond	St. Tammany Health System
Best paying industry	Professional	Government

Differences between human service technician and psychiatric technician education

There are a few differences between a human service technician and a psychiatric technician in terms of educational background:

	Human Service Technician	Psychiatric Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	-	Johns Hopkins University

Human service technician vs psychiatric technician demographics

Here are the differences between human service technicians' and psychiatric technicians' demographics:

	Human Service Technician	Psychiatric Technician
Average age	44	34
Gender ratio	Male, 27.9% Female, 72.1%	Male, 40.1% Female, 59.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.7% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 1.8% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	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%
LGBT Percentage	1%	15%

Differences between human service technician and psychiatric technician duties and responsibilities

Human service technician example responsibilities.

Assess patients in active withdrawal and provide interventions to manage physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms.
Assist mentally challenge individuals with ADL'S.
Attend annual service training, including CPR and a refresher courses.
Answer phones and provide excellent customer service; train in first aid and CPR.
Assist assign residents with their ADL as directed such as bathing, toileting, hair combing, etc.
Interview patients to compile information on social, educational, criminal institutional and drug history.

Psychiatric technician example responsibilities.

Prioritize and utilize therapeutic communication and CPI skills to diffuse and manage difficult situations.
Participate in rehabilitation and treatment programs, also lead prescribed individual and group therapy sessions as part of specific therapeutic procedures.
Respond to emergency situations such as fire evacuation or the administration of first aid and/or CPR.
Observe patients comfort levels and mood changes, show compassion and respect to minimize clients stress levels.
Demonstrate triage and emergency assistance when need, including suicide prevention plans (currently CPR and CPI certify).
Participate in rehabilitation and treatment programs, help with personal hygiene, and assist with administration of oral medications.

Human service technician vs psychiatric technician skills

Common human service technician skills

Data Entry, 13%
Community Resources, 11%
Social Services, 10%
Telephone Inquiries, 9%
Patients, 8%
Direct Care, 7%

Common psychiatric technician skills

Patients, 27%
Mental Health, 9%
Social Work, 6%
Vital Signs, 6%
Patient Behavior, 4%
Rehabilitation, 4%

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Human Service Technician vs Psychiatric Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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