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The differences between psychiatric technicians and mental health nurses can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a mental health nurse has an average salary of $106,812, which is higher than the $39,662 average annual salary of a psychiatric technician.
The top three skills for a psychiatric technician include patients, mental health and social work. The most important skills for a mental health nurse are patients, psychiatric mental, and PMHNP.
| Psychiatric Technician | Mental Health Nurse | |
| Yearly salary | $39,662 | $106,812 |
| Hourly rate | $19.07 | $51.35 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 64,888 | 86,884 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| Average age | 34 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | 2 |
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 mental health nurse is responsible for assisting with the diagnosis and treatment plans of patients with mental health complications. Mental health nurses handle high-quality nursing care under mental health professionals' supervision within a hospital or mental health institution. They support in performing therapeutic activities, administering medical examinations, and counseling patients to know more about their conditions. A mental health nurse also does administrative tasks as needed, such as organizing and updating patients' information on the database, processing treatment payments, and responding to the family's inquiries and concerns.
Psychiatric technicians and mental health nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Psychiatric Technician | Mental Health Nurse | |
| Average salary | $39,662 | $106,812 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $61,000 | Between $62,000 And $182,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Barbara, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | St. Tammany Health System | Community Health Systems |
| Best paying industry | Government | Government |
There are a few differences between a psychiatric technician and a mental health nurse in terms of educational background:
| Psychiatric Technician | Mental Health Nurse | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Nursing |
| Most common college | Johns Hopkins University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between psychiatric technicians' and mental health nurses' demographics:
| Psychiatric Technician | Mental Health Nurse | |
| Average age | 34 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 40.1% Female, 59.9% | Male, 16.9% Female, 83.1% |
| 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, 12.2% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 9.1% White, 65.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 15% | 9% |