Psychiatric technician vs psychiatrist

The differences between psychiatric technicians and psychiatrists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a psychiatrist has an average salary of $229,034, 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 psychiatrist are patients, diagnosis, and patient care.

Psychiatric technician vs psychiatrist overview

	Psychiatric Technician	Psychiatrist
Yearly salary	$39,662	$229,034
Hourly rate	$19.07	$110.11
Growth rate	9%	7%
Number of jobs	64,888	29,979
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Doctoral Degree, 32%
Average age	34	48
Years of experience	-	6

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 psychiatrist do?

A Psychiatrist is a medical practitioner specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness. They treat patients utilizing psychotherapeutic methods and medications.

Psychiatric technician vs psychiatrist salary

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

	Psychiatric Technician	Psychiatrist
Average salary	$39,662	$229,034
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $61,000	Between $133,000 And $393,000
Highest paying City	Santa Barbara, CA	Fargo, ND
Highest paying state	California	Alaska
Best paying company	St. Tammany Health System	Yuma Regional Medical Center
Best paying industry	Government	Health Care

Differences between psychiatric technician and psychiatrist education

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

	Psychiatric Technician	Psychiatrist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Doctoral Degree, 32%
Most common major	Psychology	Medicine
Most common college	Johns Hopkins University	Duke University

Psychiatric technician vs psychiatrist demographics

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

	Psychiatric Technician	Psychiatrist
Average age	34	48
Gender ratio	Male, 40.1% Female, 59.9%	Male, 44.6% Female, 55.4%
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, 5.3% Unknown, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 18.0% White, 64.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	15%	10%

Differences between psychiatric technician and psychiatrist 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.

Psychiatrist example responsibilities.

Provide psychiatric evaluations, diagnosis and treatment, including prescribing and administering psychotropic medications, conduct individual and group psychotherapy.
Case load includes children, adolescents and adults.
Provide accurate, timely and complete documentation in the EMR.
Conduct full neurological evaluation, including lab, MRI & /or EEG.
Work closely with Medicaid in areas of compliance needs and information of the clients.
Create multidisciplinary team (psychiatrist, psychologist, nurse, marriage family therapist) to spear head new veterans parenting class.

Psychiatric technician vs psychiatrist skills

Common psychiatric technician skills

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

Common psychiatrist skills

Patients, 32%
Diagnosis, 11%
Patient Care, 5%
Mental Illness, 5%
Psychiatric Services, 5%
EMR, 4%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Psychiatric Technician
Psychiatric Technician vs Psychiatrist

Updated January 8, 2025

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