Psychiatric technician vs outpatient physical therapist

The differences between psychiatric technicians and outpatient physical therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an outpatient physical therapist has an average salary of $66,359, 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 an outpatient physical therapist are patients, physical therapy, and rehabilitation.

Psychiatric technician vs outpatient physical therapist overview

	Psychiatric Technician	Outpatient Physical Therapist
Yearly salary	$39,662	$66,359
Hourly rate	$19.07	$31.90
Growth rate	9%	17%
Number of jobs	64,888	119,973
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Master's Degree, 49%
Average age	34	41
Years of experience	-	-

What does a psychiatric technician do?

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.

What does an outpatient physical therapist do?

An outpatient physical therapist specializes in diagnosing and treating a patient's movement dysfunction often caused by an illness or injury. Their responsibilities revolve around studying a patient's medical history, performing initial assessments, crafting a specific care and treatment plan, and discussing the extent of treatments with patients and their families. An outpatient physical therapist may also provide advice to families or guardians on how to assist and care for patients at home, prescribe medication, and perform follow-up consultations.

Psychiatric technician vs outpatient physical therapist salary

Psychiatric technicians and outpatient physical therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Psychiatric Technician	Outpatient Physical Therapist
Average salary	$39,662	$66,359
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $61,000	Between $40,000 And $108,000
Highest paying City	Santa Barbara, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	St. Tammany Health System	Accountable Healthcare Holdings Corp.
Best paying industry	Government	Non Profits

Differences between psychiatric technician and outpatient physical therapist education

There are a few differences between a psychiatric technician and an outpatient physical therapist in terms of educational background:

	Psychiatric Technician	Outpatient Physical Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Master's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Psychology	Social Work
Most common college	Johns Hopkins University	Boston University

Psychiatric technician vs outpatient physical therapist demographics

Here are the differences between psychiatric technicians' and outpatient physical therapists' demographics:

	Psychiatric Technician	Outpatient Physical Therapist
Average age	34	41
Gender ratio	Male, 40.1% Female, 59.9%	Male, 24.4% Female, 75.6%
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, 3.9% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 11.3% White, 72.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	15%	12%

Differences between psychiatric technician and outpatient physical therapist duties and responsibilities

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.

Outpatient physical therapist example responsibilities.

Facilitate development of coping techniques to manage psychiatric symptoms effectively; educate patients on importance of medication management and compliance.
Demonstrate working knowledge of community mental health services identify in the Medicaid guidelines and attain contractual outcomes within designate time frames.
Perform assessments with clients to determine diagnosis and need of services.
Complete intake assessment and formulate diagnosis.
Assist veterans with transportation to interviews.
Provide active case management service for veterans in residential treatment.

Psychiatric technician vs outpatient physical therapist skills

Common psychiatric technician skills

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

Common outpatient physical therapist skills

Patients, 23%
Physical Therapy, 17%
Rehabilitation, 11%
Patient Care, 10%
Therapy Services, 5%
Social Work, 5%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Psychiatric Technician
Psychiatric Technician vs Outpatient Physical Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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