Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between psychiatric technicians and health care 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 $36,553 average annual salary of a health care technician.
The top three skills for a psychiatric technician include patients, mental health and social work. The most important skills for a health care technician are patients, CPR, and plant health.
| Psychiatric Technician | Health Care Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $39,662 | $36,553 |
| Hourly rate | $19.07 | $17.57 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 64,888 | 173,122 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 35% |
| 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.
A health care technician works with laboratory equipment used for the analysis of specimens for diagnosis. The health care technician's role is an integral part of a health care facility as all proper diagnosis stems from accurate laboratory results. Included with a healthcare technician's tasks is to take vital signs, collect samples, and work closely with doctors during patient consultations and check-ups. The health care technician typically works inside a laboratory and is expected to keep the area clean and all equipment is all in working order.
Psychiatric technicians and health care technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Psychiatric Technician | Health Care Technician | |
| Average salary | $39,662 | $36,553 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $61,000 | Between $27,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Barbara, CA | Chelmsford, MA |
| Highest paying state | California | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | St. Tammany Health System | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | Government | Government |
There are a few differences between a psychiatric technician and a health care technician in terms of educational background:
| Psychiatric Technician | Health Care Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 35% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Nursing |
| Most common college | Johns Hopkins University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between psychiatric technicians' and health care technicians' demographics:
| Psychiatric Technician | Health Care Technician | |
| Average age | 34 | 34 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 40.1% Female, 59.9% | Male, 37.8% Female, 62.2% |
| 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% |