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The differences between psychiatric technicians and behavior 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 $38,026 average annual salary of a behavior technician.
The top three skills for a psychiatric technician include patients, mental health and social work. The most important skills for a behavior technician are autism, applied behavior analysis, and behavior analysis.
| Psychiatric Technician | Behavior Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $39,662 | $38,026 |
| Hourly rate | $19.07 | $18.28 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 64,888 | 47,541 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 34 | 34 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A psychiatric technician is responsible for supporting patients with mental issues and disabilities by administering treatment plans and quality therapeutic care. Psychiatric technicians assist the patients through counseling, observing their mental and social behaviors, and suggesting recreational activities to help them interact with others. They also work with other medical professionals to seek advice, especially when performing medical procedures and suggesting medications. A psychiatric technician must have excellent communication and time-management skills, especially when responding to the patients' concerns and looking after them during daily activities.
The job of a behavioral technician is to offer mental health services to patients who struggle with behavior-related problems. Behavior technicians uphold the highest standard of quality of care. They are the ones who enforce learning programs like self-help, communication, and play skills. It is their duty to incorporate medical care training for parents, so caregivers or family members can support and teach skills during family activities. One must be good in written and verbal communication, can work with team members, and develop good interpersonal relationship skills to be a good technician.
Psychiatric technicians and behavior technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Psychiatric Technician | Behavior Technician | |
| Average salary | $39,662 | $38,026 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $61,000 | Between $29,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Barbara, CA | Urban Honolulu, HI |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | St. Tammany Health System | Ernst & Young |
| Best paying industry | Government | Education |
There are a few differences between a psychiatric technician and a behavior technician in terms of educational background:
| Psychiatric Technician | Behavior Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | Johns Hopkins University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between psychiatric technicians' and behavior technicians' demographics:
| Psychiatric Technician | Behavior Technician | |
| Average age | 34 | 34 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 40.1% Female, 59.9% | Male, 26.5% Female, 73.5% |
| 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% |