Psychiatric technician vs psychiatric nurse

The differences between psychiatric technicians and psychiatric nurses can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a psychiatric nurse has an average salary of $64,922, 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 psychiatric nurse are patients, mental illness, and CPR.

Psychiatric technician vs psychiatric nurse overview

	Psychiatric Technician	Psychiatric Nurse
Yearly salary	$39,662	$64,922
Hourly rate	$19.07	$31.21
Growth rate	9%	6%
Number of jobs	64,888	608,055
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age	34	44
Years of experience	-	2

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 a psychiatric nurse do?

A Psychiatric Nurses role is to supervise the medication and treatment of patients diagnosed with mental disabilities, illnesses, or distresses. They have an essential role in the administration of psychiatric treatment and care.

Psychiatric technician vs psychiatric nurse salary

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

	Psychiatric Technician	Psychiatric Nurse
Average salary	$39,662	$64,922
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $61,000	Between $42,000 And $99,000
Highest paying City	Santa Barbara, CA	Santa Rosa, CA
Highest paying state	California	Rhode Island
Best paying company	St. Tammany Health System	Highland General Hospital
Best paying industry	Government	Health Care

Differences between psychiatric technician and psychiatric nurse education

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

	Psychiatric Technician	Psychiatric Nurse
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Psychology	Nursing
Most common college	Johns Hopkins University	Duke University

Psychiatric technician vs psychiatric nurse demographics

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

	Psychiatric Technician	Psychiatric Nurse
Average age	34	44
Gender ratio	Male, 40.1% Female, 59.9%	Male, 18.1% Female, 81.9%
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, 11.7% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	15%	9%

Differences between psychiatric technician and psychiatric nurse 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.

Psychiatric nurse example responsibilities.

Organize and manage regular clinics involving external physicians, including ophthalmology, ENT, Med/Surg, orthopedics, and podiatry professionals.
Staff register nurse, acute medical rehabilitation unit.
Perform emergency triage differentiating psychiatric versus medical conditions.
Perform triage assessment, psychiatric evaluations, medication administration, psychotherapy and case management.
Provide comprehensive medical-psychiatric care to patients via assessment, planning, evaluation and supervision of therapeutic interactions.
Provide therapeutic communication and psychiatric rehabilitation with residents to assist with their recovery to return to the community.

Psychiatric technician vs psychiatric nurse skills

Common psychiatric technician skills

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

Common psychiatric nurse skills

Patients, 25%
Mental Illness, 11%
CPR, 7%
Therapeutic Interventions, 5%
Psychiatric Care, 4%
IV, 4%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Psychiatric Technician
Psychiatric Technician vs Psychiatric Nurse

Updated January 8, 2025

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