Psychiatric aide vs mental health associate

The differences between psychiatric aides and mental health associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a mental health associate has an average salary of $36,510, 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 mental health associate are patients, customer service, and vital signs.

Psychiatric aide vs mental health associate overview

	Psychiatric Aide	Mental Health Associate
Yearly salary	$32,724	$36,510
Hourly rate	$15.73	$17.55
Growth rate	12%	9%
Number of jobs	50,234	122,947
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Average age	41	45
Years of experience	-	4

Psychiatric aide vs mental health associate salary

Psychiatric aides and mental health associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Psychiatric Aide	Mental Health Associate
Average salary	$32,724	$36,510
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $41,000	Between $25,000 And $51,000
Highest paying City	Vancouver, WA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Washington	New York
Best paying company	Psychiatric Medical Care	Columbia University in the City of New York
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Professional

Differences between psychiatric aide and mental health associate education

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

	Psychiatric Aide	Mental Health Associate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	-	California State University - Long Beach

Psychiatric aide vs mental health associate demographics

Here are the differences between psychiatric aides' and mental health associates' demographics:

	Psychiatric Aide	Mental Health Associate
Average age	41	45
Gender ratio	Male, 36.6% Female, 63.4%	Male, 33.0% Female, 67.0%
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, 7.9% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 3.1% White, 74.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	8%	15%

Differences between psychiatric aide and mental health associate 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.

Mental health associate example responsibilities.

Lead a number of psychotherapy groups including DBT.
Manage other MHA's in their duties and help them problem solving in tense and stressful situations.
Respond to and assist in behavioral codes working as a team member to successfully manage patient using methods obtain in CPI training
Require to participate as an interdisciplinary treatment team member and assist patients in managing activities of daily living.
Treat the patients with compassion, care and respect.
Communicate with doctors, nurses, MHA's, PCA's, and patients both verbally and in writing.

Psychiatric aide vs mental health associate skills

Common psychiatric aide skills

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

Common mental health associate skills

Patients, 24%
Customer Service, 9%
Vital Signs, 7%
CPR, 6%
Safety Checks, 4%
Social Work, 4%

Psychiatric Aide vs. similar jobs

Psychiatric Aide related careers

Psychiatric Aide related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Healthcare Support Industry
Psychiatric Aide
Psychiatric Aide vs Mental Health Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse healthcare support jobs