Psychiatric aide vs behavioral health technician

The differences between psychiatric aides and behavioral health technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a behavioral health technician has an average salary of $34,611, which is higher than the $32,724 average annual salary of a psychiatric aide.

The top three skills for a psychiatric aide include patients, vital signs and social work. The most important skills for a behavioral health technician are patients, behavioral health, and crisis intervention.

Psychiatric aide vs behavioral health technician overview

	Psychiatric Aide	Behavioral Health Technician
Yearly salary	$32,724	$34,611
Hourly rate	$15.73	$16.64
Growth rate	12%	9%
Number of jobs	50,234	99,503
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Average age	41	34
Years of experience	-	-

Psychiatric aide vs behavioral health technician salary

Psychiatric aides and behavioral health technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Psychiatric Aide	Behavioral Health Technician
Average salary	$32,724	$34,611
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $41,000	Between $25,000 And $47,000
Highest paying City	Vancouver, WA	Rochester, NY
Highest paying state	Washington	California
Best paying company	Psychiatric Medical Care	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Non Profits

Differences between psychiatric aide and behavioral health technician education

There are a few differences between a psychiatric aide and a behavioral health technician in terms of educational background:

	Psychiatric Aide	Behavioral Health Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	-	Johns Hopkins University

Psychiatric aide vs behavioral health technician demographics

Here are the differences between psychiatric aides' and behavioral health technicians' demographics:

	Psychiatric Aide	Behavioral Health Technician
Average age	41	34
Gender ratio	Male, 36.6% Female, 63.4%	Male, 36.4% Female, 63.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 27.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 4.6% White, 48.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	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	8%	15%

Differences between psychiatric aide and behavioral health technician duties and responsibilities

Psychiatric aide example responsibilities.

Prioritize and utilize therapeutic communication and CPI skills to diffuse and manage difficult situations.
Assist patients in becoming accustom to hospital routines and encourage them to participate in social and recreational activities to promote rehabilitation.
Train in cpr but certificate has expire.
Assist residents with adl and social skills.
Discover client cut him down and administer CPR.
Communicate effectively to patient and uphold HIPPA laws and regulations.

Behavioral health technician example responsibilities.

Monitor and manage preventative behavior with 2-3 MHA'S team and carry out a constructive routine with patients.
Provide health monitoring, crisis intervention, supervision, and facilitation of group educational/structure activities for consumers (rehabilitation patients).
Train in CPI to handle physically dangerous crisis situations.
Display sensitivity, integrity, compassion and respect towards patients and family members.
Obtain patients' medical history and vital signs; complete EKG's and blood work.
Prepare for HIPAA reviews, ensuring require brochures and pamphlets are available to patients in all clinics.

Psychiatric aide vs behavioral health technician skills

Common psychiatric aide skills

Patients, 34%
Vital Signs, 15%
Social Work, 9%
Crisis Intervention, 6%
Blood Pressure, 6%
Rehabilitation, 6%

Common behavioral health technician skills

Patients, 19%
Behavioral Health, 17%
Crisis Intervention, 6%
Social Work, 6%
CPR, 5%
Vital Signs, 4%

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Psychiatric Aide
Psychiatric Aide vs Behavioral Health Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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