Career Details
Career Details
  • Your closest Community College is
    • Update The Zipcode (N/A)
Use this dropdown to update your zip code

Career Details

Return to the Search

29-2053.00 - 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.


Key Facts
Expand or Shrink Accordion
Bright Outlook
Career Details
Green Job
Career Details
Current Employment
67,900
Estimate
Forecasted Employment
71,400
Estimate
Change in Employment
+3,500
Estimate
Change in Employment %
+5.2%
Estimate
Tasks
Expand or Shrink Accordion
Tasks
The tasks listed below can be performed to prepare you for a career in this field.
Core
  • Monitor patients' physical and emotional well-being and report unusual behavior or physical ailments to medical staff.
  • Provide nursing, psychiatric, or personal care to mentally ill, emotionally disturbed, or mentally retarded patients.
  • Observe and influence patients' behavior, communicating and interacting with them and teaching, counseling, or befriending them.
  • Take and record measures of patients' physical condition, using devices such as thermometers or blood pressure gauges.
  • Encourage patients to develop work skills and to participate in social, recreational, or other therapeutic activities that enhance interpersonal skills or develop social relationships.
  • Collaborate with or assist doctors, psychologists, or rehabilitation therapists in working with mentally ill, emotionally disturbed, or developmentally disabled patients to treat, rehabilitate, and return patients to the community.
  • Develop or teach strategies to promote client wellness and independence.
  • Restrain violent, potentially violent, or suicidal patients by verbal or physical means as required.
  • Train or instruct new employees on procedures to follow with psychiatric patients.
Supplemental
  • Aid patients in performing tasks, such as bathing or keeping beds, clothing, or living areas clean.
  • Administer oral medications or hypodermic injections, following physician's prescriptions and hospital procedures.
  • Issue medications from dispensary and maintain records in accordance with specified procedures.
  • Interview new patients to complete admission forms, to assess their mental health status, or to obtain their mental health and treatment history.
  • Lead prescribed individual or group therapy sessions as part of specific therapeutic procedures.
  • Contact patients' relatives to arrange family conferences.
  • Escort patients to medical appointments.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Knowledge
Expand or Shrink Accordion
Knowledge

The items listed below are organized into sections that contain knowledge useful for pursuing a career in this field. Each section also contains a "Percentage of Importance" statistic that shows how relevant an item is to the occupation.
 Psychology
  • 84%
    Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
 Therapy and Counseling
  • 75%
    Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
 Customer and Personal Service
  • 72%
    Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
 Public Safety and Security
  • 72%
    Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
 English Language
  • 63%
    Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
 Administration and Management
  • 62%
    Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
 Education and Training
  • 62%
    Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
 Sociology and Anthropology
  • 57%
    Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
 Clerical
  • 55%
    Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
 Law and Government
  • 53%
    Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
 Computers and Electronics
  • 51%
    Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
 Medicine and Dentistry
  • 51%
    Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Tools
Expand or Shrink Accordion
Tools
The tools listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Resuscitation supplies
  • Bag valve mask BVM resuscitators
 Syringes and accessories
  • Blood drawing syringes
  • Hypodermic syringes
  • Tuberculin TB skin test equipment
 Blood pressure units and related products
  • Blood pressure cuffs
 Heat and cold therapy products
  • Cold therapy equipment
  • Heat therapy equipment
 Ambulation and transfer and positioning aids for the physically challenged
  • Crutches
 Computers
  • Desktop computers
  • Notebook computers
  • Personal computers
  • Tablet computers
 Medical thermometers and accessories
  • Electronic patient thermometers
 Medical equipment transport and transfer products
  • Emergency carts
 Enema administration supplies
  • Enema equipment
 Specimen collection and transport containers and supplies
  • Evacuated blood collection tubes
  • Lancets
 Patient point of care testing supplies and equipment
  • Glucometers
 Patient transport products
  • Gurneys
  • Wheelchairs
 Absorbents
  • Hazardous material spill kits
 Patient beds and accessories
  • Hospital beds
 Positive mechanical pressure ventilators and accessories
  • Intermittent positive pressure breathing IPPB devices
 Stethoscopes and related products
  • Mechanical stethoscopes
 Nasoenteric tubes
  • Nasogastric tubes
 Respiratory humidity and aerosol therapy products
  • Nebulizers
 Pulse oximeters
  • Oximeters
 Oxygen therapy delivery systems and devices
  • Oxygen administration equipment
  • Oxygen carts
 Restraints and accessories
  • Patient restraints
 Safety apparel
  • Safety gloves
 Medical suction and vacuum products
  • Suction machines
 Medical staff clothing and related articles
  • Surgical masks
 Orthopedic traction supplies and accessories
  • Traction equipment
 Urological supplies
  • Urinary catheters
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Technology
Expand or Shrink Accordion
Technology
The technologies listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Industry specific software
  • ADL Data Systems OptimumClinicals Electronic Health Record
  • Allscripts Sunrise Clinical Manager
  • Cerner ProFile
  • Epic EpicCare Inpatient Clinical System
  • GE Healthcare Centricity EMR
  • ICANotes
  • MEDITECH Behavioral Health Clinicals
  • Netsmart Technologies Avatar Clinical Workstation CWS
 Business function specific software
  • InfoLogix HealthTrax Engine
  • Microsoft OfficeHOT
 Content authoring and editing software
  • Microsoft ExcelHOT
  • Microsoft WordHOT
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Certifications
Expand or Shrink Accordion
Certifications
The certifications listed below are useful to pursue if you are interested in a career in this field.
 Specialty
 Advanced
 Core
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Licensing
Expand or Shrink Accordion
Licensing
The licensing information below is organized into sections and is useful for pursuing if you are interested in a career in this field.
No specific licensing information is listed for this occupation in the area you have selected.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Related Programs
Expand or Shrink Accordion
Online Programs related to this career, offered by participating institution(s), are listed below.

Clicking on the Degree programs in the list below will take you away from the Careers page.
INSTITUTION
PROGRAMS
Germanna Community College
 Programs
J Sargeant Reynolds Community College
 Programs
New River Community College
 Programs
Virginia Western Community College
 Programs