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Career Details
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Career Details

31-1133.00 - Psychiatric Aides


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.


Key Facts
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Bright Outlook
Career Details
Green Job
Career Details
Current Employment
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Forecasted Employment
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Change in Employment
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Change in Employment %
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Tasks
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Tasks
The tasks listed below can be performed to prepare you for a career in this field.
Core
  • Provide mentally impaired or emotionally disturbed patients with routine physical, emotional, psychological, or rehabilitation care under the direction of nursing or medical staff.
  • Work as part of a team that may include psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses, or social workers.
  • Aid patients in becoming accustomed to hospital routine.
  • Organize, supervise, or encourage patient participation in social, educational, or recreational activities.
  • Perform nursing duties, such as administering medications, measuring vital signs, collecting specimens, or drawing blood samples.
  • Serve meals or feed patients needing assistance or persuasion.
  • Restrain or aid patients as necessary to prevent injury.
  • Provide patients with assistance in bathing, dressing, or grooming, demonstrating these skills as necessary.
  • Participate in recreational activities with patients, including card games, sports, or television viewing.
  • Maintain patients' restrictions to assigned areas.
  • Accompany patients to and from wards for medical or dental treatments, shopping trips, or religious or recreational events.
  • Clean and disinfect rooms and furnishings to maintain a safe and orderly environment.
  • Complete physical checks and monitor patients to detect unusual or harmful behavior and report observations to professional staff.
  • Record and maintain patient information, such as vital signs, eating habits, behavior, progress notes, treatments, or discharge plans.
  • Listen and provide emotional support and encouragement to psychiatric patients.
Supplemental
  • Interview patients upon admission and record information.
  • Complete administrative tasks, such as entering orders into computer, answering telephone calls, or maintaining medical or facility information.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Knowledge
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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
  • 75%
    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.
 English Language
  • 71%
    Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
 Customer and Personal Service
  • 70%
    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.
 Therapy and Counseling
  • 68%
    Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
 Public Safety and Security
  • 67%
    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.
 Education and Training
  • 63%
    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
  • 58%
    Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
 Medicine and Dentistry
  • 56%
    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.
 Administration and Management
  • 50%
    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.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Tools
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Tools
The tools listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Blood pressure units and related products
  • Automatic blood pressure cuffs
 Syringes and accessories
  • Blood collection syringes
 Computers
  • Desktop computers
  • Personal computers
 Medical thermometers and accessories
  • Digital patient thermometers
 Specimen collection and transport containers and supplies
  • Evacuated blood collection tubes
  • Specimen collection containers
 Patient lifts
  • Hydraulic patient lifts
 Medical suction and vacuum products
  • Intubation suctioning kits
 Personal communication devices
  • Multi-line telephone systems
  • Two way radios
 Bath and body
  • Safety razors
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Technology
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Technology
The technologies listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Content authoring and editing software
  • Microsoft ExcelHOT
  • Microsoft WordHOT
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Certifications
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Certifications
The certifications listed below are useful to pursue if you are interested in a career in this field.
No specific certifications are listed for this career
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Licensing
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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
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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
J Sargeant Reynolds Community College
New River Community College
Virginia Western Community College