Healthcare support
Psychiatric aide
Assist mentally impaired or emotionally disturbed patients, working under direction of nursing and medical staff. May assist with daily living activities, lead patients in educational and recreational activities, or accompany patients to and from examinations and treatments. May restrain violent patients. Includes psychiatric orderlies.
Median pay
$44,910
Growth to 2035
+2%
little or no change
Openings a year
4,900
Time to qualify*
1 month
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Psychiatric aide
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- Prior experience
- None
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Outdoors in all weather
Exposure to disease
Psychiatric aide: 23% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- Listen and provide emotional support and encouragement to psychiatric patients.
- Provide patients with cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities with routine physical, emotional, psychological, or rehabilitation care under the direction of nursing or medical staff.
- Complete physical checks and monitor patients to detect unusual or harmful behavior and report observations to professional staff.
- Restrain or aid patients as necessary to prevent injury.
- Work as part of a team that may include psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses, or social workers.
- Record and maintain patient information, such as vital signs, eating habits, behavior, progress notes, treatments, or discharge plans.
- Maintain patients' restrictions to assigned areas.
- Organize, supervise, or encourage patient participation in social, educational, or recreational activities.
Also called: Developmental Aide · Mental Health Aide (MHA) · Mental Health Worker (MHW) · Psychiatric Aide · Psychiatric Assistant · Psychiatric Nursing Aide · Qualified Medication Aide (QMA) · Resident Care Technician (Resident Care Tech)
Outlook and AI
Psychiatric aides held 36,900 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 37,600 by 2035 (+2%, little or no change; all jobs: +3.5%).
Compare with
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- Psychiatric aide vs. Licensed practical nurse (LPN)
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