Psychiatric Technicians
Care for individuals with mental or emotional conditions or disabilities, following the instructions of physicians or other health practitioners. Monitor patients' physical and emotional well-being and report to medical staff. May participate in rehabilitation and treatment programs, help with personal hygiene, and administer oral or injectable medications.
- O*NET-SOC code
29-2053.00 - Preparation Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Wages
Median annual wage, U.S.$45,130
Employment, U.S.156,960
Median hourly wage$21.70
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $35,090 | $38,430 | $45,130 | $50,160 | $60,750 |
By state (49)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 3,290 | $36,680 | 1.54 |
| Alaska | 340 | $51,650 | 1.03 |
| Arizona | 8,160 | $45,640 | 2.49 |
| Arkansas | 1,900 | $35,930 | 1.45 |
| California | 14,100 | $49,140 | 0.77 |
| Colorado | 1,740 | $47,430 | 0.60 |
| Connecticut | 1,040 | $55,500 | 0.61 |
| Delaware | 350 | $38,410 | 0.71 |
| District of Columbia | 380 | $67,430 | 0.53 |
| Florida | 12,710 | $43,570 | 1.27 |
| Georgia | 5,560 | $46,250 | 1.13 |
| Hawaii | 2,060 | $55,150 | 3.25 |
| Idaho | 780 | $41,490 | 0.90 |
| Illinois | 9,410 | $46,200 | 1.53 |
| Indiana | 6,790 | $40,910 | 2.10 |
| Iowa | 690 | $42,910 | 0.44 |
| Kansas | 1,670 | $43,780 | 1.15 |
| Kentucky | 910 | $40,370 | 0.45 |
| Louisiana | 2,420 | $31,440 | 1.24 |
| Maine | 620 | $45,320 | 0.95 |
| Maryland | 680 | $45,520 | 0.24 |
| Massachusetts | 5,340 | $52,000 | 1.45 |
| Michigan | 4,850 | $43,140 | 1.09 |
| Minnesota | 3,550 | $40,300 | 1.19 |
| Mississippi | 930 | $35,320 | 0.79 |
| Missouri | 4,450 | $45,840 | 1.50 |
| Montana | 310 | $39,190 | 0.60 |
| Nebraska | 1,390 | $57,370 | 1.35 |
| Nevada | 2,060 | $46,450 | 1.31 |
| New Hampshire | 260 | $44,660 | 0.38 |
| New Jersey | 2,520 | $54,040 | 0.58 |
| New Mexico | 660 | $39,020 | 0.76 |
| New York | 2,040 | $58,080 | 0.21 |
| North Carolina | 5,950 | $40,630 | 1.19 |
| North Dakota | 270 | $39,960 | 0.62 |
| Ohio | 3,950 | $39,140 | 0.70 |
| Oklahoma | 820 | $39,060 | 0.48 |
| Oregon | 1,250 | $59,820 | 0.63 |
| Pennsylvania | 10,340 | $43,930 | 1.69 |
| Rhode Island | 990 | $48,520 | 1.95 |
| South Carolina | 560 | $40,970 | 0.24 |
| Tennessee | 3,810 | $39,800 | 1.15 |
| Texas | 11,350 | $39,970 | 0.80 |
| Utah | 1,940 | $40,770 | 1.11 |
| Vermont | 600 | $47,560 | 1.96 |
| Virginia | 3,950 | $48,320 | 0.95 |
| Washington | 1,920 | $52,470 | 0.54 |
| West Virginia | 770 | $34,100 | 1.08 |
| Wisconsin | 4,430 | $40,290 | 1.49 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
| # | Occupation | Job Zone | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Occupational Therapy Assistants | 3 | 0.975 |
| 2 | Recreational Therapists | 4 | 0.975 |
| 3 | Psychiatric Aides | 1-2 | 0.971 |
| 4 | Social and Human Service Assistants | 4 | 0.967 |
| 5 | Occupational Therapy Aides | 3 | 0.967 |
| 6 | Community Health Workers | 4 | 0.967 |
| 7 | Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers | 5 | 0.966 |
| 8 | Occupational Therapists | 5 | 0.966 |
| 9 | Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses | 3 | 0.965 |
| 10 | Athletic Trainers | 5 | 0.964 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Psychiatric Technicians, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
None at these thresholds.
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Psychiatric Technicians, excluding software Psychiatric Technicians already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| Patient electronic medical record EMR software | 5 of 20 | 17.8x |
| eClinicalWorks EHR software | 7 of 20 | 6.7x |
| Rehab Documentation Company ReDoc Suite | 3 of 20 | 46.2x |
| Scheduling software | 7 of 20 | 4.6x |
| MEDITECH software | 7 of 20 | 4.2x |
| PointClickCare healthcare software | 3 of 20 | 27.7x |
| Medical condition coding software | 5 of 20 | 5.8x |
| Screen reader software | 3 of 20 | 15.4x |
| Medical procedure coding software | 5 of 20 | 5.1x |
| Electronic medical record EMR software | 4 of 20 | 5.8x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 4.12 | 4.25 |
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 3.88 | 3.88 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 3.88 | 3.25 |
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 3.62 | 3.75 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 3.62 | 3.50 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 3.25 | 3.38 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 3.25 | 3.12 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.25 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 3.00 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.75 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Science | Essential skill | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.12 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.00 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 0.75 |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 1.12 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 1.50 | 0.50 |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 1.50 | 0.50 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 1.38 | 0.38 |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 1.12 | not rated |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 1.12 | not rated |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Psychology | 4.20 | 5.62 |
| Therapy and Counseling | 4.08 | 5.07 |
| English Language | 4.07 | 2.94 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 3.96 | 4.11 |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 3.70 | 2.47 |
| Education and Training | 3.55 | 3.58 |
| Public Safety and Security | 3.53 | 2.58 |
| Law and Government | 3.23 | 1.63 |
| Computers and Electronics | 3.17 | 3.48 |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 3.09 | 2.75 |
| Administration and Management | 2.84 | 2.07 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 2.81 | 2.18 |
| Administrative | 2.62 | 2.47 |
| Biology | 2.46 | 1.39 |
| Transportation | 2.44 | 1.50 |
| Telecommunications | 2.37 | 0.63 |
| Communications and Media | 2.32 | 1.62 |
| Philosophy and Theology | 2.31 | 2.11 |
| Mathematics | 2.18 | 1.40 |
| Chemistry | 1.95 | 1.32 |
| Economics and Accounting | 1.88 | 1.38 |
| Production and Processing | 1.81 | 0.91 |
| Sales and Marketing | 1.80 | 0.97 |
| Foreign Language | 1.80 | 0.75 |
| Food Production | 1.51 | 0.59 |
| Fine Arts | 1.48 | 0.74 |
| Engineering and Technology | 1.44 | 0.44 |
| Geography | 1.40 | 0.93 |
| History and Archeology | 1.38 | 0.66 |
| Physics | 1.37 | 0.46 |
| Design | 1.26 | not rated |
| Mechanical | 1.26 | not rated |
| Building and Construction | 1.11 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Oral Comprehension | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Oral Expression | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Problem Sensitivity | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.62 | 3.75 |
| Written Comprehension | 3.62 | 3.62 |
| Written Expression | 3.50 | 3.62 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.50 | 3.50 |
| Speech Clarity | 3.50 | 3.38 |
| Near Vision | 3.38 | 3.50 |
| Information Ordering | 3.25 | 3.00 |
| Selective Attention | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Category Flexibility | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Far Vision | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Static Strength | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Trunk Strength | 2.88 | 2.25 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 2.75 | 3.00 |
| Time Sharing | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Perceptual Speed | 2.75 | 2.50 |
| Originality | 2.62 | 3.00 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 2.62 | 2.50 |
| Finger Dexterity | 2.50 | 2.50 |
| Stamina | 2.38 | 2.12 |
| Manual Dexterity | 2.38 | 2.00 |
| Explosive Strength | 2.25 | 2.25 |
| Speed of Closure | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Visualization | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Extent Flexibility | 2.25 | 2.00 |
| Multilimb Coordination | 2.25 | 2.00 |
| Auditory Attention | 2.12 | 2.25 |
| Gross Body Coordination | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Memorization | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 2.00 | 2.12 |
| Control Precision | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Reaction Time | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Response Orientation | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Number Facility | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 2.00 | 1.62 |
| Dynamic Strength | 2.00 | 1.50 |
| Depth Perception | 2.00 | 1.12 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 1.88 | 1.75 |
| Sound Localization | 1.62 | 0.75 |
| Spatial Orientation | 1.50 | 0.75 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 1.50 | 0.62 |
| Rate Control | 1.50 | 0.50 |
| Peripheral Vision | 1.38 | 0.38 |
| Glare Sensitivity | 1.12 | not rated |
| Night Vision | 1.12 | not rated |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.00 | not rated |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- Microsoft Excel hot
- Microsoft Office software hot
- Microsoft Outlook hot
- Microsoft Word hot
- ADL Data Systems OptimumClinicals Electronic Health Record
- Allscripts Sunrise
- Cerner ProFile
- Epic EpicCare Inpatient Clinical System
- GE Healthcare Centricity EMR
- ICANotes
- InfoLogix HealthTrax Engine
- MEDITECH Behavioral Health Clinicals
- Netsmart Technologies Avatar Clinical Workstation CWS
Where it concentrates
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Springfield, MO | 1,230 | 5.46 | $45,840 |
| Jonesboro, AR | 260 | 4.28 | $37,330 |
| Napa, CA | 320 | 4.05 | $83,960 |
| South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI | 530 | 3.98 | $40,910 |
| Tuscaloosa, AL | 430 | 3.93 | $37,410 |
| Bay City, MI | 130 | 3.82 | $47,780 |
| Port St. Lucie, FL | 660 | 3.81 | $37,260 |
| Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA | 980 | 3.79 | $45,360 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | 1,640 | 3.64 | $55,150 |
| Alexandria, LA | 220 | 3.63 | $29,190 |