Psychiatric attendant vs psychiatric technician

The differences between psychiatric attendants 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 $38,548 average annual salary of a psychiatric attendant.

The top three skills for a psychiatric attendant include patients, CPR and behavioral issues. The most important skills for a psychiatric technician are patients, mental health, and social work.

Psychiatric attendant vs psychiatric technician overview

	Psychiatric Attendant	Psychiatric Technician
Yearly salary	$38,548	$39,662
Hourly rate	$18.53	$19.07
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	50,853	64,888
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	34	34
Years of experience	-	-

Psychiatric attendant vs psychiatric technician salary

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

	Psychiatric Attendant	Psychiatric Technician
Average salary	$38,548	$39,662
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $50,000	Between $25,000 And $61,000
Highest paying City	-	Santa Barbara, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	St. Tammany Health System
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between psychiatric attendant and psychiatric technician education

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

	Psychiatric Attendant	Psychiatric Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	-	Johns Hopkins University

Psychiatric attendant vs psychiatric technician demographics

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

	Psychiatric Attendant	Psychiatric Technician
Average age	34	34
Gender ratio	Male, 43.8% Female, 56.2%	Male, 40.1% Female, 59.9%
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, 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	15%	15%

Differences between psychiatric attendant and psychiatric technician duties and responsibilities

Psychiatric attendant example responsibilities.

Prioritize and utilize therapeutic communication and CPI skills to diffuse and manage difficult situations.
Provide direct care to mentally impair or emotionally disturb patients while monitoring and reporting unusual or harmful behaviors to senior staff.
Train in CPR and therapeutic intervention.
Follow procedures for restraints, drills and emergencies.
Assist with activities of daily living (ADL'S).
Assist with ADL's and daily security matters, help assign duties and enforce proper policies and procedures.

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 attendant vs psychiatric technician skills

Common psychiatric attendant skills

Patients, 23%
CPR, 10%
Behavioral Issues, 9%
Direct Care, 9%
Incident Reports, 8%
Vital Signs, 8%

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 Practitioner and Technical Industry
Psychiatric Attendant
Psychiatric Attendant vs Psychiatric Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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