Psychiatric aide vs psychiatric technician

The differences between psychiatric aides 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 $32,724 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 psychiatric technician are patients, mental health, and social work.

Psychiatric aide vs psychiatric technician overview

	Psychiatric Aide	Psychiatric Technician
Yearly salary	$32,724	$39,662
Hourly rate	$15.73	$19.07
Growth rate	12%	9%
Number of jobs	50,234	64,888
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	41	34
Years of experience	-	-

Psychiatric aide vs psychiatric technician salary

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

	Psychiatric Aide	Psychiatric Technician
Average salary	$32,724	$39,662
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $41,000	Between $25,000 And $61,000
Highest paying City	Vancouver, WA	Santa Barbara, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	California
Best paying company	Psychiatric Medical Care	St. Tammany Health System
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Government

Differences between psychiatric aide and psychiatric technician education

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

	Psychiatric Aide	Psychiatric Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	-	Johns Hopkins University

Psychiatric aide vs psychiatric technician demographics

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

	Psychiatric Aide	Psychiatric Technician
Average age	41	34
Gender ratio	Male, 36.6% Female, 63.4%	Male, 40.1% Female, 59.9%
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 psychiatric 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.

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.

Psychiatric aide vs psychiatric technician skills

Common psychiatric aide skills

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

Common psychiatric technician skills

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

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Healthcare Support Industry
Psychiatric Aide
Psychiatric Aide vs Psychiatric Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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